Ashton Kutcher, who currently stars on The Ranch, probably makes a great deal more money as a tech investor than he does acting. I’ll give him credit, he has made some brilliant investments. One such investment is his involvement in Airbnb, something he said he decided to invest in after watching The Holiday starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. See, I watched The Holiday and tried to think of a way to stay next door to Jude Law. But Ashton watched it and wondered if there was a company he could invest in that swaps houses. Perhaps that explains our respective financial situations. Anyway, Ashton was a panelist at the Airbnb Open 2016, the annual conference for Airbnb hosts held in LA this past weekend. Ashton is also good friends with the company’s CEO, Brian Chesky. During his segment, Ashton told the crowd how comforting Airbnb was to him following his split from Demi Moore. So much so, that he made them his home for the following year after their divorce.
Ashton Kutcher revealed Saturday on a panel at the Airbnb Open 2016 in Los Angeles that he lived in Airbnbs for a year following his divorce from Demi Moore.
During Kutcher’s presentation, he told friend and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky that it was the kindness of a stranger that changed his perspective of human relationships.
“I went to Europe and I flew in and got in in the middle of the night,” he said. “I arrived at the Airbnb at 2 a.m. The person had left me dinner and a glass of wine.” (Kutcher is also an investor in Airbnb.)
It was the type of cure the 38-year-old actor needed after ending a long-term relationship and losing his home.
“It was … the magic and the love that I needed in that moment,” he said. “I was shocked that someone would care that much about a total stranger.”
Ashton and I had completely different Airbnb experiences. I doubt I’ll ever use them again. I’ve only used VRBO internationally, maybe Europe is the difference? I am also not an investor in or buddies with the co-founder – maybe that’s the difference.
It’s kind of hard to get too worked up here because he has a vested interest in the company. I don’t think divorce is any easier for a celebrity than a civilian but come on, he might have had to move out of his home with Demi but he was never going to be homeless. I appreciate a touch of kindness went a long way but this is a little romantic for my taste considering how their relationship ended. That said, a glass of wine in Europe would do wonders for me right now. Also during Ashton’s panel discussion, a CODEPINK protester took the stage to protest Airbnb in Palestine. His impromptu speech is on message about Airbnb being just a nice, big, global hug but it’s a bit tone deaf politically:
Ashton Kutcher handles a protester with adamant love and determined inclusiveness. #airbnbopen #BelongAnywhere pic.twitter.com/A88kuPbg3b
— Danielle Thys (@DanielleThys) November 19, 2016
Photo credit: WENN Photos and Twitter
I love airbnb. Last year in Tenerife with my 2 girlfriends we slept in some pretty amazing places and the landlords were just amazing. We spent every night in a different place but all the houses were super clean, modern and with all the comforts.
Some of the landlords left us a fridge full of food and drinks and lots of toiletries in thew bathroom.
It was great.
Wtf is he wearing??
And yeah. It’s nice that he found warm and snuggly comfort at an AirBNB after he was done finding it in the beds of strange. But I still kind of feel the tiniest bit bad for him after all the Demi stuff. She seemed like she was really controlling and insecure, and he always looked like he was being led around on a leash by his mom.
I don’t feel sorry for him at all.
I was at a meeting not long before they got divorced where they were both there as guest speakers. They both sat up the front of the room with a bunch of other speakers at a long table facing the audience, so we could see them the whole time. She was very engaged and spoke knowledgeably on the subject (child trafficking). He made the occasional, fairly uninformed comment (direct quote: “It’s just not cool!”) and then spent the rest of the time looking like he was sulking.
It could be interpreted as him being forced to be there by her, but our interpretation was that it seemed like he was just a child who wanted to be doing something more fun than talking about “uncool” things like that. When it all came out a few weeks later what he had been up to, it definitely seemed like we were correct.
Like, I can’t, like stand to like listen to him like talk. It’s like like like it just like gets on my like nerves. I like have to like turn the station. He is such a pseudointellectual it make me nuts.
