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By most accounts, it seems Ashton Kutcher and late actor Brittany Murphy dated. It lasted in the public view for less than a year, but there is plenty of photographic evidence of the pop culture moment.

However, Kutcher ultimately claimed Murphy was just a “companion” he spent “a lot” of time with. So, what do we know about what went down between the new-millennium lovebirds? And what else did he say that confused onlookers about the nature of their relationship?

Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher kiss during the MTV New Year's Eve Pajama Party
Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher | Scott Gries/Getty Images

Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy’s romance timeline

To start, Kutcher and Murphy were first linked prior to the release of their 2003 movie, Just Married. In July 2002, MTV reported the two were gushing over each other in interviews during filming. Murphy called Kutcher “the perfect husband for hire” and he reciprocated the love.

“I learn something from that girl every day,” Kutcher said of the Clueless actor. “She is a pro. … She just brings it, man. She’s really, really awesome. She makes me smile every day. She shows me something about my job every day. She’s the best, man. I’ll do anything with her, any movie, hands down.”

Following that, the two were photographed at many different events, sometimes engaging in public displays of a lot of affection. The general impression was that romance bloomed on set. But fast forward to March 2003, two months after the movie was released, and Kutcher’s tone about their chemistry seemed a little confused.

Ashton Kutcher: Brittany Murphy was just a ‘companion’

Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher at the Cadillac Super Bowl Grand Prix
Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher | M. Caulfield/WireImage

While doing press for Just Married, Kutcher talked to AP about rumors that he and Murphy had secretly tied the knot after falling in love on set. He explained that the stories came from “while they were dating,” but then immediately corrected himself to say, “Well, we still are dating.”

No matter the official label for the nature of their relationship at the time, they gave each other rings as gifts for wrapping the film — rings which they both wore around on their all-important fingers. It was enough to convince spectators that the on-screen newlyweds were hiding an off-screen honeymoon.

But the That ’70s Show star extinguished the rumors by explicitly saying they hadn’t gotten married, dismissing the notion as silly. But he didn’t stop there. “I don’t even know that we’re actually dating,” Kutcher said. “We’re just companions. We just like spending a lot of time together.”

Brittany Murphy supposed ‘size didn’t matter’ to Demi Moore

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In looking at a relationship timeline, one might notice that Kutcher was soon linked to his first wife, Demi Moore, after ending his “companionship” with Murphy. He appeared alongside Moore at her Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle premiere in June 2003.

The new relationship was something Murphy noticed and she didn’t let it pass without remark. As reported in the New York Times, she joked about it on the Late Show with David Letterman. ”I suppose the crux of their relationship basically means to him that age doesn’t matter,” she quipped, “and to her that size doesn’t matter.”

For what it’s worth, she said she was only “kidding,” apologized for the quip, and resolved not to talk about her relationships in the press anymore. She eventually married husband, Simon Monjack, in a small wedding in 2007. On Dec. 20, 2009, she died at the age of 32.

 

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