Ashton Kutcher Under Fire: 2.5 Men Ad Stunt Adds to Demi Moore Divorce Woes
Amidst rumors of marital problems with wife Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher has angered CBS by advertising his investments on “Two and a Half Men.”
On the second episode of the season, Kutcher’s character, Walden Schmidt, held a lap top computer that was decorated with five stickers. Foursquare, Chegg, Flipboard, Hipmunk, and GroupMe were displayed to the millions of viewers who tuned into the sitcom.
Not coincidentally, Kutcher holds stock on each of the five companies displayed. His promoting them free of charge during the broadcast has upset CBS, with the network’s rep telling E! News, “This was not part of any advertising transaction with CBS.”
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The CBS rep continued, “Our policy is to disclose such financial interests in a credit at the end of the broadcast.”
The stickers will likely be blurred on the screen during future broadcasts unless the companies pay CBS advertising fees to have them displayed.
Getting heat from all fronts, Kutcher has remained mostly silent on Twitter, where he normally is very active. In the early hours of Wednesday, he provided a link to the song “Don’t Believe the Hype” by Public Enemy, in what appears to be a response to the media’s speculation of his marriage.
Demi Moore has also taken a leave of absence from Twitter, only writing a post last week, which has been interpreted many different ways.
Tweeting a quote from the Greek philosopher Epictetus, Moore wrote, “When we are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself & truly study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.”
Reports have circulated that the couple has been living apart “for months” and that their six-year marriage is headed towards a $290 million divorce and it is not the first time.
Last year, the media speculated that the couple was headed for divorce after Kutcher was accused of unfaithfulness. The duo denied the rumors and took a “spiritual” trip to Israel together, reportedly to renew their wedding vows during the break-up allegations.
Neither of the actor’s representatives has offered a comment on the state of their relationship