I felt bad for Demi. She seems like a nice woman and still has nothing bad to say about him to this day. I think she worshipped him and he kind of enjoyed the controversy of being with a much older woman. She was a former A-lister and he was known for that TV show with Mila and Punk’d only. I think being with her raised his profile. And with his last cheating controversy, it was almost like he wanted it to be out there. He tweeted all kinds of stuff that suggested he wanted it known that they had an open marriage and he wasn’t to be condemned for it, and he never once denied it and in fact seemed to like the attention and controversy. Demi was hit hard by the divorce. If you want to play around – even if you already have your wife’s permission – don’t make a media spectacle out of it. He wanted it to be on the front page of the rags.
ugh thank you. that pink sweater? those shoes?
I’ve used AirBnB a couple of times in both Florida and NYC and always had a great experience. It’s way cheaper than hotel rooms with nice amenities.
I don’t like the idea of Airbnb at all…. maybe I am too old fashioned… still like B&Bs better…
Same. I also get so creeped out like…sleeping in someone else’s bed. Like, a hotel bed is hotel owned. But a home bed is owned by the owner and just…
How many hundreds, if not thousands, of people have slept in the B&B or homeowner beds? Now I have to think about it.
I used air bnb twice in Europe. Both were good experiences although the first place was sickeningly beautiful on the side of a mountain with the most beautiful view I’ve seen in my life in Greece in an area where a hotel would have been way above my budget and the second was just a decent convenient and clean apartment in metro Paris. I wasn’t making the travel plans for the latter trip and I think I’d have picked something else but yeah it’s more affordable. Still I like hotels a little bit more for amenities like continental breakfast and pools etc.
Boo hoo hoo. He’s still a cheater and a punk (pun intended).
it’s no surprise he was shocked by the kindness shown to a total stranger. he’s a self-centered tool so kindness is out of his wheelhouse.
my last airbnb was great but they only provided one partially used roll of toilet paper for 2 people for 4 nights. had to go to the store at 10pm -incorrectly assumed they would have a spare roll stocked. smh
airbnb is great when you want to be in an area that doesn’t have hotels or motels or when you want more than a tv and minibar.
we rent an entire place and it is still less than a hotel, easy to find pet friendly, often in better locations. it makes it possible for me ro have a longer holiday.
I know it can be different depending on the owner and the property, but it really spoils you for hotels, when you can have separate bedrooms and a full kitchen, etc, for less than a cheapo hotel
Why would you assume he was surprised by kindness shown to a total stranger because he was is so self-centered? Maybe that was the very first time that happened to him? What if he only met self-centered people and hang-ons before?
I haven’t used airbnb, but I have used VRBO twice now and had very good experiences both times. I wonder if there is a difference between the companies? I don’t know how common this is but with both my VRBO experiences the owners didn’t live there most of the time. The first time it was a house the owners had built for their eventual retirement. They lived elsewhere but had a management company running it (definitely the way I would go). The second time the owners lived nearby, but they had a small condo they rented out. I gave good reviews to both places.
I love VRBO as well and have used them all over the world. The one and only problem I ever had at a VRBO property was resolved within 30 minutes of my calling.
I use air bnb all the time. The place I had in London, England wasn’t the greatest but the location was amazing – and compared to London hotel prices, I am not complaining. But I travel with a kid now. Having an extra bedroom, a kitchen, and space…I can’t do hotels again. It makes travel with kids a game-changer.
I’m so with you. Being able to travel and stay in a house-like space is such a necessity with kids.
We went traveling through Europe recently with our kids and stayed exclusively in Airbnb accommodation. It was amazing!
I use AirB&B fairly regularly. Who can afford a hotel in downtown Vancouver? That city is trying to wage war on AirB&B (like they have with Uber) and if they want to win that one, their going to have to 1) fight to get lower hotel rates and 2) get the cost of housing for the people who live there down (a lot of ppl who rent out their places do so because they can’t afford it otherwise). Not once have I had a negative experience and I have been using it for over 2 years with trips every 2 months.
About Ashton though, I have to agree with the post above in regards to listening to him talk. The constant ‘like’ is enough to drive me mad. I would watch the clip but I would likely toss my notebook out the window.
I think he was trying to boost the firm’s rep after that protest. I think he might be exaggerating a little.