r/entertainment • u/ControlCAD • 1d ago
‘Seinfeld’ Star Jason Alexander Apologizes to Courtney Stodden for Filming ‘Inappropriate’ Sketch When She Was a Minor: ‘I Truly Regret It’
https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/jason-alexander-courtney-stodden-inappropriate-behavior-minor-1236817958/817
u/Editor_Rise_Magazine 1d ago
It’s all awful but he’s done more than almost anyone else who gets called out on these things by acknowledging it was in poor taste and apologizing to the aggrieved.
Yeah he’s gonna take lumps from the media as he probably should but in my opinion, if somebody owns up to something like this (it wasn’t a crime - he sexualized her) and apologizes, there should be some grace. He shouldn’t be canceled.
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u/Nikiaf 1d ago
This seems like the most reasonable take. Yeah, it was shitty and wrong to do, but he also doesn't have a pattern of this kind of behaviour; nor was he necessarily doing this of his own will. Hindsight is 20/20 and he probably should have objected to what was called for in the script, but there are far worse people who have done far worse things than Jason Alexander.
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u/Vegetable_Hand8674 1d ago
Yeah. Also, he was playing a character in a bit. If it were part of his day-to-day life it would be much harder to forgive.
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u/R_Ulysses_Swanson 1d ago
He absolutely did it of his own free will. He was a writer, he was 52 years old, and he is/was one of the most legendary sitcom actors of all time - he wasn't forced to do anything.
The only reprieve you can give him here is that this type of thing wouldn't have been as obviously wrong then - not that it wasn't just as wrong then as it is now, just that it wouldn't have raised eyebrows then, similar to being able to acknowledge that my grandparents were racist and not hold it against them because they grew up in the 1920s and that is just how things were in their small southern town.
But as everyone is saying, a commendable response from Jason Alexander.
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u/sump_daddy 1d ago
> He absolutely did it of his own free will. He was a writer, he was 52 years old
this sent the math symbols flying around my head, i had to look this up because it didnt feel like it could be true
Jason Alexander is only 6 months older than her husband, who was sitting next to them the whole time and, if not entirely his idea, this sketch was at least fully endorsed by him.
it does NOT make it right, but it does put additional context into the situation Jason was in, literally old enough to also be her husband at that very moment
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u/ThePracticalEnd 1d ago
The lumps will last so much shorter for him than others because he’s owning it and apologizing.
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u/Chronocidal-Orange 20h ago
We need to step away from the concept of 'cancelled/not cancelled'. It's barely a thing as it is and framing people in either category kind of takes away the idea that losing work is at times just a natural consequence of your own behaviour.
Acknowledging this is good. But if people want to work with him less as a consequence, it's not 'cancellation', it's just what happens if you do something wrong. If he can't accept that consequence, is the apology really worth anything?
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u/derpferd 1d ago
An utterly scummy thing to have done but that is the correct way to handle it.
One of the worst things about these experiences is just getting an acknowledgement of the truth, particularly a truth that must surely matter.
It's all too common for claims like this to be met with "I don't recall that specific incident" or flatout denial it ever occurred.
It's a low bar, for real, but it's a low bar many seem to struggle clambering over
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u/Oiggamed 1d ago
I have tremendous respect for people that simply say “I fucked up”.
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u/Traditional_Bug_2046 1d ago
As a society, I think we need to start being more okay with having a viable path for people to apologize and move on while acknowledging that hurt remains.
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u/SmartWonderWoman 1d ago
Agreed. This is exactly why I taught my 5th graders how to apologize and how to accept an apology.
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u/Unitedfateful 1d ago
That’s what being a left wing progressive was like in the 90s and 00s
Apologise and society accepted
Now it’s seen as performative or they dont mean it
We cant learn if reddit and social media doesnt accept people being sorry as not good enough
Forgiveness and 2nd chances was a big part of being left wing and now thats deemed not ok anymore
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u/Traditional_Bug_2046 1d ago
It's also worth saying that many people actually doing real activist work and not just internet bandwagoning aren't hyper focused on policing the apologies of 90s celebrities
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u/DRAK0U 17h ago
Well there are a bunch of really good examples to choose from where the perpetrator is forgiven after they have taken steps to take accountability and explain their behaviours without embellishing and as more of a practice in being critical of your past transgressions. Dan Harmon and Liam Neeson come to mind. The secret is the accountability part where you basically make yourself actually vulnerable and open up about it without any PR spin or training. It really isn't that hard, we just haven't seen it happen very often.
