According to Variety, the “Seinfeld” star apologized after Stodden revisited the 2012 production in an Instagram post, arguing that adults involved in the project failed to protect her when she was 17.
Jason Alexander Responds to Courtney Stodden’s Claims About 2012 Sketch
Alexander addressed the controversy in a statement to TMZ, acknowledging that the sketch should never have unfolded the way it did. “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,” he said. He also offered a direct apology, adding, “I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies.”
The renewed attention came after Stodden posted an image from the “Funny or Die” sketch and reflected on filming it as a teenager. “I was 17 years old in this photo,” she wrote before describing why the experience has become more troubling with time. The sketch included a gag in which Alexander rubbed a cellphone across Stodden’s chest while joking that there was “no signal” in her head but “plenty of signal” there.
“The older I get, the more impossible this is to understand,” Stodden continued. “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. 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.”
Stodden went on to explain why revisiting the sketch has changed her perspective. “Looking back now, I don’t see comedy. 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?”
The reality star is now advocating for California’s AB1267, a proposed legislation that would establish 18 as the minimum legal age for marriage in the state. Her campaign is deeply connected to her own story, having married actor Doug Hutchison in 2011 at age 16, a relationship that drew widespread public attention and renewed scrutiny in the years that followed.