Courtney Stodden is addressing Seinfeld star Jason Alexander’s decision to donate money to Unchained At Last — a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the legal practice of child marriage in the United States – as part of his apology for his role in a 2012 comedy sketch.
“I was grateful to learn Jason Alexander sent a beautiful gift to Unchained At Last. I want to sincerely thank him for choosing to turn words into action,” Stodden, 31, wrote via Instagram on Friday, July 24, alongside a photo of the model-turned-advocate. “Accountability isn’t about public punishment — it’s about taking meaningful steps that can help create change.”
She continued, “My hope has always been bigger than my own story. If difficult conversations can lead to real support for organizations protecting children and ending child marriage, then something positive can come from something deeply painful.”
Stodden made headlines after she called out the Funny or Die alum, 66, for a comedy sketch featuring her when she was a minor. In the sketch, which parodied daytime television, Alexander used a cell phone to “assess the quality” of Stodden’s heart by rubbing the device on her breasts.
“I was 17 years old in this photo,” she wrote alongside a screenshot from the skit. “The older I get, the more impossible this is to understand. During this comedy sketch, Jason Alexander repeatedly rubbed his phone across my breasts while saying there was ‘no signal’ in my head but ‘plenty of signal’ in my chest. Later in the sketch, he joked that when I turned 18 he’d like to take me behind the couch and ‘have his way’ with me.”
She continued at the time, “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.”
Alexander issued a public apology to Stodden, who has become a fierce advocate against legal child marriage in the United States after her own underage marriage to Doug Hutchinson, who was 50 when he married 16-year-old Stodden in 2011. (The pair eventually split in 2017.) While many Americans believe child marriage to be just an international issue, 33 states currently allow children under the age of 18 to get married, while 17 have banned the practice.
“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,” the actor said in a statement to Us. “But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer her my sincere apologies.”
On Friday, Stodden told her Instagram followers that she hopes Alexander’s apology and subsequent donation becomes “the standard” when people are asked to reckon with their past actions.
“When harm is acknowledged, meaningful action has the power to help others,” she added. “That’s how real change begins. If Jason’s actions inspired you, I hope you’ll consider making a donation to Unchained At Last. We are working to end child marriage and protect vulnerable children across the United States. Don’t just witness accountability — be part of it. Every donation helps protect the next child.”
If you know of a young person who is being exploited or is the victim of a crime, you are urged to report it to your local FBI field office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be left at http://tips.fbi.gov/
