January Jones Says Ex Ashton Kutcher Told Her She Didn't Have a Future in Acting

Ashton Kutcher and January Jones at the premiere of Dude, Where's My Car? in 2000
Newsmakers / Getty Images

Well, she certainly proved him wrong. Back the late '90s and early 2000s, when they were in their early 20s, January Jones and Ashton Kutcher were in a relationship. While she was just getting her start in Hollywood, he had already found fame with the sitcom That '70s Show. In 2007, Jones would land TV success of her own playing Betty Draper on Mad Men, a role that brought her an Emmy nomination for Lead Actress. But, apparently, Kutcher was not very supportive of his then-girlfriend's acting career or confident she'd land roles. Jones said that an ex told her he didn't think she was "going to be good at this," meaning acting, and the timeline confirms Kutcher was the boyfriend in question.

Read on to find out more about this doomed celebrity couple.

RELATED: Cher Says She Was "Madly in Love" With Val Kilmer Despite Age Gap.

Jones said that an ex was very unsupportive of her career.

Ashton Kutcher and January Jones at Fox TV TCA All-Star Party in 1999
Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

In 2009, during Season 3 of Mad Men, Jones opened up about the man she was with when she first moved to Los Angeles for her career. She had previously been modeling in New York.

"The guy I was dating when I first got to L.A. was not supportive of my acting," she told GQ. "He was like, I don't think you're going to be good at this. So—[expletive] you!"

She continued, "He only has nice things to say now—if anything, I should thank him. Because the minute you tell me I can't do something, that's when I'm most motivated."

The GQ profile notes that the "skeptical boyfriend" was "it turns out, a guy named Ashton Kutcher."

RELATED: Halle Berry Had a "Breakdown" After Eric Benét Admitted Affairs With Multiple Women.

She remained coy about the person's identity years later.

Jones' GQ interview came up during a 2016 appearance on Watch What Happens Live. A fan asked (via E! News), "January, have you ever talked to Ashton Kutcher since he said you couldn't act, and what do you think about his acting skills?" Jones first responded, "Ooh, ouch!" before explaining, "I said that someone I had dated previously wasn't encouraging of my acting—not that I couldn't. I don't know if that person had ever actually seen me act. But the person who wrote the interview did the math and thought it might be him, so I never really said who it was."

Jones continued, "I haven't talked to him. I'm super happy for him and his family, to be political and all that." Host Andy Cohen asked Jones to clarify if it was, in fact, Kutcher who she was talking about, and she laughed.

Kutcher apparently suspected Jones of cheating on him.

Ashton Kutcher and January Jones at the Race to Erase Multiple Sclerosis Dinner Gala in 2000
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

After he and Jones broke up, Kutcher was married to Demi Moore from 2005 to 2013. He evidently discussed his relationship with the Mad Men star with his wife, according to an anecdote Moore shares in her 2019 memoir, Inside Out. Moore wrote that she talked to Jones about Kutcher suspecting that Jones had an affair with Bruce Willis, Moore's ex, when they were filming the 2001 movie Bandits.

"Ashton was convinced they'd had a fling on set," Moore wrote (via Radar Online). She said that she brought this up to Jones years later when they were at an event together. "Are you serious?" Moore wrote that Jones responded. "I told him a hundred times, I didn't want to [expletive] that old man!"

RELATED: Mila Kunis Says "Horrible, Horrible Breakup" With Macaulay Culkin Was Her Fault.

Jones and Kutcher moved on to relationships with other stars.

January Jones and Ashton Kutcher at a Maxim Magazine party in 2000
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Image

Jones didn't give up on dating celebrities after being discouraged by one early on in her career. She has also dated singer Josh Groban and Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis. That said, she keeps her private life mostly private. The X-Men: First Class star welcomed a son in 2011, but the identity of his father isn't publicly known.

As for Kutcher, after divorcing Moore, he reconnected with and began dating That '70s Show co-star Mila Kunis. They married in 2015 and have two children.

For more celebrity news delivered right to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Lia Beck Lia Beck is a writer living in Richmond, Virginia. In addition to Best Life, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, InStyle, and more.Read moreFiled Under • Read This Next
  • Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher at the Breakthrough Prize Ceremony in 2023

    Ashton Kutcher Slammed for Vulgar Comments

    The actor is facing further backlash after clips from his past resurfaced online.September 12, 2023
  • Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore at a screening of "Killers" in 2010

    Demi Claimed Ashton "Justified" Cheating

    The actor wrote that she had agreed to threesomes before her then-husband was unfaithful.September 2, 2023
  • Rumer Willis, Bruce Willis, Tallulah Willis, Scout Willis, Demi Moore, and Ashton Kutcher at the premiere of "Charlie's Angels 2" in 2003

    Demi Moore's Daughter on Marriage to Ashton

    Tallulah Willis, now 29, was eight when her mother started dating the <em>That '70s Show</em> star.June 7, 2023
  • LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 02: Ashton Kutcher attends Netflix's "Your Place or Mine" world premiere at Regency Village Theater on February 02, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)

    The First Symptoms of Vasculitis

    "Something’s not right," the actor recalls his wife, Mila Kunis, saying.February 25, 2023
  • Michael and Ashton Kutcher at the 2013 Starkey Hearing Foundation "So the World May Hear" Awards Gala in 2013

    Ashton Kutcher on His Estrangement From Twin

    The actor and his brother, Michael Kutcher, share how they rebuilt their relationship. December 6, 2022
  • Macaulay Culkin and Mila Kunis at a charity event in 2005

    Mila Kunis on Macaulay Culkin Split

    The stars were together for almost 10 years.January 27, 2024
  • Amal and George Clooney in 2014

    23 Celeb Couples When They First Got Together

    Sparks had only just started to fly when these pics were taken.April 20, 2023
  • Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban in 2019

    17 Celeb Couples on Their First Red Carpet

    These stars sent flashbulbs popping when they made their couple debuts.March 27, 2023
  • Jay-Z and Beyonce in 2017

    Celeb Couples Who Survived Cheating Scandals

    Even highly publicized infidelity didn't break these pairs up.January 26, 2023
  • 10 Things You Didn't Know about Justin Trudeau

    Athlete, nerd, hopeless romantic, thespian. Yes, there’s a lot more to Canada’s Prime Minister than just politics.March 21, 2017

You Might Also Like