<\/p>\n
Jason Alexander has apologized after Courtney Stodden publicly called out the \u201cSeinfeld\u201d star over a lewd 2012 comedy sketch the two made when Stodden was 17.<\/p>\n
Stodden, a media personality and reality TV star, first drew international attention in 2011 after marrying then-51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison at age 16.<\/p>\n
The relationship was later chronicled by the television movie \u201cI Was a Child Bride,\u201d and her public profile led to numerous reality TV appearances, including \u201cCelebrity Big Brother.\u201d Stodden and Hutchison\u00a0finalized their divorce in March 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Monday, Stodden revisited a 14-year-old skit she appeared in with Alexander for the Funny or Die media company. She posted an image from the skit on Instagram<\/a> of herself in a bikini \u2014 when she was 17 years old \u2014 as Alexander touched her breast with a cellphone.<\/p>\n Part of the caption read, \u201cI was the only child in the room. I felt so alone.\u201d<\/p>\n The skit, a parody of \u201cDr. Phil\u201d and similar daytime talk shows, featured Stodden and Hutchison seeking couple\u2019s therapy from Alexander\u2019s character, Donny Clay. The sketch featured Alexander rubbing a cellphone on Stodden\u2019s chest, joking that it was the only place with \u201cfull bars.\u201d<\/p>\n At another point, while the Clay character was role-playing as Hutchison, Alexander said he would take Stodden behind the couch and \u201chave at you in a number of ways.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIMDb credits (Alexander) as one of the writers of the episode,\u201d Stodden wrote in the Instagram post. \u201cAs an adult, that fact has become harder \u2014 not easier \u2014 for me to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n Stodden also pushed back on claims that she willingly participated in the sketch.<\/p>\n \u201cI was a minor. I didn\u2019t have the legal power to decide whether I wanted to participate,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThe contracts were signed by adults. The paycheck went to Doug. The production moved forward.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Alexander issued an apology to Stodden.<\/p>\n \u201cLooking 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,\u201d Alexander\u00a0told TMZ<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBut more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden,\u201d he said. \u201cI offer her my sincerest apologies.\u201d<\/p>\n Alexander did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment.<\/p>\n In recent years, Stodden has become an advocate speaking out against child marriage and exploitation within the media industry.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to spend the rest of my life proving why what happened to me was wrong,\u201d she wrote\u00a0in an Instagram post<\/a>\u00a0on Tuesday. \u201cI want to spend it making sure the next child never has to explain why they deserved protection in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf my voice carries any weight today, I want to spend it where it matters most: changing what we accept, changing what we ignore, and changing the laws that decide whether children are protected or left to navigate adult decisions they were never capable of making,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n