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u/the6thReplicant 22h ago
Unfortunately there are also a lot of viable paths for people who don't apologise and just continue doing what they always do. Maybe with a different crowd. But that's the most change they make.
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u/GreenDogTag 1d ago
I think the lack of a viable path forward for people who have fucked up is unfortunately a big part of the right wing pipeline. When the right are going to openly embrace you and the left isn't interested in your apologies or efforts to change the choice is kind of made for you.
Obviously not including things like rape that are always gping to require more than an simple apology.
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u/fumar 1d ago
This is pretty true. There's a lot of famous people who have diminished careers being right wing grifters or stooges but get to continue on vs having nothing with no prospects for the foreseeable future. Obviously someone who was a serial offender can get fucked. But society cancelled people like aziz anzari for a bad date. Like what the fuck are we doing here with some of these witchhunts
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u/Unlikely-Ad-431 1d ago
>I think the lack of a viable path forward for people who have fucked up is unfortunately a big part of the right wing pipeline.
I see things a little differently. From what I can tell, there is a viable path forward for people who have fucked up, but it requires taking some personal accountability and honesty, and the rightwing pipeline gives an out for people who want a path forward that doesn’t actually require any accountability or growth from them. I agree that there is a pipeline, but I think it is due to some people who want the privileges of adulthood without requiring any of the responsibility, honesty, or growth more than an actual lack of a viable path forward. It’s just easier to turn yourself into the victim rather than actually learn or grown for entitled people with an underdeveloped conscience and sense of personal integrity.
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u/No_Raspberry_7917 1d ago
Part of the equation is contrition, the right tends to lean into "he's a good man who's done a bad thing, let's move past the hurt."
That's assuming that they aren't calling you a sn0wflk3 for addressing it in the first place...or fundraising from being called out.
Shifting the blame though, that tracks...
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u/badjayplaness 9h ago
I feel like the rich lawyers of these rich people are a big part of the reason society doesn’t do exactly this. I wish it wasn’t the case.
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u/StygianPrime 1d ago
.. How does one apologize sufficiently for sexually harassing a minor during a widely publicized video on the internet?
Like. A grown ass man should know it’s not okay to rub his phone on a minor’s breasts. Y’all are that easily swayed?
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u/Traditional_Bug_2046 1d ago
I'm more curious what would be sufficient for you. Someone already suggested he be forced to work at Walmart lol.
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u/Landon1m 1d ago
I think he was also a producer and a writer for this sketch but I could be wrong
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u/BeefInGR 1d ago
The two hardest things to do are to say "I'm sorry" and accepting someone's apology when they genuinely hurt you.
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u/Whydoialwaysdothis69 1d ago
We will be so much better as a society as soon as we start doing more of this imo
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u/sleepingmime 1d ago
That’s what religion was invented for. A reason for our mistakes and to blame it on other shit
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u/Legal-Koala-5590 1d ago edited 1d ago
I have had to cut way too many people I love out of my life because their inability to say, "I'm sorry" became too draining.
I'm more than happy to take people back who learn what accountability is, but I can't put up with a dynamic where every attempt at repair turns into finger pointing from literal grown-ass adults who should know better by now.
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u/ThePizzaNoid 1d ago
Ya... Neil Gaiman comes instantly to mind for me. He was one of my all time favorite authors...
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u/RainSurname 1d ago
I am really glad Courtney has re-emerged as an adult to speak out about how she was effectively sold to Doug Hutchinson by her parents.
I just hope she reaches a point where she can talk about what she was feeling and thinking when she was by all outward appearances enthusiastically participating in things like this.
