Jason Alexander, best known for playing George Costanza on Seinfeld, has publicly apologized to model Courtney Stodden for a 2012 Funny or Die sketch in which he rubbed a mobile phone on her breasts. At the time of filming, Stodden was 17 years old. Alexander, who was 52 and one of the sketch's credited writers, told the Hollywood Reporter, "Looking back at the comedy sketch ... I completely agree that it was inappropriate and I truly regret it. But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies."
Stodden's Statement and Call for Change
On Monday, Stodden, now 31, posted a statement about the sketch, which was published when she was 17. In the skit, she appears in a red bikini while Alexander, playing a daytime television doctor, rubs a phone on her breasts and makes suggestive remarks, including saying he has "full bars" in her chest but "not getting anything" in her head. His character then invites her to return when she turns 18.
"Looking back now, I don't see comedy," Stodden wrote. "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?"
Stodden emphasized the need for legal protection, stating, "Children deserve laws that protect them. They shouldn't have to become adults before realising the law should have protected them all along."
Background on Stodden's Marriage and Advocacy
Stodden made international headlines in 2011 when she married actor Doug Hutchison, then 51, when she was 16. The marriage was legal because her parents gave consent. They divorced in 2020. Since then, Stodden has been outspoken against child marriage in the US, which remains legal in 33 states with parental consent or a judicial waiver. Child marriage was legal in every US state until 2018.
Alexander's Apology and Stodden's Response
Alexander's apology came on Wednesday via the Hollywood Reporter. Stodden later told the same outlet, "I appreciate Jason Alexander's public apology. People keep asking if he's apologized privately, and he hasn't. A private apology would be meaningful, but meaningful action would be even more powerful." She added, "If he truly regrets what happened, I'd invite him to support [non-profit] Unchained At Last and the fight to end child marriage through AB 1267. That's how we turn accountability into lasting change."
Hutchison's Remarks
Since the divorce, Hutchison has said he was "blacklisted" for marrying Stodden but expressed "no regrets," calling their marriage "a beautiful and powerful journey. A bittersweet journey with Courtney."
