Jason Alexander has apologized to Courtney Stodden for his participation in a 2012 Funny or Die sketch in which he made comments about her body while she was a minor. The 66-year-old actor stated that he deeply regrets the sketch, calling it inappropriate and offering his sincerest apologies to Stodden for any harm or distress it may have caused.
Alexander's apology follows Stodden's public statement on Instagram, where she identified him as one of the sketch's writers. Stodden, who was 17 at the time of the filming, described the experience as difficult to comprehend as an adult. She shared that during the sketch, Alexander repeatedly rubbed a cellphone across her chest while making remarks about her signal, and later joked about pursuing her romantically when she turned 18.
In her post, Stodden emphasized that as a minor, she lacked the legal capacity to consent to participate in the sketch, with contracts signed by adults. The paycheck for her appearance went to her then-husband, Doug Hutchison, whom she married at 16 while he was 51. Stodden recalled feeling isolated on set, being the only minor present, and looking back, she stated she no longer saw comedy but rather a young girl whose body was used for an adult joke.
Stodden also highlighted that the sketch occurred during her marriage to Hutchison, which began in 2011. They divorced in 2020, and she later expressed feeling taken advantage of during their nearly decade-long relationship. She described feeling trapped and manipulated in an environment with adults, which she characterized as a lonely and dark place.
Stodden is now advocating for legislative change and urged support for California Assembly Bill 1267. This bill aims to permanently end child marriage by establishing 18 as the minimum legal age for marriage in California, with no exceptions. She concluded her statement by asserting that children deserve legal protections from a young age and should not have to wait until adulthood to realize the law should have safeguarded them.