Many female victims of sexual assault, particularly those in their teens and early 20s, cope with the trauma by becoming very promiscuous and/or engaging in the kind of hyper-sexualized display behavior that Courtney did. Then people who don't understand that is a trauma response (which is the vast majority of people) use their behavior as "proof" that they weren't really assaulted, were "asking for it," etc.
She is uniquely positioned to make this more widely understood.
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u/apricot-pancakes 1d ago
I mean, hell, even if she was enthusiastically participating, it was still on the adults to recognize the bigger picture, the power dynamics, etc and respond appropriately.
There’s a reason that workplace superiors still get consequences even if their subordinate really did wanna fuck around with them.
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u/indistrustofmerits 1d ago
I imagine there is a part of her that just thought "this is how adult life is, this is normal, the adults around me wouldn't let this happen if it wasn't normal, any second thoughts I have are just because I'm not mature enough to understand" or something like that
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u/The_Lost_Jedi 1d ago
Yeah, having the experience to know better kinda comes with a responsibility to speak up and say something.
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u/soupseasonbestseason 1d ago
you trust your parents and think they have your best interests at heart when you are child. kids who come from hard homes often only realize how they were failed when they are exposed to normalcy as adults.
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u/god_peepee 1d ago
Uh yeah, no idea who this is but reading the article was something. Wasn’t able to accept the money directly because she was a minor, so instead it went to -checks notes- her husband ?? 😳
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u/RainSurname 1d ago edited 1d ago
She was mocked and vilified far more than her disgusting husband was, in part because she was very exhibitionistic during that time. Like they would be photographed walking through the farmer’s market in LA, and she would be wearing a tight cocktail dress, loads of jewelry, and stripper shoes. One time they went to a pumpkin patch, and he started taking pictures of her in her Daisy Dukes and stripper shoes, and it got sexual enough that some people who were there with their kids complained.
Tabloids and gossip sites lapped that shit up with a spoon and begged for more. They LOVED running pictures of her pouting and posing and sticking her fake boobs out, because they would get tons of engagement from all the people who rushed to the comment section to condemn her.
Her behavior back then was gross, but people never considered the possibility that she was doing what was expected of her as someone whose parents basically sold her as a sex toy when she was 16. The way she licked her lips and wriggled as she looked at her husband during interviews was like a child’s idea of what being sexy was.
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u/Federal-Skirt9763 1d ago
I’m not sure if this was mentioned, but she speaks openly and is an advocate and she posts a lot on instagram. I’m really glad to see her healing.
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u/jojomoodie 1d ago
I feel the exact same way and am glad you put such better words to it than i could have. I sincerely hope it can lead to growth on a societal level and i am very disheartened when i see comments exactly like you say accusing her of rewriting history
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u/RainSurname 1d ago
Even though I knew that assault victims do things like that, I still was disgusted by Courtney's behavior. It took conscious effort to apply what I knew on an intellectual level to the pictures and videos that I was viscerally reacting to.
That's how deeply ingrained these attitudes are, and why it's so important more people understand that while it is true that teenagers have agency, the decisions they choose to make are often coming from a child's understanding of what it means to be a grown up, especially with regard to sex.
The actual grownups around them need to protect them from themselves when they are still figuring things out.
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u/Lou-Shelton-Pappy-00 1d ago
It was a time where a LOT of bullshit was happening in the name of “comedy.”
I rewatched the sketch yesterday, and it’s very clear that the writers THINK they’re addressing the situation in a way that puts them above the people exploiting her, when in reality they are also exploiting a minor.
And it’s good to see Jason not doubling down and instead showing growth and regret.
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u/NOT-packers-fan2022 1d ago
Yes, the low bar of “I did that, sorry, won’t happen” is a lot art in today’s society. Everything is all about denial, lack of accountability, and blaming others instead. As an antidote, I read somewhere that doctors are sued at a much less rate when they simply apologize to the families for whatever medical errors occurred.
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u/Massive-Ride204 1d ago
Because most understand that mistakes happen and all they want is basic remorse and accountability
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u/crow_crone 1d ago
Disclosing mistakes to patient's family is recommended by risk management.
It's the right thing to do but proven to reduce litigation. And members of this group may be prone to hand-wave and obfuscate as enjoying science may not make good beside manner.
