By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-07-24 00:33:45 | Updated at 2026-07-27 18:12:55
3 days ago
Jason Alexander has donated $15,000 to charity as part of his apology to Courtney Stodden for a sexualized skit they appeared in together in 2012 when she was 17 and he was 52.
The Seinfeld alum gave the money to the nonprofit organization Unchained At Last which is 'dedicated to ending forced and child marriage in the United States through direct services and systems change.'
The move, reported by TMZ on Thursday, comes after the actor, 66, issued a public apology to Stodden for the Funny Or Die segment in which he rubbed his phone against the then underage teen's breast as she posed in a bikini.
It followed an Instagram post Monday in which she had called him out over the inappropriateness of the sketch which was made at a time when she was the target of tabloid scrutiny and public shaming due to her age-gap marriage to The Green Mile actor Doug Hutchison.
Stodden married Hutchison when she was 16 and he was 50. They divorced in 2020.
Following Alexander's apology, Stodden on Wednesday had suggested to Variety that he further 'put that into action' and 'support AB 1267 and support what’s happening in California or even donate to Unchained at Last.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Stodden, Alexander and Unchained At Last for further comment on the story but has yet to hear back.
Jason Alexander has donated $15,000 to charity as part of his apology to Courtney Stodden for a sexualized skit they appeared in together in 2012 when she was 17 and he was 52
The Seinfeld alum had issued a public apology to Stodden for the 2012 Funny Or Die segment in which he rubbed his phone against the then underage teen's breast as she posed in a bikini
Stodden told Variety that she was 'taken aback' by Alexander taking 'accountability' and revealed watching him in one of his hit films triggered her to call him out.
'When I first got word that he publicly apologized I was grateful because I think that’s the first step in change,' she said.
Stodden said she only realized how inappropriate the sketch was when she watched Pretty Woman for the first time, and saw a scene with Alexander's villainous on-screen character Philip Stuckey, which left her 'in shock.'
She said of the sketch: 'I was very manipulated. Even if I didn’t look like a child, or what a victim should look like, there was a child buried under there. I really just trusted the adults around me, and this is the effect of that.
'Looking back on it, it’s really damaging. This isn’t about revisiting my past but changing the experiences for minors going forward so they don’t have to experience what I had to experience.'
In an Instagram post on Monday, Stodden shared a screenshot from the sketch and described how the older she gets, the less she understands how a minor could have been exposed to that kind of sexualization.
'How did so many adults look at a minor and decide this was acceptable?' she asked.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Stodden shared a screenshot from the sketch and described how the older she gets, the less she doesn't understand how a minor could have been exposed to that kind of sexualization
Stodden said she only realized how inappropriate the sketch was when she watched Pretty Woman for the first time and saw Alexander's villainous on-screen character Philip Stuckey, pictured in the 1990 film with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere
At the time the Funny or Die segment was made, Stodden was the target of tabloid scrutiny and public shaming due to her marriage to The Green Mile actor Doug Hutchison when she was 16 and he was 50. Above, the former couple are seen out in 2012
After Stodden's post went viral, Alexander, who not only starred in but also co-wrote the Funny Or Die sketch, expressed his 'regret' over the 'inappropriate' segment.
'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,' the Seinfeld alum said in a statement to The Daily Mail on Tuesday.
'But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden. I offer her my sincerest apologies.'
The former teen bride and media personality claimed that the money she made for appearing in the skit went to her then-husband Hutchison.
'I was a minor,' she said. 'I didn't have the legal power to decide whether I wanted to participate. The contracts were signed by adults.'
She went on: 'Children deserve laws that protect them. They shouldn't have to become adults before realizing the law should have protected them all along.'
When contacted by the Daily Mail on Tuesday, Stodden's representative declared that the star 'has pretty much said all she can about this situation already.'
The rep added: 'She did want to mention that she wasn't made aware of what the scene included before arriving. She was informed on set what her role was going to be. She was only told to bring a swimsuit.'
'Children deserve laws that protect them,' Stodden, now 31, said. 'They shouldn't have to become adults before realizing the law should have protected them all along.' Pictured in 2025
Stodden's rep then acknowledged Alexander's apology before taking aim at another TV star who was in Stodden's orbit during her headline-making years as a teen bride.
'The biggest surprise isn't Jason Alexander's apology. It's that an actor has shown more accountability than Dr Drew who inserted himself into my story. A child should have been protected.'
Stodden, in an Instagram post last month, also alluded to a televised incident involving Dr Drew Pinsky.
'Dr. Drew had me on his show when I was 16 and had me undergo an ultrasound to see if my breasts were real or if I was lying about my breasts. I was an underage girl,' Stodden said in her post.
'I was a minor trapped in a situation that I wasn't able to get out of legally. I had no rights at the time. The money he paid me to be on the show went straight to my abuser.'
According to US Weekly, Stodden subsequently posted a screenshot from Dr Drew's spouse Susan Pinsky that read: 'I would love to talk to her on Ask Drew. If @courtneystodden wants to duke it out with Dr. Drew.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Hutchison and Pinsky for further comment on the story but has yet to hear back
