At a Glance
- Ashton Kutcher says Tom Ford fired him from a Gucci runway show at age 19 for weighing 178 lbs
- The actor calls the moment a lesson in not tying self-worth to others’ opinions
- His new FX series The Beauty explores society’s obsession with physical perfection
- Why it matters: The story highlights how rigid beauty standards affect even top celebrities
Ashton Kutcher is opening up about a humiliating early-career moment that still shapes how he views beauty standards. In a new interview, the 47-year-old actor recalls being dismissed from a Gucci campaign after the brand’s creative director decided he was “too fat” at 178 pounds.
The Pink-Speedo Firing
Kutcher told News Of Los Angeles he was 19 when he landed an exclusive Gucci campaign under Tom Ford’s direction. The job required him to fly to Italy for the runway show, where Ford handed him a pink Speedo. After the fitting, Ford’s team delivered the verdict.
“He was like, ‘He’s too fat.’ And then I got fired!” Kutcher recounted.
The actor remembers his exact weight: 178 pounds. Ford, who served as Gucci’s creative director from 1994 to 2004, simply “had a specific thing he wanted to see,” Kutcher said. Years later the two men have laughed about the episode, with Ford still declaring, “You were too fat,” and Kutcher replying, “Dude, I was 178 lbs! Like, what are you talking about?”
Everyone Has Insecurities
The experience taught Kutcher not to live by other people’s standards. Speaking alongside The Beauty costars Jeremy Pope and Anthony Ramos, he emphasized that insecurities plague everyone.
“It doesn’t matter who you are or what you look like,” he said. “Everybody had an insecurity.”
Kutcher began modeling at 19 and found himself surrounded by people he considered “some of the most beautiful in the world.” Yet each person carried a private worry about appearance. He now frames the Gucci moment as neutral rather than negative: Ford needed a particular silhouette for that collection, and Kutcher simply wasn’t it.
“If you look in the mirror long enough, you’ll find something you don’t like-or that you think could be better,” he added. The lesson, he stressed, is to avoid tying personal value to external validation.
From Speedo to Screen
Kutcher’s early modeling memories feed directly into his new project. In FX’s upcoming thriller The Beauty, he plays “The Corporation,” a shadowy tech billionaire who has engineered a miracle drug that literally makes users more attractive. The series, debuting January 21 on FX and Hulu on Disney+, costars Bella Hadid, Evan Peters, Rebecca Hall, Pope, and Ramos.
The official synopsis describes Kutcher’s character as willing to do “anything to protect his trillion-dollar empire.” The show dissects how far people will go to meet impossible beauty ideals and how identities get curated to fit those ideals.
Industry-Wide Pressures
Kutcher’s Gucci anecdote lands amid ongoing conversations about body standards in fashion and entertainment. Models routinely report extreme measures required to stay sample-size, and actors describe pressure to bulk up or slim down for roles. By sharing his own rejection story, Kutcher joins a growing list of celebrities recounting how narrowly defined beauty norms can derail careers.
Gucci did not immediately respond to News Of Los Angeles‘s request for comment on the incident.
Key Takeaways
- At 19, Ashton Kutcher weighed 178 lbs when Tom Ford dismissed him from a Gucci campaign
- The actor now views the moment as proof that insecurities spare no one, regardless of success
- His role in The Beauty dramatizes society’s obsession with physical perfection
- The FX series premieres January 21
