Courtney Stodden

Courtney Alexis Stodden (born August 29, 1994) is an American media personality, model, actress, singer, and songwriter. After competing in beauty pageants in her home state of Washington and releasing her own original music, then 16-year-old Stodden came to international attention when she married then 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison in 2011. The controversy and media attention surrounding Stodden and her marriage led to her appearing in numerous reality television series, including Couples Therapy (2012), Celebrity Big Brother (2013), The Mother/Daughter Experiment (2016), Celebs Go Dating (2017), and Courtney (2020).

Courtney Stodden
Stodden in 2013
Born
Courtney Alexis Stodden

(1994-08-29) August 29, 1994
Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Other namesEmber[1]
Occupation
  • Media personality
  • model
  • actress
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active2009–present
Height5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2011; div. 2020)​
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
LabelsRich Kid Mafia

Early life

Courtney Alexis Stodden was born on August 29, 1994, in Tacoma, Washington,[2] to Alex John Stodden[3] and Krista Kay Keller. She has two sisters, Ashley and Brittany, who were 9 and 11 at the time of her birth.[4] Stodden describes her childhood as "beautiful and fun," stating that she was "extremely spoiled, in a good way."[5] From a very young age, her passion has been singing and writing her own music.[6][7] She was raised in Ocean Shores, Washington.[8]

In 2017, Stodden said to Radar Online that she was bullied and abused over her mature looks from age 12 when she was in the sixth grade until her mother pulled her out of school at 16. Bullies had fractured her left arm and she felt unsafe.[9][10] She continued her education by being home schooled through an online private Christian academy.[5][11]

Career

2009–2014

Stodden began in the entertainment industry by first venturing into modeling in her youth. As of 2011, her measurements are listed as 36-23-35, and she is 5 feet, 3 inches (160.2 cm) in height.[12] In 2009, she hosted her own cable TV show produced by North Beach Community TV in Ocean Shores, The Courtney Stodden Show which aired five times. Later in October 2009, she competed as Miss Ocean Shores Teen USA in the 2010 Miss Washington Teen USA pageant (but did not win the title).[13][14] In 2010, she released the original songs "Car Candy," "Crazy," "Don't Put It on Me," "Hurting People," and "We Are America."[15][16][17] Star Observer ranked "Don't Put It On Me" as number eleven on their list of The 11 Best Songs of '11.[18] Stodden said, "'Don't Put It On Me' is a kind of tongue-in-cheek song that I didn't take seriously at all, but it obviously had a good message to it."[19] Stodden's mother, Krista Keller, initially served as her manager, but Keller quit in the spring of 2015, citing "creative differences".[20][21] Stodden was managed by Hutchison.[21]

In July 2012, Stodden and Hutchison were interviewed about their relationship on the Fox talk show Father Albert,[22] in an episode of ABC's Good Morning America,[10] and E! News.[23][24]

The couple appeared as cast members in the second season of the VH1 reality television series Couples Therapy, which premiered in October 2012. The series features publicly known couples receiving therapy for relationship problems. According to Stodden, the couple enrolled in therapy in order to resolve issues that arose in their marriage from their age difference.[25] Despite the criticism leveled at the couple, Dr. Jenn Berman, the Marriage, Family, and Child Therapist who worked with the couple during their appearance on the show, stressed that she does not believe that Hutchison is, or was, seeking out young people, saying, "He's not a predator. He's not someone, who if Courtney left him, would be trolling the Internet or high schools for underage girls. That's not his m.o. This is not a guy who was seeking out teenagers. He was teaching a class, she wanted to be an actress, it was an acting class... And that's how it started."[26]

Though Berman was eventually surprised by the dynamic between the two, she commented on her initial hesitations about working with the couple, saying, "I believe it was the wrong decision to let a 16-year-old marry a man in his 50s. It's uncomfortable to see... [at first] I said to my producer, 'I think this guy is a pedophile...I don't know if I can work with these people.' I don't condone it, but I do see that this is a married couple that is genuinely married and they have marital issues that needed to be worked on. I came in saying, 'She's a victim, he's a predator.' What I found out was that she has a lot more power in this relationship and he is far more powerless than I expected. His family has completely disowned him... He unfortunately has nothing besides her." Hutchison was also defended by Stodden's mother, Krista Keller, who praised Hutchison for the kindness with which he treats Stodden.[26]

