Ashton Kutcher's Twin Brother Was Furious When Actor Publicly Shared His Cerebral Palsy Battle

Ashton Kutcher's twin brother, Michael Kutcher, is opening up about his reaction to the actor revealing on television that he had cerebral palsy nearly two decades ago and how his life has changed since then.

On Thursday, Michael admitted that he was mortified when his brother, who was starring on "That 70's Show" at the time, revealed his disorder in a 2003 TV interview. According to Michael, he was furious because all his life he had been trying to hide that he had cerebral palsy, a condition that affects speech, vision, hearing and mobility.

"I was very angry. Very angry. I remember speaking to him about it," Michael told "Today." "I didn’t want to be the face of CP. I never talked about it."

However, his anger did not last long because he realized that Ashton — or Chris, as the actor is known to his family and friends in Iowa — was actually doing him a huge favor.

Following Ashton's revelation of his brother's condition, someone approached Michael to speak at a gala about life with cerebral palsy. Although he wasn't sure if he was ready to speak in a room full of strangers, he agreed to meet the woman who reached out to him.

"She had her 5-year-old daughter with her. A sweet little girl named Bella with a smile so bright and big. Her cerebral palsy was quite severe and she couldn’t talk," Michael shared.

When he went home, he couldn't stop thinking about Bella. This was eventually what moved him to speak up about his condition and raise awareness of cerebral palsy.

"I realized I needed to let go of the shame I felt and be a champion for people like Bella. I was finally ready to tell my story and I knew because of my twin, I'd have a big reach," he added.

Ashton has been very supportive of Michael since he was diagnosed with the condition when they were 3 years old. In fact, when people would tease Michael with the "R" word, the "Killers" actor would always defend him.

"He stood up for me. He wanted them to treat me with respect. And that meant a lot," Michael said about his brother.

Michael also shared that Ashton would make sure to go with him when the latter was invited to a sleepover.

"Most of the time they’d say yes, but sometimes they’d say no and Chris would go, ‘Well, then I’m not coming,’" Michael shared. "Chris would tell me, ‘I wish I could take all of this off of you — and take it myself."

Ashton's brother now works as an advisor at Joshin, an app that helps families find care for a person with disabilities regardless of their age. Michael, who lives in Colorado with his wife and their three children, is also a spokesperson for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.