Read to find out about the successes and difficulties Ashton faced in the past few years.
Ashton Kutcher established himself as a comedic talent following his breakthrough role as Michael Kelso in the popular TV sitcom That 70s Show, and he has made some notable appearances on film as well. That being said, the actor pulled back from taking any kind of role after 2014, only recently beginning to dip his feet back into the craft.
This absence got many wondering about what he was doing during that time, and recently Ashton gave some answers to that question, particularly by opening up about his relationship with his brother.
Busy in absence
Although Ashton has had a gap in Hollywood, he has certainly kept himself busy by establishing an investment career. In 2020, Business Insider termed him as Hollywood's most active Silicon Valley investor. The highlight was how he managed to turn an initial funding of $30 million (£24 million) into $250 million (£202 million) through the venture capital firm A-Grade, formed in 2010 by Kutcher and talent manager Guy Oseary.
Business Insider further reports that A-Grade made an early investment in Uber Eats and other successful investments in multi-billion dollar companies such as Spotify, Airbnb, Warby Parker, and Houzz, among many others. Later the duo expanded upon their venture strategies by founding Sound Ventures, which allowed them to pool in and manage external investments.
Personal health issues
On an episode of National Geographic's Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge, Ashton revealed that he had been suffering from a rare disease that greatly affected his vision and hearing for a long period of time.
The actor noted that he was diagnosed with a rare form of vasculitis in 2020 and it took a year of treatment to overcome this medical obstacle. He noted that he's 'lucky to be alive' as vasculitis, a serious autoimmune disease that causes the blood vessels to get inflamed, causes a lot of issues that could greatly hinder one's daily life, reports Variety.
Ashton said:
You don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone, until you go, ‘I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to see again; I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to hear again; I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to walk again.’
He added:
The minute you start seeing your obstacles as things that are made for you to give you what you need, then life starts to get fun. You start surfing on top of your problems instead of living underneath them.
Troubled sibling relationship
On the Paramount Plus series, The Checkup with Dr. Agus, Ashton and his brother, Michael Kutcher, sat down and opened up about how they felt about each other, particularly speaking about why the siblings had drifted away from each other.
Michael suffers from cerebral palsy, and he previously went through a heart transplant amid various other medical complications he's been facing. Speaking about his brother's condition, Ashton was left questioning why he was the 'lucky' one who found success. He further added that he regrettably failed to consider Michael's feelings.
From another perspective, when Dr. Agus asked Michael's opinion on the reason for drifting apart, Michael noted 'Jealousy. For sure. At least on my part.' However, both of the brothers noted that they are on good terms now.
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