From jealousy to fights for health, Ashton Kutcher and his twin brother Michael put up with it all during their first joint interview.
In an episode of Paramount Plus’ Checkup with Dr. David Agus, The Kutcher twins, both 44, held hands as they discussed various emotional moments from their past.
Ashton spoke candidly about her relationship with Michael, who has cerebral palsy. She told Agus, who CNN tells he’s ashton’s doctor – about a time when Michael nearly died as a 13-year-old after contracting viral myocarditis. The infection caused Michael’s heart to enlarge and fail.
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Ashton’s eyes were misty as he told Agus that Michael had collapsed while Ashton was visiting him in the hospital.
the That 70’s Show The actor said at the time that he considered jumping off a balcony and ending his own life, as his heart would have been a match for Michael’s life-saving transplant. (Michael was eventually matched with a donor within 24 hours of his heart failure.)
Two years later, when Michael underwent open-heart surgery, doctors discovered a blood clot. Amid his brother’s failing health, Ashton’s career was just taking off, something he said made him feel guilty.
“For my brother… being born with cerebral palsy, then having a heart transplant, then having this random blood clot, these things where you say, ‘Who has to go through that?'” Ashton said during the interview.
Ashton revealed that a candid moment with his brother eventually washed away any guilt he felt.
“He looked at me and said, ‘Every time you feel sorry for me, you put me down,’” Ashton said.
“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 a complete shift back to where I think we are today, which is the same again,” he continued.
Michael added that he and Ashton had broken up for a period of time due to Michael’s “jealousy”.
Although the brothers now have an improved relationship, Michael explained that there was a time when things weren’t so smooth.
“There was a time when I saw that he was getting more attention than I was and that led me to a place where I was jealous,” Michael said. “Here we are one and two for so many years and then he goes up the mountain to do immense things and become a household name and it really affected me in terms of my own worth.”
After an open and honest conversation with his brother, Ashton said that they “had this moment of reckoning and understanding where we decided to tear down the walls that we had built.”
“The world may see it differently, but I know it. He’s still my brother and he hasn’t changed, and he never will. Once I got all the fame and everything out of it, I was able to get back together with him,” Michael said.
During the episode of checking, Ashton also spoke about his vasculitis diagnosis, an autoimmune disorder.
Earlier this year, Ashton said he was “lucky to be alive” after the disease affected his vision, hearing and balance.
“I woke up one day and I had vision problems, I could barely see,” he said. He claimed that the disease also “destroyed my hearing, which impaired my balance, my footing, and I couldn’t walk.”
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After a year, Kutcher was able to recover from the vasculitis.
Ashton said his wife, Mila Kunis, was a great help during his recovery.
“I will say that your wife was amazing,” said Agus. “Just curled up there next to you. It was a beautiful thing to see.”
The Ashton episode of Checkup with Dr. David Agus premiered on December 6.
Agus, a cancer specialist and CBS Medical Contributor, hosts vulnerable health conversations with various celebrities on the show. Oprah Winfrey, Howie Mandel, Amy Schumer and Jane Fonda will be among the featured guests.
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