Kutcher backs off Paterno tweet

"Two and a Half Men" star Ashton Kutcher slammed Penn State officials on Twitter for firing Joe Paterno -- before issuing an emphatic apology after he discovered why the longtime coach was dismissed.

Kutcher, 33, sparked a frenzy among his more than eight million followers late Wednesday after he tweeted, "How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste."

But the actor soon admitted mouthing off in ignorance of the ongoing child abuse scandal in State College.

"This is an insane story, I just heard paterno was fired, getting the rest of the story now ... Wow," Kutcher said, according to NESN.com.

"Heard Joe was fired, fully recant previous tweet!" he added, according to the Los Angeles Times. "Didn't have full story. #admitwhenYoumakemistakes."

Kutcher later deleted the series of messages, before issuing a frank apology.

"As an advocate in the fight against child sexual exploitation, I could not be more remorseful for all involved in the Penn St. case," he tweeted. "As of immediately I will stop tweeting until I find a way to properly manage this feed. I feel awful about this error. Won't happen again."

Paterno, 84, was fired by the board of trustees Wednesday night for his handling of the allegations against his longtime assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, who was indicted over the weekend on charges of child sex abuse over a 15-year period.

In 2002, Paterno failed to alert the authorities to the claims of then-graduate assistant Mike McQueary, who said he saw Sandusky in the Penn State showers with a young boy.