It cannot be easy being a famous person’s family member. It is even harder to be a sibling. In the case of Ashton and Michael Kutcher, the situation is further complicated by the fact that they are twins.
Growing up, Michael faced many health challenges. He was born with cerebral palsy and also underwent a heart transplant. Ashton was plagued by guilt being the able-bodied twin. The pair opened up about their strained relationship in their first-ever joint interview on the new Paramount Plus series The Checkup With Dr. David Angus, which started streaming on December 6, 2022.
In a teaser clip for the show aired on Entertainment Tonight, Ashton is seen getting emotional and saying, "How do I get to be this lucky? And for my brother to be born with cerebral palsy, then have a heart transplant, then have this random blood clot." It did not seem fair to Ashton. He went on to say, "These things where you’re like, 'Who has to go through that? How do I get to be this lucky?'"
Michael helped Ashton change his mindset. He told his brother that his pity actually hurt him. "There was a moment in all of this where I moved to New York and was starting to get some traction with my career and Mike came out to visit and stay, and he looked at me and he said, 'Every time you feel sorry for me, you make me less,'" Ashton remembered.
Ashton added, "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 an entire shift back to where I think we are today, which is straight-up equals. That’s it."
Dr. David Angus is a cancer specialist and CBS News medical contributor. His show will explore difficult medical issues and diagnoses that celebrities such as Ashton and Michael have faced.
To see a preview of Ashton and Michael’s episode, watch this video.
