Courtney Stodden is putting pressure on California Governor Gavin Newsom over the state’s child marriage laws.
The singer and model is calling for action on Assembly Bill 1267, which would set 18 as the legal marriage age. She delivered her message through a pointed social media video aimed directly at Newsom.
Courtney Stodden’s call to end child marriage stems from personal experience as she married 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison when she was 16. The marriage was legally approved by her parents and later became a defining part of her public story.
Stodden addressed Newsom directly in a video shared on Instagram. “Daddy Newsom, California’s children are waiting for you to do what daddies are supposed to do. Protect them,” she said. Her message centered on getting the governor to sign AB 1267.
Her caption continued that appeal with a pointed message about the governor’s signature. “Daddy Newsom,” she wrote, adding that “a pen looks awfully handsome in the right hands” when it can protect children. She said AB 1267 had passed the legislature and now needed his signature.
Stodden also wrote that “courage looks good on a man, governor” before telling him to sign the bill. She stressed that children are not spouses and that “eighteen means eighteen.” Her post also included hashtags supporting the effort to end child marriage and protect children.
Fans Agreed And Disagreed With The Singer’s Post
Stodden’s Instagram post quickly drew support from people who wanted Newsom to hear her message. One person wrote, “Tell daddy Newsom let him know let him hear you!!!”
Another questioned why the governor was not publicly supporting the bill. That commenter also said, “I can’t believe he’s not running on this as a campaign promise,” while asking whether Newsom had mentioned the issue.
Stodden responded with a direct call to action, “Tag him, be loud. We have two weeks.” Another person added, “If he’s really a good man, he’ll sign it.” Not everyone agreed with the way Stodden delivered her message, though.
One commenter said they supported ending child marriage but found the “daddy” framing and skit confusing. They asked why Stodden was using that approach and said the reel felt strange despite agreeing that child marriage should be illegal.
The model explained that the entire presentation was intentional satire. “You’re not missing anything; it’s satire,” she replied, explaining that people once treated her like “a s-xy little girl” instead of seeing her as a child.
She said she now uses the image people remember to make them hear the truth they previously ignored, adding that they do not have to like the delivery as long as they agree that children should never be brides.
Courtney Stodden Said She Needed A Father But Was Driven To A Husband
Stodden is revisiting the moment she says she needed a father but was instead taken toward marriage. She shared a photo on Instagram with the words, “WHEN I NEEDED A FATHER, HE DROVE ME TO A HUSBAND.” The post also featured Marilyn Monroe’s “Every Baby Needs A Da Da Daddy” as its accompanying song.
In the caption, she described herself as “a little girl” being led toward the man she says would control her. She recalled her father driving her from Washington to California, collecting “a 51-year-old man” and taking them to Las Vegas. She said he then walked her down the aisle before returning her to Hollywood, and he drove home with her.
Stodden rejected the idea that she was unusually mature for her age. “I wasn’t an old soul. I wasn’t mature for my age. I was a child surrounded by adults who chose not to protect me,” she wrote. She connected that experience to AB 1267, saying the bill would make 18 the minimum marriage age in California without exceptions.
The post drew messages from people praising Stodden for turning her experience into advocacy. “You turned your terrible trauma into a fight! Courtney, you are a hero,” one person wrote, prompting Stodden to respond, “will fight and fight and fight and fight and fight until my last breath.”
Another commenter pointed out, “And then the media acted like YOU were the problem,” while someone else thanked her for telling her story and fighting for future children.
Jason Alexander’s Apologized For His Misconduct Against Stodden
The TV personality has been using her socials to promote ending child marriage. She has made several posts regarding what she has faced throughout her life.
The Blast reported that Stodden shared a screenshot of a 2012 “Funny or Die” sketch involving “Seinfeld” actor Jason Alexander. She was 17 when the sketch was filmed, and Alexander later responded publicly.
Alexander reportedly rubbed his cellphone against her breasts. In a statement issued to TMZ, he said he now considers the sketch inappropriate and expressed regret over his participation. He also apologized to Stodden for any harm or distress it caused her.
Stodden said she had been the only child in the room during the production. She argued that she did not have the legal power to make those decisions for herself because adults handled the contracts and payment. She later said she no longer viewed the situation as comedy, but as an adult joke involving a 17-year-old girl.
Courtney Stodden Wants Action Beyond Alexander’s Apology
Alexander’s apology reportedly came more than 14 years after the sketch was filmed. The publication said the sketch featured the “Steinfeld” actor, who was 52 at the time, interacting sexually with 17-year-old Stodden. Stodden later told Variety that she was surprised by his decision to take responsibility.
She described the apology as a first step toward change. Stodden also said she wanted Alexander to support AB 1267 or donate to Unchained at Last. Her comments connected the apology to the broader work she is doing around child marriage.
Stodden has been reportedly working with Unchained at Last to help push the California legislation. She pointed to California’s lack of a minimum marriage age and said it was frightening that the state allows marriages involving minors. Mississippi and New Mexico were also identified as the other states without a minimum marriage age.
The singer also explained that she did not immediately understand how troubling the sketch was. Watching a scene from “Pretty Woman” later reminded her of what happened and changed how she viewed the experience. She said her focus now is not simply revisiting her past, but changing what minors experience in the future.
Will Courtney Stodden win this fight?
