Jason Alexander apologizes after Stodden sketch callout
Jason Alexander has apologized after Courtney Stodden called out a 2012 Funny or Die sketch in which the Seinfeld star, then 52, repeatedly rubbed a phone on her breast while she was 17. Alexander said the bit was inappropriate and that he regrets any harm caused. Stodden says she was a minor with no legal power to consent.
Key Takeaways
- Courtney Stodden, then 17, says Jason Alexander rubbed a phone on her breast in a 2012 Funny or Die sketch.
- Alexander, then 52 and listed as a writer on the sketch, also joked about waiting until she turned 18.
- Stodden says adults signed the contracts and her then-husband Doug Hutchison received the paycheck.
- Alexander told Page Six the sketch was inappropriate and offered Stodden his sincerest apologies.
- Stodden, now 31, is speaking out to push stronger protections for minors in entertainment.
The resurfaced controversy has put a fresh spotlight on how Hollywood treated young performers more than a decade ago. Stodden shared an image from the sketch on Instagram and argued that what once passed as comedy looks very different to her as an adult. Coverage of the story continues to circulate across Bizarre World and other entertainment desks.
What did Courtney Stodden accuse Jason Alexander of?
Stodden said she was 17 in the photo she posted from the 2012 Funny or Die sketch titled "The Don Clay Show with Courtney Stodden." In the bit, Alexander — then 52 — played a sleazy talk-show host while Stodden appeared in a bikini alongside her then-husband, Doug Hutchison.
According to Stodden, Alexander "repeatedly rubbed his phone across my breast while saying there was 'no signal' in my head but 'plenty of signal' in my chest." She also said he later joked that when she turned 18 he would like to take her behind the couch and "have his way" with her.
Stodden stressed that she was the only child in the room and lacked the legal power to decide whether to participate. "The contracts were signed by adults. The paycheck went to Doug," she wrote. Looking back, she said she does not see comedy — only "a 17-year-old girl whose body became part of an adult joke."
How did Jason Alexander respond to the claim?
In a statement to Page Six, Alexander said he completely agrees the 2012 sketch was inappropriate and that he truly regrets it. "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."
Alexander, now 66 and best known for "Seinfeld," is credited as both a star and a writer on the sketch, according to IMDb listings cited in reports. Stodden said that writing credit has become harder — not easier — for her to understand as an adult.
Why is Stodden speaking out now?
In a statement, Stodden said she was a minor working in an environment where adults were responsible for her safety. Her goal, she said, is not revisiting the past for its own sake, but helping create a future where children are better protected and adults in power are held to a higher standard.
Stodden married Hutchison in 2011 when she was 16 and he was 51. They divorced after she filed in 2018, with the split finalized in 2020. She has since advocated for California's AB 1267, a bipartisan bill that would set the minimum marriage age at 18 with no exceptions, and says experiences like the sketch show why broader protections for minors matter.