SerpApi.Org
“Seinfeld” alum Jason Alexander has issued an apology to Courtney Stodden after she took to Instagram, calling him out for an inappropriate comedy sketch the two did together when she was 17 years old.
In the Funny or Die sketch that went online in 2012, Alexander parodied some daytime talk shows, including "Dr. Phil," where he "repeatedly rubbed his phone across my breasts while saying there was 'no signal' in my head but 'plenty of signal' in my chest," according to Stodden.
"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 added in her Instagram post. "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 [ex-husband Doug Hutchison]. The production moved forward. I was the only child in the room. I felt so alone.”
"Looking back now, I don’t see comedy," Stodden continued. "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. 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 realizing the law should have protected them all along."
In response, Alexander issued a statement to TMZ where he apologized and took full responsibility for his actions.
"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,” he said. "But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies.”
