In 2011, model Courtney Stodden married actor Doug Hutchison. At the time of their marriage, Courtney was just 16 years old, while Doug was 51.
Courtney has since said that, during her marriage to Doug, she was thrust into the spotlight and subjected to intense public scrutiny. She has also alleged that the relationship itself included instances of "grooming" and "abuse."
In a recent Instagram post, Courtney posted a screenshot from a 2012 Funny or Die sketch that featured her in a bikini alongside actor Jason Alexander, who is most well-known for his performance in the '90s TV sitcom Seinfeld. In the screenshot, Jason is seen rubbing a smartphone against one of Courtney's breasts. (The sketch has seemingly been deleted from the internet, but Courtney shared footage last year on TikTok, which you can watch here.)
"I was 17 years old in this photo," Courtney wrote. "The older I get, the more impossible this is to understand. During this comedy sketch, Jason Alexander repeatedly rubbed his phone across my breasts while saying there was 'no signal' in my head but 'plenty of signal' in my chest."
"Later in the sketch, he joked that when I turned 18 he’d like to take me behind the couch and 'have his way' with me. IMDb credits him as one of the writers of the episode."
"As an adult, that fact has become harder—not easier—for me to understand," Courtney continued. "I was a minor. I didn’t have the legal power to decide whether I wanted to participate."
"The contracts were signed by adults. The paycheck went to Doug. The production moved forward. I was the only child in the room. I felt so alone."
"Looking back now, I don’t see comedy," Courtney continued. "I see a 17-year-old girl whose body became part of an adult joke. People still say, 'You chose to be there.' Legally, I couldn’t make those decisions for myself. That’s the point. I can’t change what happened to me but I can ask myself: How did so many adults look at a minor and decide this was acceptable?"
"That’s exactly why I speak out today. Children deserve laws that protect them. They shouldn’t have to become adults before realizing the law should have protected them all along."
Understandably, plenty of commenters on IG showed Courtney an outpouring of support:
"As an advocate for other young girls/women, what you are sharing is so brave and powerful," one person wrote. "God Bless and I hope it helps you heal."
"It’s very disturbing that they not only wrote this sketch, but allowed it to air," another person observed. "What was wrong with the audience members at the time that probably laughed along with it? Viewers at home? No one got the ick watching this thinking over the implications of it?"
"Thats a creepy comment to make," a commenter said in reference to Jason's lines in the sketch. "Why do men think its appropriate to mention wanting to touch a child AFTER they turn 18? Youre clearly looking at this underage girl and having inappropriate thoughts now! Yuck!"
"A vulnerable child exploited and preyed upon by adults instead of protected," a commenter said while offering support to Courtney. "You're an amazing person to have the strength and fight within you to advocate for so many victims and to protect other children. You're a warrior."
Comments