Jason Alexander has issued a public apology to Courtney Stodden for a 2012 comedy sketch they appeared in together, saying he regrets participating and is sorry for any harm it caused. The sketch, produced during a period when Stodden’s relationship with Doug Hutchison drew widespread attention, has recently come under renewed scrutiny after Stodden spoke about its negative impact.
Background
The sketch aired in 2012 and was released through Funny or Die. It featured Courtney Stodden alongside her then-husband Doug Hutchison and Jason Alexander. Stodden’s high-profile marriage to Hutchison began when she was 16 and he was 51; she was 17 at the time of the sketch.
What happened in the sketch
The short parody lampooned Dr. Phil–style talk shows, with Alexander portraying a fictional life coach named Donny Clay who interviews the couple about their relationship. During the sketch, Alexander’s character uses his phone camera to focus on Stodden’s breasts and fondles her, saying there’s no cell signal in her head but “full bars” in her chest. Stodden has since reflected on how the experience negatively affected her.
Alexander’s apology
In response, the Seinfeld alum issued a statement to E! News expressing regret and offering a direct apology to Stodden. “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. I offer her my sincerest apologies.”
Jason Alexander regrets participating in a controversial sketch featuring Courtney Stodden.
During Stodden’s high-profile marriage to Doug Hutchison—which began when she was 16 and he was 51—she appeared in a 2012 Funny or Die video sketch featuring her now ex-husband and Alexander.
A parody of Dr. Phil and similar talk shows, Alexander plays fictional life coach Donny Clay and interviews the couple about their relationship. At one point, he takes his phone camera to Stodden’s breasts and fondles her, noting that there’s no cell signal in her head but “full bars” in her chest.
But after Stodden, who was 17 at the time, recently reflected on how the experience negatively impacted her, the Seinfeld alum is apologizing for his role in 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 to E! News. “But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies.”
