Television personality Courtney Stodden is using her social media platform to promote ending child marriage. In doing so, the 31-year-old has made several social media posts highlighting inappropriate actions she’s faced throughout her life. This includes sharing a screenshot of a previous skit featuring “Seinfeld” alum Jason Alexander in which he acted inappropriately. Now, the actor has responded.
5Following Stodden’s post discussing the skit with Alexander, in which he repeatedly rubbed his cell phone against her breasts, the “Seinfeld” alum issued a statement to TMZ. In it, he took accountability for his actions, which occurred when she was 17. Alexander also apologized to the media personality for the indiscretion.
According to him, “Looking back at the comedy sketch in which Ms. Stodden and I participated in 2012, I completely agree that it was inappropriate and I truly regret it.”
The 66-year-old then said, “But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies.”
5Stodden took to her official Instagram account in July 2026 to recall her encounter with Alexander while filming the 2012 “Funny or Die” sketch in question. She began, “I was 17 years old in this photo. The older I get, the more impossible this is to understand.”
After that, she described what happened during the filming, saying, “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.”
She continued, “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.” Stodden went on to highlight the fact that Alexander has a writer credit for the skit on IMDb.
She continued reflecting, saying, “As an adult, that fact has become harder—not easier—for me to understand. 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.”
Courtney Also Discussed How She Sees The Skit Today
5Stodden continued, going into detail about her feelings today about the “Funny or Die” skit with Alexander. Specifically, she stated that, as an adult, she doesn’t see the inappropriate skit as being comedy. Stodden also defended herself against those who say she decided to film the video with the actor.
According to her, “Looking back now, I don’t see comedy. I see a 17-year-old girl whose body became part of an adult joke. She continued, “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?”
After that, at the end of her post, Stodden stated that the reason she’s speaking out is that “children deserve laws that protect them. They shouldn’t have to become adults before realizing the law should have protected them all along.”
5As mentioned, Stodden has been using her social media platform to bring awareness to the bill currently proposed in California to make 18 the legal marrying age in the state. According to The Collegian, the California State Senate Judiciary Committee voted to progress the bill in July, with a 12-0 vote.
Gail Pellerin, California State Assembly member, said of the bill, “The human rights commission considers marriage under the age of 18 to be a human rights abuse. It’s long past time that we end that abuse here in California.”
Currently, minors in California can get married with the consent of one parent or guardian and an order from a judge.
Courtney Stodden Previously Spoke About Legal Underaged Marriages
5When Stodden was 16, she married Doug Hutchinson, who was 51. They were married for nine years before their divorce was finalized in 2020. Stodden spoke out about the availability of underage marriages in the United States in 2025 during a PEOPLE interview.
She began, “I don’t want this to happen to anyone else, and it scares me.” As for why she’s highlighting the issue, Stodden explained, “We’re the hotbed for the dirty little secret, which is pedophiles marrying our children legally in the United States, so that’s why I’m speaking out.”
Stodden also reacted to her Lifetime biopic, “I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story.” According to her, “I’m glad I did it, but boy, it’s been hard to watch it. It’s something I’ve lived through, and it’s the PG version, it’s the TV version. A lot of scenes were cut because it was too much for TV.”
She added, “It’s the craziest story I’ve ever heard, and it’s my own.”
