How 'Seinfeld' alum Jason Alexander met Stodden's ask
Jason Alexander accepted Courtney Stodden's demand to donate to a charity after a resurfaced 2012 Funny or Die sketch drew fresh scrutiny. How 'Seinfeld' alum Jason Alexander handled the callout: he apologized for the inappropriate bit filmed when Stodden was 17, then gave $15,000 to Unchained At Last, a group fighting child marriage, reports say.
Key Takeaways
- Alexander apologized for a 2012 Funny or Die sketch with Stodden, who was 17 at the time.
- Stodden asked him to support Unchained At Last, which works to end child and forced marriage.
- He donated $15,000 to that nonprofit, according to TMZ, after accepting her demand.
- Stodden said she was grateful for the public apology and called accountability a first step.
What did Jason Alexander do after Stodden spoke out?
According to Page Six, Alexander accepted Stodden's demand that he donate to a nonprofit of her choice. TMZ reported Thursday that the comedian donated $15,000 to Unchained At Last.
Alexander's representative told TMZ that payment had been submitted but declined to say how much was given. The Page Six report still cited the $15,000 figure from TMZ.
The move followed fresh attention to their 2012 "Funny or Die" sketch, "The Don Clay Show with Courtney Stodden." Alexander was listed as a writer on the bit, and Stodden's then-husband, Doug Hutchison, also appeared.
Why did Courtney Stodden demand a donation?
Earlier this week, Stodden reshared a photo from the skit on Instagram. In it, Alexander is shown rubbing her breast with his phone while trying to "get a signal."
"I was 17 years old in this photo," she wrote of the image of herself in a bikini and Alexander, then 52, in a suit. She said he repeatedly rubbed his phone across her breast, claiming there was "no signal" in her head but "plenty of signal" in her chest.
Stodden also said Alexander joked that when she turned 18 he would like to take her behind the couch and "have his way" with her. She stressed that she was a minor, that adults signed the contracts, and that the paycheck went to Hutchison.
"I didn't have the legal power to decide whether I wanted to participate," she wrote, arguing children deserve laws that protect them. Stodden was 16 and Hutchison was 51 when they married in 2011; their divorce was finalized in 2020 after she ended the marriage in 2018.
How did Alexander apologize for the sketch?
Alexander, 66, took responsibility in a statement to Page Six. "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.
"But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden," he added. "I offer her my sincerest apologies."
On Wednesday, Stodden told Variety she was "very taken aback" by the apology because many adults have not taken accountability. She said she was grateful and that supporting Unchained At Last would be "even better."
For more celebrity fallout and accountability stories, follow Celebrity Breaking News on BlasterPost.