Jason Alexander has apologized to Courtney Stodden after she criticized a 2012 comedy sketch filmed while she was still a teenager. His statement arrived days after Stodden revisited the video and questioned why so many adults participated in material she now considers deeply inappropriate.
The apology marks Alexander’s first public response. It also adds another chapter to Stodden’s campaign against child marriage.
Jason Alexander says he regrets the controversial comedy sketch
According to TMZ, Alexander addressed the controversy in a statement after Stodden shared her experience on Instagram. The actor acknowledged the sketch crossed a line and expressed regret over his involvement.
“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 continued, “But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies.”
The apology followed Stodden’s detailed account of filming the Funny or Die parody at age 17. According to Variety, the sketch featured Alexander rubbing a cellphone across her chest while joking there was “no signal” in her head but “plenty of signal” in her chest. Stodden also alleged he joked about taking her “behind the couch” and “having his way” with her once she turned 18.
In her Instagram post, Stodden said she has struggled to understand how the production moved forward. “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 [ex-husband Doug Hutchison]. The production moved forward. I was the only child in the room. I felt so alone,” she wrote, according to the outlet.
She also rejected claims that she willingly participated. “Looking back now, I don’t see comedy. I see a 17-year-old girl whose body became part of an adult joke,” Stodden wrote. She added, “Children deserve laws that protect them. They shouldn’t have to become adults before realizing the law should have protected them all along.”
Today, Stodden advocates for California’s AB1267, legislation that would prohibit child marriage by setting the legal minimum age at 18. She married actor Doug Hutchison in 2011 when she was 16 and has frequently spoken about the lasting impact of that experience.
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