Reality star Courtney Stodden has called out Jason Alexander for his behaviour when they worked together when she was 17 years old. Specifically, Stodden, 31, has asked how anyone thought a 2012 Funny or Die comedy sketch where the Seinfeld star rubbed a phone across her breasts was allowed to be made.
'I was 17 years old in this photo,' she captioned a picture on Instagram showing the Seinfeld star holding an iPhone against her breast. 'The older I get, the more impossible this is to understand.'
Details of the sketch
'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.'
Legal context
Stodden went on to explain that as she’s gotten older she’s realised she was a 'minor' when these sketches were filmed and that 'she didn’t have the legal power to decide whether I wanted to participate.' Instead, she claimed that her ex-husband Doug Hutchison – who Stodden married when she was just 16 years old – was the one who signed the contracts and got the pay cheque.
'The production moved forward. I was the only child in the room,' she added. 'I felt so alone.'
Preempting comments saying she chose to film the sketch, she continued by saying, 'Legally, I couldn’t make those decisions for myself. That’s the point.'
Call for accountability
She then asked how so many adults look at a 17-year-old and decide this was 'acceptable.' 'That’s exactly why I speak out today,' she finished. 'Children deserve laws that protect them. They shouldn’t have to become adults before realising the law should have protected them all along.'
Speaking to Page Six about her decision to speak out now, she claimed that she wanted to create a future where children are protected, and adults in a position of power are held to a higher standard.
Alexander's apology
Alexander, meanwhile, has apologised for the sketch. '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 in a statement. 'But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies.'
