Awkward photos of Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon on the red carpet went viral earlier this week.
Alas Kutcher finally revealed to the world why the duo appeared so uncomfortable.
Kutcher and Witherspoon recently attended the premiere of their new Netflix romantic comedy Your Place or Mine.
But their presence on the red carpet was anything but romantic.
People called out Kutcher and Witherspoon for not even making bodily contact. Kutcher remained standing with his hands in his pockets for most of their red carpet presence.
But wonder no more, because Kutcher set the record straight on the Chicks in the Office podcast.
"Here's the thing: If I put my arm around her and was, like, all friendly with her, I'd be having an affair with her."
Kutcher has been married to his That 70s Show co-star Mila Kunis since 2015, dating since 2012.
He explained his strategy:
"If I stand next to her and I put my hands in my pockets, so there's no chance that, like, that could be the rumor, the rumor is we don't like each other."
The lesser of two evils, we guess?
Kutcher shared even his wife called out their optically unpleasant appearance by texting the two, "Guys, you gotta act like you like each other."
Listeners of the podcast contributed their thoughts.
Many claimed Kutcher was being a gentleman and a dedicated husband.
Of course, some claimed it's possible to still appear friendly in a nonromantic way.
I mean, no one was asking for a Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac moment.
And then some joked *record scratch*... wait a minute...
Well, Kutcher definitely achieved his goal of appearing unromantic.
Your Place or Mine begins streaming on Netflix tomorrow.
Hopefully, the chemistry is more evident in the film.