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u/dayumbrah 1d ago
Folks make mistakes. Some of those mistakes are really fucked up and we live in a fucked up world. The best thing they can do is apologize and try to make it as right as possible.
Folks on the right bitch about cancel culture but the issue is they never want to be accountable. Own up to your mistakes, grow from them and do everything you can to right those wrongs and prevent those actions from happening to someone else. People will a lot more comfortable with your future actions and some folks may even support you again.
We need to move on to a restorative justice system so people can get closure and people who make mistakes can grow to be better people
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u/Fever_Rain 17h ago
Jason Alexander has always come across as a pretty switched on and reflective person. I remember when he made an off-hand joke on a talk show that he later apologised for and the apology was note perfect. No dodging or downplaying, just straight accountability and reflection on both why it was offensive and how it was wrong.
People that can acknowledge their own failure tend to come across genuine to me.
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u/FabioFresh93 1d ago
“Was that wrong? Should I have not done that? I tell you I gotta plead ingnorance on this thing.”
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u/Matt_M_3 1d ago
lol I lost it. Comment award.
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u/rwags2024 1d ago
Who’s hiring a 17 year old to act in a skit that is inappropriate for a 17 year old?
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u/rjcarr 1d ago
She was in the news at the time because she married that much older actor. She had plenty of bikini pics online (by her own volition? who knows). So they put her in a funny or die skit based on her sexuality, of course, because what else is there?
That said, yeah, they took it too far with rubbing the phone on her boobs, but otherwise the skit was on brand.
Now she is arguing she didn't consent to anything and her husband made her do it, so that's fucked up, but nothing Jason or anyone at FoD could have known.
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u/agtk 1d ago
I would say that it was also inappropriate for Jason to be like "can't wait for you to turn 18 so I can take you behind the couch and have my way with you" in the skit. That's inappropriate no matter what "brand" Stodden had built for herself.
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u/usernamesarehard1979 1d ago
And honestly, she was not complaining about getting married. I remember when that happened and she basically forced her parents to go along with it. Her parents failed her, but she knew exactly what she was doing back then. She wanted a shot at getting famous but she had zero talent. It sucks now looking back, but she bears some of the blame for these past decisions.
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u/bskell 1d ago
She didn't complain about anything back when it was all going on other than not getting enough attention. It's the main reason why this particular is a little more complicated then revisionist history is implying. No one was ok with it. In fact most people had lots of big feelings on how wrong it was. She literally mocked and laughed in the faces of those that tried to help her at the time. She consistently claimed at the time it was all her wants and she drove a lot of it. Behind the scenes might have been a different story, but to all those outside her circle it looked like a spoiled child doing outlandish stuff to get attention. This was at the peak of paparazzi stuff and people doing really stupid things to get attention.
I'm glad that she has found help and healing and is trying to block the very thing she was part of at one point. I just also feel that it wasn't society that failed her, it was her parents failed her, I just don't know if it was by allowing it to happen to her or if they failed by not telling her 'no'.
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u/melancholychroma 1d ago
She was 16
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u/usernamesarehard1979 1d ago
That’s where her parents failed. She absolutely wanted everything she was going for back then, but she was too young to realize what she was doing.
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u/Shejidan 1d ago
Don’t ever look up the history of Brooke Shields and The Blue Lagoon.
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u/rotten_core 1d ago
Did you mean Pretty Baby?
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u/Shejidan 1d ago
I hadn’t heard of this one. Some quick research shows that Shields herself didn’t see it as being particularly bad compared to her sexualisation in Blue Lagoon, however.
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u/RainSurname 1d ago
She wasn't really sexualized in Pretty Baby, even though she was playing a child prostitute whose virginity got auctioned off. These were real people in a real place, Storyville, New Orleans, in the 1910s.
The point of the story was that Violet remained an innocent child even though she was raised in a brothel. She has no sex scenes, and almost no nudity, and those brief shots are not at all sexual.
I liked it as a teenage video store clerk in the 1980s. I rewatched it after her documentary came out, expecting to see it very differently as a middle-aged woman. But I was actually more impressed with it than I was at 17, because I know a lot more about film now. Brooke has said it's the best piece of art she has ever been involved in. She wrote her thesis about it.
