Courtney Stodden was 16 years old when she married actor Doug Hutchinson in 2011, and much of the country treated it as a punchline. Fifteen years later, she’s working with the advocacy group Unchained at Last to make sure no other teenager ends up in that position. The vehicle is AB 1267, a California bill that would ban child marriage with no exceptions, and Stodden says it’s finally headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk after nine years of advocacy.
The numbers behind the bill are starker than most people realize. Child marriage remains legal in 34 states, and California, Mississippi, and New Mexico have no minimum marriage age at all. That means a judge or a parent’s signature can put a minor in a legal marriage in a state with no age floor. AB 1267 would close that door in California entirely, without religious or parental-consent exceptions.
Stodden has also been publicly naming adults she says treated her inappropriately when she was a minor, including Dr. Drew Pinsky, who has not responded with an apology. When Jason Alexander apologized for a 2012 sketch in which he rubbed a phone against her chest while she was 17, Stodden praised him for taking accountability. She’s said we need to see more of that. What do you think: should an apology years later count for something, or does it only matter if it changes how people act going forward?
About the Author
Ava Hart
Ava Hart is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.
