Ashton Kutcher is sitting down for his first joint interview with his twin brother.
The “That ‘70s Show” star and his brother, Michael Kutcher, will appear in the upcoming Paramount+ series “The Checkup with Dr. David Agus,” which will premiere on the streaming platform on Dec. 6.
In a trailer released on Nov. 29, Ashton appeared to reflect on a health scare he experienced several years back.
“I was unable to walk and then suddenly you can’t see,” Ashton recalled during one clip in the trailer, referring to his vasculitis diagnosis from two years prior. According to the Mayo Clinic, it is a condition where blood vessels become inflamed, leading to restricted blood flow resulting in organ and tissue damage.
At the end of the trailer, which also featured Oprah Winfrey and Maria Shriver, Amy Schumer, Nick Cannon, Howie Mandel, and Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Ashton shared an emotional sentiment about his condition. The actor added, “When you have this face to face with death you instantly lock into, ‘What are you doing with today?’”
While Ashton reflected on his prior health condition, the clip depicted a touching moment between the Kutcher brothers. Ashton, who appeared to be choked up, clapped a hand on Michael's knee as they sat side-by-side on a couch before the brothers grasped each other's hands.
The 44-year-old actor first opened up about his vasculitis diagnosis in an August 2022 episode of National Geographic’s “Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge.” In a clip from the episode, Ashton said of his condition, “Two years ago, I had this weird, super rare form of vasculitis that knocked out my vision. It knocked out my hearing. It knocked out all my equilibrium.”
“You don’t really appreciate it until it’s gone,” Ashton said, referring to losing his vision. “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.’”
In recent years, Michael has been candid about his own childhood diagnosis with cerebral palsy. His condition, which he was diagnosed with when he was 3 years old, was announced by his own brother during an interview on national television nearly two decades ago.
Michael said that at the time he was “very angry” at Ashton — or as he and his family refer to his brother, Chris — for sharing his condition publicly in 2003. He reflected on the moment during a May 2021 interview with TODAY.com, explaining. "I remember speaking to him about it. I didn’t want to be the face of CP. I never talked about it.”
Today, there is no lingering anger or resentment toward his brother for revealing his cerebral palsy diagnosis. Instead, he sees it as a life-changing moment. Now, he lives in Colorado with his wife and three children and has become a spokesperson for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation in addition to an advisor for the startup Joshin, an app that aids families in finding care for a person with disabilities.
Michael added, “Chris did me the biggest favor he’s ever done because he allowed me to be myself.”