In 2012, Jason Alexander wrote and starred in a sketch for FunnyOrDie.com featuring controversial reality TV stars Doug Hutchison and Courtney Stodden. Hutchison had famously married Stodden when he was 51, and she was just 16. To make light of the situation, they appeared in the sketch with Alexander the following year, which was a parody of Dr. Phil’s popular talk show. Alexander’s character tries to counsel the couple while simultaneously hitting on Stodden, and at one point, he rubs his cell phone on the 17-year-old Stodden’s breasts, pointing out that he gets better reception near them:
Last week, Stodden took to Instagram to criticize the sketch, writing, “The older I get, the more impossible this is to understand.” She went on to say, “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.” “Looking back now, I don’t see comedy,” Stodden continued. “I see a 17-year-old girl whose body became part of an adult joke.”
You can read her full statement below.
Jason Alexander Apologized to Courtney Stodden for an ‘Inappropriate’ Sketch Filmed When She Was 17
In response, Alexander told Variety that he completely agreed with Stodden that the sketch was inappropriate and said that he truly regretted it. “But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies,” he wrote. Stodden later admitted that she was “taken aback” by the apology and suggested that it would “be even better” if Alexander donated to Unchained At Last—a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending forced and child marriage.
Last Thursday (July 23), TMZ reported that Alexander made a donation of $15,000 to the organization. Stodden reacted to the news by saying she was grateful to hear that Alexander had taken her suggestion. “I want to sincerely thank him for choosing to turn words into action,” Stodden wrote on Instagram. “Accountability isn’t about public punishment—it’s about taking meaningful steps that can help create change.”
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