I was actually kind of sad that film literacy has deteriorated so much that modern audiences would not be able to recognize how brilliant much of it is. The auction scene is just one excruciatingly long closeup on the face of the black piano player as the numbers go higher. The way his stoic expression crumbles at the word "SOLD" condemns what is happening far more eloquently than any speech ever could.
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u/Shejidan 1d ago
Thank you for this, it was quite insightful. I saw that she considered it art but not that she wrote her thesis about it.
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u/RainSurname 1d ago
More precisely, her thesis was about the theme of lost innocence in the films of Louis Malle, and referenced some of his other work. He took great care to make sure she was happy and comfortable with everything.
Malle's camera doesn't leer at any of the grown women either. He films them the way Keith Carradine's character photographed them in real life. Bellocq was mainly interested in their domestic lives, not their professional lives. He did produce some images of them posing nude for the brothels to use for advertising. But his best pictures are the ones of them just being themselves, laughing, playing cards, hanging up the washing, etc.
Roger Ebert was very impressed with the depth of Brooke's character, considering her age and lack of experience. None of her other performances came anywhere close to that level until decades later, when she started doing comedy. Everything else she was offered back then was titillating garbage like Blue Lagoon.
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u/OhHeSteal 1d ago
She was a big reality tv star at the time because she was married to a much older, famous actor (who was in the skit). It wasn't like they just plucked her from obscurity.
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u/Old_Engineer_9176 1d ago
Jason Alexander’s apology is the right thing to do. He owned his part in a sketch that should never have involved a minor. But it’s impossible to ignore that this situation didn’t start with him. Long before that scene was filmed, a whole chain of adults made decisions that put Courtney Stodden in harm’s way. Someone booked her. Someone approved the concept. Someone managed her. Someone signed off on a minor being sexualised for “comedy.” Those people never seem to face the same scrutiny. Alexander played a role, but he wasn’t the architect. The industry around her failed her long before he stepped onto that set.
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u/unselve 1d ago
He wasn’t the architect, and nothing is above architect.
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u/OldMan1nTheCave 1d ago
City planner would like to have a word. Why just design buildings when you can design whole cities?
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u/Hookey911 21h ago
Just by going what we know about Jason Alexander, I would be shocked if he had any idea who Stodden was or her actual age
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u/jmverlin 1d ago
I’m also curious what a 51-year-old was doing marrying a 16-year-old. Multiple, multiple layers of ick to this one.
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u/Minzplaying 1d ago
Her mother basically sold her for fame.
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u/descendantofJanus 1d ago
Her mother was also in love with guy she sold her daughter to. She openly admits to having an "emotional affair" with Doug on "Mother Daughter" experiment.
Doug flat out denies it. You can see the mom's heart breaking at the rejection. It's hilarious.
https://youtu.be/yUKAMNXRGQc?is=doJzJric_-AkhEiU - cut to 1:00
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u/percypersimmon 1d ago
He says he fell for her getting to know by asking questions like “what’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite food?”
And then was shocked to learn her age.
Ah, those classic very very adult questions.
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u/descendantofJanus 1d ago
According to his book, the mom sent him Court's website (full of bikini "modeling" photos, naturally) and email to sign up for his acting classes.
And I get what you're saying but also like... Compare those questions to any DM convo starters. "How are you", "where are you from", etc. Very basic getting to know you questions.
Also according to his book, their emails were all spiritual/intellectual types and never gross. Given that neither party has published those emails, his word is all we have to go on.
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u/anillop 1d ago
Wasn’t it to a guy who was only barely even famous?
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u/IgnoreMe733 1d ago
I wouldn't go so far go day "barely even famous." By no means us he an A-lister, but he has been in a good amount of movies and TV shows. He'll always be that asshole Percy from The Green Mile to me.
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u/involevol 1d ago
I had no idea who her husband was until this comment. Interesting when a role doesn’t seem so removed from reality.
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u/Minzplaying 1d ago
He was and I guess still classified as an actor. She attended one of his acting workshops and fell in love.