In August 2013, Stodden became a housemate on the twelfth season of the British version of Celebrity Big Brother but was evicted on Day 21, two days before the season finale, after receiving the fewest votes to save against Carol McGiffin, Louie Spence, Mario Falcone and Vicky Entwistle.[27]

On March 18, 2014, the video for 50 Cent's "Don't Worry Bout It" was released, featuring a cameo appearance by Stodden.[28] That August, Stodden appeared in an episode of the Reelz reality television series Hollywood Hillbillies.[29]

2015–present
Stodden in 2016

On May 14, 2015, Vivid Entertainment released a solo sex tape created by Stodden. Stodden stated that she would donate what she was paid to charity.[30]

On August 19, 2015, Rich Kid Mafia (RKM), a Los Angeles-based entertainment company whose primary services include artist management, digital marketing and music production, signed Stodden to an exclusive international management and development deal.[31] Stodden appeared alongside her mother in the 2016 Lifetime series The Mother/Daughter Experiment: Celebrity Edition.[32] The same year, she made her feature film debut in the independent film Love Addict.[33]

In 2018, Stodden announced she was recording an extended play (EP) record, which she likened to "Lil Peep meets Lana Del Rey."[34] In March 2018, discussing her separation from husband Hutchison, she admitted to often "playing a caricature" with the media, which she likened to the personas of Anna Nicole Smith and Marilyn Monroe: "I decided, at 23, that 'I'm not gonna play this anymore. I'm just going to be myself.'" she said. "I want to be honest [now], and potentially help people."[34]

In 2019, Stodden signed a deal[35] with FNL Network to do a self titled reality show that would be created by award-winning producer and director Rocco Leo Gaglioti. FOX News was there on the pink carpet[36] Stodden says explosive new reality show about her life is a "‘bipolar experience’: ‘It gets real"

Personal life

Stodden is a vegetarian, having chosen the diet because she "never felt right eating animals before", and because of lactose intolerance, as she explained in a Couples Therapy bonus clip.[37][38] She later clarified in 2014 that she was in fact not lactose intolerant, and that her empathy for animals was her sole reason for her vegetarianism.[39] She began the diet a month prior to filming "Playing By The Rules", an October 2012 episode of Couples Therapy's second season.[37] Stodden has attempted to follow a vegan diet, but chose instead to follow a vegetarian diet due to fewer food restrictions.[38] She has promoted the vegetarian lifestyle on PETA's behalf.[40]

Stodden has said in interviews that she identifies as a Christian.[38] She commented: "I am a Christian girl. It may come as a surprise to some people that I support gay marriage. I believe wholeheartedly in "Do not judge others." Let people live their lives and be happy. That's what the bible teaches—love one another."[38] Stodden has also said she is bisexual.[41]

In June 2013, Stodden had breast augmentation surgery to increase her breast size from a size C to a size DD.[42][43]

Relationship with Doug Hutchison

At age 16, Stodden[11][44][Note 1] signed up on the Internet for an acting workshop taught by actor Doug Hutchison,[11][26] on the recommendation of a friend of her maternal aunt, who worked in Hollywood, and knew Hutchison. Hutchison, who did not realize that she was a minor, began a courtship with her over the Internet that lasted between four and six months,[Note 2] during which they fell in love before having met in person. After Hutchison became aware of Stodden's age, he told her mother, Krista, who had monitored their online exchanges, and was aware of their relationship and their age difference, that he would cease his relationship with Stodden if her parents disapproved. Her parents, citing Stodden's "devout Christianity", allowed her to make her own decision.[11][45]

On May 20, 2011, Stodden married Hutchison in Las Vegas, Nevada.[3][11][44] Stodden was his third wife.[22][46] Their relationship drew controversy and criticism, as Stodden was 16 when she married 50-year-old Hutchison,[25] who has been labeled a "pedophile"[47][48] and "predator". It was also reported that Stodden's father was four years younger than his son-in-law Hutchison. According to Hutchison, as a result of his marriage to Stodden, his agent quit, his family disowned him and he received death threats.[47]

On November 1, 2013, the media reported that Stodden and Hutchison were ending their marriage of two and a half years.[49] Stodden later told Fox News that their 34-year age gap was a primary contributing factor for their divorce.[50] In August 2014, the couple announced that they had reconciled,[51] with plans to renew their wedding vows later that year.[52]

