Ashton Kutcher's Role as Michael Kelso in That 70s Show
Ashton Kutcher played Michael Kelso, the comedic, dim-witted boyfriend on That 70s Show, which aired from 1998 to 2006 on Fox and later in syndication on Paramount Network and Pluto TV. The series was created by Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner and produced by The Carsey-Werner Company and 20th Television. Kutcher's portrayal of Kelso became a defining early role, ranking among the most recognizable sitcom characters of the late 1990s and early 2000s. He appeared in 148 episodes across eight seasons, with his final appearance in the series finale on May 18, 2006.
The character's storylines centered on his relationship with Jackie Burkhart, played by Mila Kunis, and his misadventures with the core friend group in Point Place, Wisconsin. Kutcher's performance earned him a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice TV Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001 and a Young Hollywood Award for Breakthrough Performance in 2002. The show launched him from a Midwestern teen actor to a national star, directly leading to his casting in Dude, Where's My Car? (2000) and subsequent film roles.
Salary, Net Worth, and Career Earnings from That 70s Show
Ashton Kutcher's salary on That 70s Show started at around $30,000 per episode in the early seasons and rose to a reported $500,000 per episode by the final season, according to industry reports from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Over the show's run, he earned an estimated $30 million to $40 million in total compensation, including backend participation. This income, combined with his early film work, helped him build a personal net worth estimated at $200 million as of 2024, per Forbes.
Kutcher's post-That 70s Show career pivoted into venture capital and technology investing. He co-founded A-Grade Investments in 2010 and later Sound Ventures, focusing on early-stage startups in consumer technology, gaming, and biotech. His portfolio includes stakes in Uber, Airbnb, Spotify, and Coinbase, with A-Grade Investments reportedly generating over $250 million in returns on a $30 million fund, as noted by Forbes and TechCrunch.
How That 70s Show Shaped Ashton Kutcher's Long-Term Career
That 70s Show provided Kutcher with a direct bridge to mainstream Hollywood visibility, which he leveraged to secure leading roles in films such as Just Married (2003), Guess Who (2005), and The Butterfly Effect (2004). The series also established his on-screen partnership with Mila Kunis, which continued in the spin-off That 90s Show (2023-2025) on Netflix, where Kunis does not return but Kutcher serves as an executive producer.
Beyond acting, Kutcher used his earnings and fame from That 70s Show to fund his investment career and philanthropic work. He became a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners and later a managing partner at Sound Ventures. In 2014, he was appointed a UNICEF Ambassador and co-founded Thorn, a nonprofit technology organization that builds tools to defend children from sexual abuse, with a reported reach of over 10 million accounts as of 2023, according to Thorn's public impact reports and UNICEF data.