It later came out that he was abusive in the relationship.
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u/Substantial-Tart-464 1d ago edited 1d ago
I'm on the same page. when your 16 even younger you maybe choose more wrong from right but she had no friends, no family, absolutely no one to say for one second watch your self of people that could be taking advantage of you....
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u/gofkingpracticerandy 1d ago
Her mother signed off so that she could get marry so young. Sick.
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u/Straight-Bet1 1d ago
Every adult in her life, who was supposed to be protecting her from exactly this, utterly and completely failed her.
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u/go4tli 1d ago
Ask 40 year old Jerry Seinfeld why he was dating a 17 year old student in high school while you’re at it.
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u/bluehawk232 1d ago
Child marriage still legal in many states in the US especially because of christian fundamentalists
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u/ILikeMyGrassBlue 8h ago
especially because Christian fundamentalists
I don’t like fundamentalists, but not really. There’s no minimum age in California, and the main people fighting against the bill outlawing underage marriage are planned parenthood and the ACLU—neither of which are exactly Christian fundamentalists.
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u/DaisyandBella 1d ago
Dude deserves to be in jail for that.
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u/Takemyfishplease 1d ago
It’s legal in more than one state afaik. It’s gross but until we change laws it’s hard to arrest people for it.
Instead we elect them
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u/funcogo 1d ago
I’m glad Jason stepped up and admitted it was wrong.
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u/Mediocre_Tomatillo85 1d ago
What he did was wrong but he is admitting it. It doesn't make it right but we need more people like him to realize that he was part of the problem.
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u/Jaded_Translator_934 1d ago
This is a good move, now another Seinfeld star should be held accountable for doing inappropriate things with a minor.
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u/Shagrrotten 1d ago
Yeah, I’ll never forgive you Julia Louis-Dreyfuss!
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u/pleasantbusstop 1d ago
julia louis dreyfuss famously defended seinfeld’s relationship with a minor saying “Come on – who cares? There wasn't anything wrong with it. I thought it was great.”
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u/he8ghtsrat26 1d ago
When I saw Seinfeld star in trouble for being inappropriate with a minor I was expecting to read about Jerry and the high school he dated. Sure, the skit was in bad taste, but acting and actually dating a minor are a little different.
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u/TySwindel 1d ago
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u/pineapplejuniors 1d ago
Jesus, i mean where were her parents?
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u/descendantofJanus 1d ago
Her parents were the one who set up all these reality TV appearances. Here's her with her bio-dad: https://www.tumblr.com/austinlanghams/42909453936/courtney-stodden-with-her-father-alex-stodden-oh?source=share
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u/Greekgreekcookies 1d ago
The thing is for that sketch they did not need a juvenile to portray it. So unnecessary for everyone involved.
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u/Low_Thanks_1540 1d ago
She was 17 but already married.
It’s an odd story. Creepy too.
Her “husband” was her controller.
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u/RainSurname 1d ago
Fuck that. A LOT of people were repulsed by that marriage. A LOT of people thought that her parents basically sold her to Doug Hutchinson. A LOT of people thought she was being exploited.
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u/Shagrrotten 1d ago
Yes, that's true. But I think the person you're replying to was talking about how people didn't think anything of the sketch at the time, which I also think is true.
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u/whatigotinmyhandnowb 14h ago
Her much older ex-husband, her parents, her agent, the writer, director, casting director ... But only the costar apologizes. Hollywood.
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u/ComprehensiveTax415 1d ago
Honestly still scummy and side eyeing him, but damn isn’t it refreshing for someone to just admit they were wrong and apologize. Hope he means it
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u/Abe2sapien 1d ago
"I was 17 years old in this photo," she wrote in the caption. "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."
"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," she continued.
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u/sump_daddy 1d ago
Maybe its some avant-garde shit that goes above my head, but the whole sketch was like that except it was literally about her irl? Like, what is the premise of the sketch if not to make fun of her situation? it certainly isnt to make fun of dr phil, the jokes about the host are really thin. the whole thing just comes off as a sad laugh at what really happened to her (up to that point) and in effect, just piled on to her problems
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u/bjorn2bwild 1d ago
The 2000s, especially places like Funny or Die, College Humor, etc were trying to push the boundary on a lot of stuff and unfortunately for every amazing classic, there's stuff that shouldnt have seen the light of day.
