Ashton Kutcher has admitted that ‘toxic masculinity’ has influenced his parenting style.
The 46-year-old actor, who shares daughter Wyatt, nine, and son Dimitri, seven, with wife Mila Kunis, says he behaves differently with his two kids, being more protective of his daughter.
Ashton and Mila first met each other back in the 1990s when they both starred on That ’70s Show alongside the likes of Topher Grace, Kurtwood Smith, and Laura Prepon.
Once the sitcom was over, Ashton and Mila, 41, went their separate ways – with Mila voicing Meg Griffin on Family Guy among many other roles – but reunited around 2012 and started a relationship.
The two announced daughter Wyatt’s birth in October 2014 and son Dimitri’s birth in 2016, with the pair now having been parents for almost a decade.
On the latest episode of the Throwbacks podcast – hosted by Matt Leinart and Jerry Ferrara – Ashton shared that he had never been so in love as when he had his daughter.
He said: ‘I don’t know if it equates to being a girl dad or it equates to her being my first, but when I had my daughter, I had never been so in love in my entire life.
‘And Mila and I talked about it a lot. Like, I’ve never loved anyone this much. Ever.’
He then explained that he parents his kids differently – he tends towards being more adventurous with his son while feeling the need to protect his daughter more.
‘My son, I’m always like, “Yeah, let’s go for it”. Like, yesterday we’re popping wheelies on a bicycle in the driveway or it’s like, “See if you can jump down four stairs”.
The former Punk’d host then admitted to treating his son and daughter differently when they cry due to how both their tears affect him.
‘[With] my daughter, I just want to protect her. When my son cries, I’m like, “All right, what did we learn? Let’s move on.” But when my daughter cries, my heart is out of my body and I can’t put it back in.”’
Kutcher then theorised that his experiences with ‘toxic masculinity’ in the past have led him to treat his son differently, and he told hosts Matt and Jerry that Mila also has different approaches with their kids.
He explained: ‘I also notice the same thing with my wife, like, she’s very strict on our daughter and, like, a gushball with our son. I think we balance each other in that way.’
The two reprised their roles as Michael and Jackie from That ’70s Show when Netflix revived the series under a new title, That ’90s Show.
After joining the project, Ashton later confessed that Mila gave him no choice in the matter, insisting they both had to say ‘yes’ to the project.
He explained to Esquire: ‘[She] goes, “You know, we owe our entire careers to this show. It doesn’t matter what the script is, we’re doing it.”‘