The Campaign Against Child Marriage in California: Courtney Stodden’s Advocacy
Model Courtney Stodden has been vocal about her experience of marrying at 16, using it to advocate for a California bill banning child marriage without exceptions. Her efforts gained renewed attention after actor Jason Alexander apologized for a 2012 comedy sketch with Stodden, then 17. This prompted her to call for both accountability and legislative support to end child marriage in California.
Stodden, now 31, first attracted global attention in 2011 when she married 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison. Despite being a minor, her marriage was legal with parental consent. They divorced in 2020. Stodden is now a significant advocate against child marriage in the U.S. She highlights that it remains legal in 33 states under conditions like parental consent or a judicial waiver.
California may soon change this. Assembly Bill 1267, seeking to ban marriages for those under 18, has progressed through the California Assembly. Stodden’s publicist has been contacted for comments by Newsweek.
Jason Alexander’s Apology
The focus returned to Stodden after she revisited a 2012 Funny or Die sketch filmed when she was 17. In the sketch, she appears in a bikini while Alexander, as a doctor, makes inappropriate jokes about her. While he was 52 at the time, he was also one of the writers.
Reflecting on it, Stodden stated, “Looking back now, I don’t see comedy. I see a 17-year-old girl whose body became part of an adult joke. Legally, I couldn’t make those decisions for myself. Children deserve laws that protect them.”
Alexander publicly apologized, admitting the sketch was inappropriate and offered her his sincerest apologies. Stodden appreciated the apology but stressed that meaningful action would have a greater impact. She invited him to support AB 1267 to turn accountability into lasting change.
California Bill to End Child Marriage
Stodden is a prominent supporter of AB 1267, authored by Assemblymembers Diane Dixon and others. Having passed the Assembly, it now awaits the Senate Judiciary Committee’s decision. If enacted, the bill would set a strict minimum marriage age of 18, eliminating current exceptions allowing minors to marry.
The nonprofit Unchained At Last, analyzing Census data, reported over 8,000 minors married in California in 2021. The UN recognizes any marriage under 18 as a forced marriage, lacking full, informed consent.
Reflecting on Personal Experience
Since her divorce, Stodden has spoken more about her underage marriage. In an Instagram post at the time of her divorce, she mentioned feeling groomed and verbally abused, expressing that her upbringing was lonely and dark. Though she expressed love for Hutchison, she conveyed ongoing anger.
Hutchison, when interviewed, assumed full responsibility for marrying her. While acknowledging the attention it drew, he stated, “I regret none of it. It was a beautiful and powerful journey with Courtney.”
Stodden’s story is captured in the 2025 television movie “I Was a Child Bride,” and she appeared in “Celebrity Big Brother.” She continues advocating for AB 1267 as it progresses through the California Legislature.
Post-bill passage in the Assembly, Stodden urged continued support through social media, emphasizing her determination to see child marriage outlawed in California without exceptions.