Courtney Stodden made rare comments about being a child bride to Doug Hutchison when she was only 16. The 31-year-old TV personality, who recently said she 'refuses to apologize' for her body, opened up about facing 'adult trauma' in a candid Instagram post shared on Wednesday.
Stodden had garnered attention for her controversial marriage to Hutchison, now 66. The pair tied the knot in 2011 in Las Vegas when she was 16 and he was 51 at the time. She uploaded a photo of herself with her ex-husband on their wedding day, with Hutchison's face partially covered by scratch marks.
'15 years ago today, a 16 year old girl was married off to a man 35 years older than her and the world treated her like the scandal instead of the victim,' the star began in the caption. 'I was a virgin. Emotionally still a child. And too young to understand what was about to happen to me behind closed doors for years.'
She further added, 'Just because a child says "I do" does not mean she understands consent.' The reality star also told her followers about her forthcoming cosmetic procedure this week. 'Tomorrow I'm downsizing my breasts and for the first time in my life, my body feels like it belongs to me instead of the public that consumed it before I even became a woman.'
Stodden concluded, 'A child bride is not a love story. She's a child surviving adult trauma in plain sight.'
Last year during an interview with the Daily Mail, she discussed new 'pain' over her tragic marriage to Hutchison. Two years after their marriage, the pair separated but reconciled in 2014. After she filed for divorce in 2018, it was finalized in March 2020. 'It stays with me, the pain, I won't stay quiet,' she expressed before claiming that her ex-husband had been 'emotionally abusive.'
'My voice is my power and for every voice silenced, I'll shout louder. And I won't ask for permission to do what's right. Not anymore. I speak for that little girl within.'
The model added that she is now 'living life on my own terms now' while staying both 'strong' and 'resilient.' 'I want past victims and survivors to really tap into that part of themselves. We are so strong.' She also reflected on her wedding day to Hutchison back in 2011, with her parents signing off on the union since she was a minor. 'I think the marriage that I went through in Vegas - it was so fast and I couldn't process it because I was 16.'
A few months earlier in March, Stodden also took to Instagram to candidly talk about being a 'survivor of abuse.' She wrote that she is not 'a product' or 'a possession.' 'I am not a story for someone else to control. I am a woman who lived through it and chose to rise anyway.' Stodden also added, 'To every woman reading this: your survival is power, your voice is revolution, your existence is resistance. And we are not done yet.'
Last week, the media personality announced her latest body modification nine months after undergoing a $20,000 nose job. Stodden revealed that she is getting a breast reduction in a clip shared to her Instagram page. At the beginning of the video, the star told her followers that 'before the tabloids do their thing, I'm officially downsizing next week.' Stodden angled the camera down towards her chest while also revealing she will be seeing Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Stuart A. Linder. 'The girls have had a very long, Hollywood run. And honestly, they deserve a graceful retirement era.' She added, 'Doctor Linder has literally been taking care of me for years and I trust him so much.' Stodden expressed that she is 'actually really excited for this next chapter.' The media personality closed out the reel with, 'Smaller boobs, bigger peace and happy birthday doc,' before blowing a kiss towards the camera.
She did not offer further details in regards to whether she is getting her breast implants removed entirely or only going down a size. Daily Mail reached out to a rep for Stodden for comment, but did not immediately hear back. In the caption of the latest post, the reality star penned: 'happy birthday to the man, the myth, the legend @drstuartlinder. And yes… next week the girls are officially entering their smaller, softer, more elegant era.' She added, 'dr. linder has taken care of me for years and i trust him endlessly. excited for this next chapter and honestly excited to breathe again lol.'
Stodden began her career in the entertainment industry at an early age and began modeling when she was 12. In 2013, two years after her marriage to Hutchison, she got breast implants when she was 18 and went from a C cup to size DD. Years later in 2022, Stodden revealed to Newsweek that she had gotten those implants removed. 'I loved having them, I'm not against plastic surgery,' the TV personality told the publication. 'If you want to do something to your body that is your freaking choice, but my back feels like a 90-year-old woman.' And last year in September, Stodden underwent a $20,000 nose job called a septoplasty which helps correct a deviated nasal septum.
Earlier this month, Stodden said that she 'refuses to apologize' for her body after being criticized for over 15 years during an interview with the Daily Mail. 'For a long time I was taught to feel ashamed of my body because people blamed me for what happened to me at 16.' She added, 'I'm done carrying that shame. Women deserve to feel beautiful without being punished for it.' Stodden began dating director and producer Jared Safier in 2023 and the pair said 'I do' during an intimate ceremony in Palm Springs in December 2024.
