‘How do I get to be this lucky?’: Ashton Kutcher opens up about guilt over twin brother Michael’s health
Actor says he no longer feels ‘sorry’ for his twin brother, Michael, who was born with cerebral palsy
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Your support makes all the difference.Ashton Kutcher and his twin brother Michael Kutcher have revealed some of the things that have caused them to have issues in their relationship over the years.
The actor is well known for his role as Michael Kelso on That ’70s Show, in which he starred with his now-wife, Mila Kunis.
He also hosted the prank TV show, Punk’d, as well as starring in films such as Guess Who, Just Married and a Steve Jobs biopic, Jobs.
However, during his rise as an actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Ashton had long been dealing with complicated feelings related to his twin brother, Michael.
Michael was born with cerebral palsy, a series of conditions that affect the brain and movement, while Ashton was not.
The brothers feature on a forthcoming episode of the Paramount Plus series The Checkup with Dr Agus, where Ashton admits to having difficulties acknowledging Michael’s health.
“How do I get to be this lucky? And for my brother to be born with cerebral palsy, then have a heart transplant, then have this random blood clot,” he said in a clip released by Entertainment Tonight.
“These things where you’re like, ‘Who has to go through that? How do I get to be this lucky?’”
He went on to note that he’d failed to consider how Michael might feel about this response, and how they were able to begin moving past this to finally have a more balanced relationship.
Ashton continued: “There was a moment in all of this where I moved to New York and was starting to get some traction with my career and Mike came out to visit and stay, and he looked at me and he said, ‘Every time you feel sorry for me, you make me less.’
“He said, ‘This is the only life I’ve ever known, so stop feeling sorry for the only thing I have.’ And that then created an entire shift back to where I think we are today, which is straight-up equals. That’s it.’”
Michael then gives his view on why their relationship has been fractious throughout the years. When Dr Agus asks why they think they drifted apart, he quickly responds: “Jealousy. For sure. At least on my part.”
In the series, the brothers sit with Dr Agus, who is a long-time friend of Ashton, to openly address their health and the changing nature of their relationship over the years.
Earlier this year, Ashton revealed that he’d had a rare form of the autoimmune disorder vasculitis, where he lost the ability to walk, see, and hear.
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