Seinfeld star Jason Alexander has issued a public apology to Courtney Stodden over an “inappropriate” act that occurred on screen when she was just 17.
In 2012, the comedy actor, 66, wrote and appeared in a Funny or Die sketch, in which he allegedly rubbed a mobile phone on Stodden’s breasts.
“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,” Alexander said in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter.
“But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies.”
Acknowledging the statement, Stodden — now 31 — felt he should have done more to express his contrition.
She suggested further steps the Hollywood veteran could take to affect real change and educate others on such behaviour.
“I appreciate Jason Alexander’s public apology. People keep asking if he’s apologised privately, and he hasn’t. A private apology would be meaningful, but meaningful action would be even more powerful,” she told the publication.
“If he truly regrets what happened, I’d invite him to support Unchained at Last and the fight to end child marriage through AB 1267.
“That’s how we turn accountability into lasting change.”
The backlash came after Stodden shared a photo from the sketch on Instagram earlier this week.
It depicts the then-minor wearing a red bikini, with the actor — most famous for his TV role as George Constanza — donning a suit and wig while encroaching on Stodden’s personal space.
She recounted the day on set and called out Alexander’s actions.
“I was 17 years old in this photo. The older I get, the more impossible this is to understand. 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,” she began.
“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. IMDb credits him as one of the writers of the episode. As an adult, that fact has become harder — not easier — for me to understand.
“I was a minor. I didn’t have the legal power to decide whether I wanted to participate. The contracts were signed by adults. The paycheck went to (Stodden’s then-husband) Doug. The production moved forward. I was the only child in the room. I felt so alone.”
Stodden then asked how so many adults allowed the behaviour to take place, and encouraged incumbent lawmakers to act.
“Looking back now, I don’t see comedy. I see a 17-year-old girl whose body became part of an adult joke. People still say, ‘You chose to be there.’ Legally, I couldn’t make those decisions for myself. That’s the point,” she added.
“I can’t change what happened to me but I can ask myself: How did so many adults look at a minor and decide this was acceptable? That’s exactly why I speak out today. Children deserve laws that protect them. They shouldn’t have to become adults before realising the law should have protected them all along.
The actress and producer inspired the 2025 film I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story.
Based on a true story, it follows the life of Stodden who, at 16, married 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchinson.
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