Ashton Kutcher's Past Habits Could Have Caused His Vasculitis

In a shocking revelation on Aug. 8, 2022, a clip of Ashton Kutcher revealed to fans that the star had privately battled a serious medical disorder called vasculitis that left him without the ability to hear, see, or walk. Ashton's reveal left fans worldwide scrambling for answers and attempting to establish a timeline of when and what could have contributed to his illness.

One predominant question that a lot of fans seem to have is if Ashton smokes. We all know that smoking can lead to some pretty negative health affects, but did it play a role in Ashton's vasculitis diagnosis? Let's unpack all of the known details.

Devout fans of Ashton are likely aware of the actor's past smoking habit. The star consistently lit up cigarettes until 2006 when he began making a conscious effort to quit. Ashton utilized Allen Carr's famous book The Easy Way to Stop Smoking, and told Jay Leno at the time during an interview that it was integral to his success in terms of putting down the pack.

"No. Like, this guy’s brilliant," Ashton told Jay. "And you get to the last page and he's like, 'All right, light your last one,' and you’re like, 'I don’t know if I want' — like, by the time you get to the end you're like, 'I don’t know if I want to light it, but, OK, if you say so, Allen.' And then you’re like — savor that last puff, you know."

The actor went on to recall of his experiences that "[Allen's] like, 'Take the last puff now.' And you're like, 'Take the last puff now.' That was it, and you put it out and then you're just done. And I haven't smoked since, like, for like a year and a half."

One of the risk factors associated with vasculitis listed by The Mayo Clinic is smoking in men under the age of 45. For context, Ashton is 44 years old in 2022, putting him in the very age group where smoking can exacerbate the condition. The Mayo Clinic says that the main causes of vasculitis can include infections such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C, blood cancers, immune system diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and scleroderma, and reactions to certain drugs.

Ashton's diagnosis reveal came to fans by way of Access Online, who shared an exclusive clip from the actor's upcoming appearance on Bear Grylls' show Running Wild with Bear Grylls: The Challenge. In the footage, Ashton got exceedingly candid about how vasculitis has affected his life over the last few years.

"Like two years ago, I had this weird, super rare form of vasculitis, that like knocked out my vision, it knocked out my hearing, it knocked out like all my equilibrium," he said in the Access Online clip. "You don’t really appreciate it, until it’s gone. Until you go, 'I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to see again, I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to hear again, I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to walk again.' Lucky to be alive."

Lucky, indeed.