Ashton Kutcher Claims He Was Once Fired From A Gucci Campaign For Looking 'Too Fat' In A Speedo

The themes of Ryan Murphy’s latest thriller series, The Beauty, hit particularly close to home for Ashton Kutcher, who recently recalled being fired from a Gucci campaign early in his modeling career for being “too fat.”

The FX and Hulu series explores a world where a beauty-enhancing drug promises perfection at a devastating cost—a premise that mirrors real-world pressures Kutcher experienced long before his acting career took off.

During a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, the former That '70s Show star was asked whether he had ever chased an “idea of perfection” that now makes him sad. Reflecting on his early modeling days, he acknowledged how quickly insecurities surface in image-driven environments.

The actor reflected on his first years in fashion:

“I started modeling when I was, like, 19, and I was hanging out with what I consider to be some of the most beautiful people in the world. And what I realized really quickly is, everybody had an insecurity.”

Kutcher has been promoting The Beauty, Murphy’s latest project following American Horror Story. In the series, he portrays a mysterious tech billionaire who secretly develops a miracle drug that makes anyone conventionally beautiful.

When several international supermodels, including one played by Bella Hadid, begin dying in violent and unexplained circumstances, FBI agents Cooper Madsen (Evan Peters) and Jordan Bennett (Rebecca Hall) are dispatched to Paris to investigate.

The 47-year-old actor recalled booking an exclusive campaign for Gucci while Tom Ford was serving as the brand’s creative director. After flying to Italy for the runway show, he found himself modeling a pink Speedo, and quickly learning he didn’t fit the designer’s vision.

Kutcher remembered the moment vividly:

“I remember, I got an exclusive campaign for Gucci when Tom Ford was running it, and I flew to Italy for the runway show, and he puts me in like a pink Speedo. I was 178 pounds. I know exactly how much I weighed — and [Tom] was like: ‘He’s too fat.’ And I got fired.”

At the time, Kutcher was a teenager standing six-foot-two. Rather than framing the experience as a personal slight, he now sees it as an early lesson in the subjectivity of fashion and beauty standards.

He explained how his perspective has evolved:

“I was like, dude, I was 178 pounds, what are you talking about? But, he had a specific thing he wanted to see that, in his eye, was the right thing. It didn't mean I was less, it just meant that I wasn't that for him, for that moment.”

Kutcher later noted that he and Ford eventually laughed about the incident. Still, the experience left a lasting impression, illustrating how easily industries built on appearance can foster self-doubt.

He added:

“You can build insecurities about those things over time, and I think everybody has those. It really does not matter who you are. Everybody's got an insecurity.”

You can watch the interview below:

His latest show examines society’s obsession with image and the psychological toll of chasing physical perfection. According to the official synopsis, Kutcher’s character is “a shadowy tech billionaire who has secretly engineered a miracle drug dubbed ‘The Beauty,’ who will do anything to protect his trillion-dollar empire.”

Speaking more broadly about self-perception, Kutcher said:

“If you look in the mirror long enough, you'll find something you don't like - or that you think could be better or that you think could be different.”

The moment resonated online and viewers reacted to Kutcher’s story and his controversial turtleneck ensemble:

@shickyshickyshick1993/TikTok

@justintimebro1/TikTok

@tomgreen/TikTok

@jdwhite85/TikTok

@ksm1905/TikTok

@shaan.diamond/TikTok

@monsterpug100/TikTok

@sorsha22/TikTok

@wooofy1/TikTok

Kutcher also recognized the similarities between the plot of The Beauty and the 2024 Oscar-nominated body-horror film The Substance, which featured his ex-wife, Demi Moore. Praising Moore’s performance, he said that she “killed it” after her wins at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Adapted from a comic book, The Beauty features a cameo by Meghan Trainor, who has openly discussed her weight-loss while using Mounjaro. In her brief appearance, Trainor portrays a character who is obsessed with losing weight, highlighting the show’s critique of image-driven obsession.

You can catch the trailer for the series below:

- YouTube FX Networks

In a separate interview with the BBC News, Kutcher pushed back against the idea that film and television are solely responsible for reinforcing narrow beauty standards. Instead, he argued that entertainment often reflects societal behavior rather than shaping it outright.

While acknowledging that some performers are considered “traditionally handsome,” Kutcher pointed to constant media visibility as a more powerful driver of perfectionism.

He explained:

“It doesn't make them not beautiful, it just makes them break a mould.”

Kutcher revealed that many of his conversations with Ryan Murphy during production centered on real-world weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, particularly their rapid rise in popularity beyond their original medical use, and the unpredictable outcomes that may follow when appearance becomes a commodity.