Ashton Kutcher Reveals How 'Toxic Masculinity' Has Impacted His Parenting

Ashton Kutcher tackled the topic of "toxic masculinity" and parenthood in a new interview on the Throwbacks podcast , published on Thursday. Kutcher joined the show's hosts, actor Jay Ferrara and pro athlete Matt Leinart, for a discussion that turned to fatherhood. Kutcher has a 9-year-old daughter named Wyatt and a 7-year-old son named Dimitri, and he said that examining how he treats them differently helped him recognize his own "toxic masculinity."

Kutcher shares both children with his wife and former co-star Mila Kunis , and he said that he noticed they both treat the kids differently. When asked about being a "girl dad," Kutcher 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." While that sounds positive, Kutcher said he became concerned when his son was born and he observed himself giving Dimitri more freedom subconsciously.

"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,'" Kutcher said. "[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 chalked this up to his own "toxic masculinity," but said that it's not just him. He went on: "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."

Kutcher and Kunis have both talked about parenthood a lot on recent years, and have emphasized that it is their number one priority over their careers and other agendas. They have made headlines for their parenting hot takes at times, especially when podcast quotes get reported to a wider audience. For example, the infamous discussion about how often kids should be bathed back in 2021 helped put Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast on the map. Still, many fans enjoy sharing this aspect of life with the stars on social media.