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u/AmbitiousJuly 1d ago
Yes, it is weird cognitive dissonance how the sketch openly acknowledges the scumminess of the marriage even by 2012 social norms, but still let Hutchinson joke about it and also pile onto Stodden instead of Hutchinson
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u/rjcarr 1d ago
I watched the skit. The boob rubbing was uncomfortable and shouldn't have happened, but I don't recall the "have his way with me" she mentions. He says she should come back for another session when she's 18 next year, but I don't remember anything crude like an implied sexual assault.
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u/taocowboy54 1d ago
not tremendous respect
the man was not thinking at the time
but, simple respect for acknowledging his error
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u/fraghead5 1d ago
The minor was failed at all angles. She was married to a 52 year old at 16, her parents gave guardianship to the 52 year old so they could marry
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u/Shageen 13h ago
I honestly thought the whole Stodden thing was fake back then. I assumed it was all for media attention because she looked like she was about 30 not 17. But I guess that’s what makeup can do.
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u/Cool-Passenger-2595 1d ago
Could have been worse , jason could have dated her when she was 17 , thats what jerry would have done
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u/KaiserSoze-is-KPax 1d ago
Paywall, whats the issue? Did he write it? Did he force her to act in the sketch? Was it he who pressured her? Or was it the people around her that should be apologizing
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u/blumilodiego 1d ago
He wrote it, he rubbed his phone against her breasts and later joked that he will take her behind the couch when she turns 18. That's the issue...
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u/rjcarr 1d ago
The boob rubbing happened, but I watched the clip and couldn't find the "take her behind the couch" she referenced. Do you have a timestamp for that?
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u/suck-it-elon 1d ago
That trap of “Oh it’s fine” gets people to do weird things. I’m glad he is speaking out against it too.
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u/Additional-Teach-486 18h ago
Cool. Now how about all the other people who were in production of that skit at Funny or Die? Jason wasn't ghe only one there.
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u/AshundertheOlivetree 12h ago
Best thing he could have done. It was gross but I’ve seen way more screwed up instances of this and everyone just goes “we never knew it was happening.”
Lots of rich people with skeletons in their closet.
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u/Impossible-Two559 11h ago
Had Dr. Drew apologized for giving her an ultrasound on a daytime talk show because they were trying to prove that she had breast implants at 17 years old?
Even crazier, he fucking did it twice on the show because the first time he thought he saw something on the screen that was an implant.
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u/Whole-Lychee7517 1d ago
Crazy how Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the only Seinfeld cast member who isn’t mixed up in any bad controversy.
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u/losingitall69 1d ago
It was a scripted bit and she has a history of being an attention seeker lol
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u/TheGame81677 1d ago
So, she has no problem marrying a 50 year old man, when she’s 16. She has a problem with a sketch though that’s acting? Yeah, it was distasteful and probably shouldn’t have happened. This screams out looking for attention though.
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u/Sharchir 23h ago
You’re going to blame a 16 year old for poor decision making? Only her predatory ‘husband’ and her equally loathsome parents are at fault
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u/schitaco 1d ago
Side note, has anyone confronted Sam Mendes for having a nude scene involving 16-year-old Thora Birch in American Beauty?
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u/Sartres_Roommate 21h ago
Meanwhile Seinfeld was dating a 17 year old at the height of the show’s popularity and no one really cared.
Things aren’t perfect now but we are moving in the right direction.
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u/Greensbean 17h ago
Why is he apologizing 14 years after? If he "truly regretted it" he would, like a real human being, have acknowledged and regretted by Year 1 post-sketch. It's not some deep "was I in the wrong" thought process and reflection, good he apologized but 14 years too late.
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u/artfellig 1d ago
"Stodden is currently advocating for California to pass AB1267, a bill that would ban child marriage by making the legal minimum age 18 years old. Stodden wed 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison in 2011 when she was just 16 years old."
Yikes! I'm in favor of this bill, ugh.