It was announced on May 17, 2016 that Stodden and Hutchison were expecting their first child.[53] In July, around three months into her pregnancy, Stodden announced she had suffered a miscarriage.[54] On May 20, 2016, the pair celebrated their fifth anniversary by renewing their wedding vows.[55][56]

In January 2017, it was reported that Stodden and Hutchison had separated, but were still living together.[57] In March 2018, she filed for divorce and did not request spousal support.[58][59] Their divorce was finalized in March 2020, and Stodden announced on her Instagram:[60]

It’s March 3rd, 2020 - today I am officially divorced from actor Doug Hutchison. It’s an emotional day for me. God only knows how he’s feeling, but I can tell you that it’s for the better. I look back at this picture and feel absolutely taken advantage of. I’ve been scared to even speak up about feeling groomed or being verbally abused during the almost 10 year marriage because I was a child and he was 50 when we married but I’m a woman now and it’s time for me to put my big girl pants on and speak on this matter. I’ve felt completely trapped, manipulated and at times abandoned by adults // growing up in such an environment — it became a lonely and dark place. Stay tuned for my book.

And to Doug... I’ll always love you; yet I’ll always be angry. You’ve left me — a child woman, feeling belittled and confused. These things I shall overcome. I wish you well. But please don’t ever do this to another minor again. It’s not right... even if the parent signs off. Wait a respectable amount of time before marrying. Children aren’t on your level. I’ll always love you regardless. Be better. As shall I.

Discography

Singles
  • "Car Candy" (2010)[11][61]
  • "Don't Put It On Me" (2010)[11]
  • "Reality" (2012)[11]
  • "Asphalt" (2016)
  • "Mistletoe Bikini" (2016)[62]
  • "Orange Juice and Pink Pills" (2018)[63]
  • "Sixteen" (2018) (credited as Ember)[64]
  • "Me Too" (2018) (credited as Ember)[64]
  • "Pink Flamingo" (2018) (credited as Ember)[64]
  • "For You" (2018) (credited as Ember)[64]
  • "Daddy Issues" (2018)
  • "Hot 'n Juicy" (2019)
  • "Freak Alert" (2019)

Music videos
  • "Car Candy" (2010)[11]
  • "Don't Put It On Me" (2010)[11]
  • "Reality" (2012)[11]
  • "Mistletoe Bikini" (2016)[62]
  • "Glass of Wine" (2017) (Us Weekly exclusive)[65]
  • "For You" (2018) (credited as Ember)[66]

Albums
  • "Off the Record" (2018) (credited as Ember)[64]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Love Addict Mrs. Davenport Feature Film Debut

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2012 Couples Therapy Herself
2012 The Donny Clay Show with Courtney Stodden Herself
2013 Tosh.0 Herself Episode: "DJ Decimal Point"
2013 Celebrity Big Brother Herself 24 episodes
2013 Big Brother's Bit on the Side Herself 21 episodes
2014 POP, Fashion & Sport Herself Episode: "The Oceans Are Dying (Premiere Awareness Event in Hollywood)"
2014 Hollywood Hillbillies Herself Episode: "Michael Makes a Music Video"
2014 Reality Ex-Wives Herself
2016 The Mother/Daughter Experiment: Celebrity Edition Herself
2016 Million Dollar Matchmaker Herself
2017 Celebs Go Dating Herself Series 3
2017 Dr. Phil Herself
2019 Courtney Herself 11 episodes Exclusive Produced by Rocco Leo Gaglioti & Courtney Stodden

Notes
  1. Note: Although this ABC News story and this Us Weekly story both refer to Stodden as an aspiring country music singer, she adamantly clarified at the 2:26 mark of the first video in this Wow Report story that she is not a country singer.
  2. Note: The ABC News citation indicates that the courtship was four months. However, the interview between Dr. Jenn Berman and Stodden's mother, Krista, that occurred in Couples Therapy Episode 2.8 indicated that it was five or six.

References
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  2. Carter, Brooke (January 2, 2017). "What Happened to Courtney Stodden from Couples Therapy – 2018 News & Updates". Gazette Review. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  3. "Marriage License/Certificate scan of Doug Hutchison and Courtney Stodden" (PDF). Radar Online. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 12, 2012. Archived from RadarOnline's article 16-Year-Old Bride and 51-Year-Old Hubby’s Marriage License & Certificate! June 22, 2011.
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