Courtney Stodden has responded after Jason Alexander publicly apologized for a controversial 2012 comedy sketch. She thanked him for his words but urged him to help protect minors. Stodden shared her reaction in a new interview, more than a decade after the sketch first aired.
Jason Alexander’s apology prompted Courtney Stodden to call for meaningful action
Alexander apologized in a statement to Variety on Wednesday. He said, “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 also added, “I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies.” Alexander was also a co-writer of the Funny or Die sketch, which the company has since removed.
Stodden, now 31, appeared in the video when she was 17. Alexander was 52 years old when he played a TV host on the parody The Donny Clay Show. In one scene, he rubbed his cellphone on Stodden’s breasts and joked that he could get a “signal” there.
Stodden told Variety, “When I first got word that he publicly apologized, I was grateful because I think that’s the first step in change.”
Stodden wants Alexander to go further by either supporting California’s AB 1267 or by donating to Unchained at Last. She is involved with the nonprofit in its efforts to stop child marriage in the United States. She also explained that she didn’t know Alexander would touch her during filming and trusted the adults around her.
Stodden also spoke about the way she was treated as a teen. She said, “I was very manipulated. Even if I didn’t look like a child, or what a ‘victim’ should look like, there was a child buried under there.” She also said she does not want people to revisit her past, but to protect children instead. She plans to continue her advocacy work while finishing her memoir and speaking with California lawmakers.
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Originally reported by Ayusi Adhikari on Reality Tea
