Ashton Kutcher is standing up for Michael Phelps after photos surfaced of the Olympian smoking marijuana.

“God forbid he hit a bong,” Kutcher Twittered about the incident on Monday. “Go ask your 20-year-old kid what they did last weekend.

“I’m not saying it was a smart move. But he doesn’t need to be publicly outed for it,” Kutcher went on.

The photo wound up in a British tabloid Sunday. Kutcher said, “Whoever put the pic out is an a**!”

Of Phelps - who was arrested for DUI in 2004 - Kutcher wrote: “He’s a good kid.”

While Kutcher said he hasn’t smoked pot “in quite some time … I’m not immune to a lapse in good judgment from time to time.”

On Sunday, Phelps released a statement, apologizing for his “regrettable” behavior. The photo was taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina.

“I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me,” he said. “For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

It remains to be seen whether the scandal will cost Phelps his slew of lucrative endorsement deals.

Luxury Swiss watchmaker OMEGA called Phelps’ actions a private matter and a “non-issue,” while Speedo said Phelps still remains a “valued member of the Speedo team.”

(source)