Ashton Kutcher wasn't his usual wild and crazy self at the GQ Gentleman's Ball at the Edison Ballroom in NYC on Wednesday night.
Although wife Demi Moore was M.I.A. for the evening — where Kutcher was honored for the charity they cofounded, she certainly seemed to be on his mind. Kutcher, 33, wore his wedding ring, and when video monitors played footage of him with his wife of 6 years, the Two and a Half Men star watched with rapt, somber attention.
Instead of Moore, Kutcher's date for the evening was Rabbi Philip Berg, his spiritual mentor and the current Dean of the worldwide Kabbalah Centre organization.
Sitting down for the dinner with Berg and other companions, Kutcher — rocked by the revelation of his September one-night stand with 22-year-old Sara Leal on the eve of his wedding anniversary with Moore, 48 — was in a atypically pensive, quiet mood. He lit up briefly when he removed his yarmulke to show off his long, shaggy hair to the table. For dinner that night? Salad, salmon, a roll — and a glass of wine, which he chugged within five minutes.
VIDEO: Sara Leal opens up to Us about her fling with Ashton
Honored for "Real Men Don't Buy Girls," Moore and Kutcher's foundation which fights child prostitution worldwide, Kutcher took the podium for an emotional, passionate speech — peppered with more than a few expletives — as fellow stars Josh Lucas and Jason Sudeikis looked on.
"Our global issues are getting tougher," Kutcher said during the speech. "A lot of the things we're doing we can't talk about, but I can promise you we're fighting and we're going to make a change, so that's a little about what I'm working on."
After his speech, Kutcher returned to his seat and stayed low-key and serious while The Roots played a 20-minute set during dessert.
Once the event was over, he and Berg encountered radio personality Craig Schwartz, a.k.a.. "Radio Man," as they waited for their car outside the ballroom.
Schwartz lightly broached the topic of Kutcher's marital woes, and whether he was with okay with "everything that's going on."
His reply: "Yeah. Yes. I am doing OK, thanks. Thank you for caring. Thank you for caring, really. It means a lot."
