Courtney Stodden is taking a stand to bring attention to the issue of underage marriages across the United States.

The 31-year-old public figure, who recently described her nose surgery as an act of ‘self-love,’ first entered the spotlight due to her controversial marriage to Doug Hutchinson. At the time, Stodden was just 16 years old, while Hutchinson was 51. Their 2011 marriage was legally sanctioned because her parents consented to the union.

Today, Stodden is determined to prevent others from facing similar situations.

“I don’t want anyone else to experience what I did, and it frightens me,” Stodden expressed in an interview with People magazine. She highlighted the alarming reality that, with parental consent, underage marriage remains permissible in over half of the states across the nation.

‘I don’t want this to happen to anyone else, and it scares me,’ the activist told People as she pointed out that underage marriage with parental permission is legal throughout more than half of the country.

The former child bride added, ‘We’re the hotbed for the dirty little secret, which are pedophiles marrying our children legally in the United States, so that’s why I’m speaking out.’

Courtney Stodden is committed to raising awareness about legal underage marriages; pictured in July

The 31-year-old media personality rose to fame when she married ex-husband Doug Hutchinson when she was 16 and he was 51 in 2011; Pictured in 2013

Courtney’s divorce from Doug was finalized in 2020 and she married Jared Safier, 42, in 2024.

She had to deeply reflect on tying the knot as a teen as she worked on a Lifetime biopic about her life, I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story.

‘I’m glad I did it, but boy, it’s been hard to watch it,’ the star shared with People. ‘It’s something I’ve lived through, and it’s the PG version, it’s the TV version. A lot of scenes were cut because it was too much for TV.’

She noted, ‘It’s the craziest story I’ve ever heard, and it’s my own.’

Following its September premiere it became the television network’s most-watched film this year.

Courtney mused, ‘People are actually listening. That, to me, is priceless, and I’m not used to it, so I think it’s taking me a little time to just digest it and get used to this new feeling of being heard.’

She will continue to talk about her experience and her cause through a forthcoming memoir and original music.

In late October she released an unapologetic song called Choke, telling the outlet, ‘I was sitting by the fire one night, and I just wrote in my diary, “I hope your abuser chokes.”

‘For me, it came from a really deep level, but then I’m just like, you know what? If I’m too much for you, then you can just choke.’

She had to deeply reflect on tying the knot as a teen as she worked on a Lifetime biopic about her life, I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story

Over the summer Courtney marked her first sober birthday as an adult.

She’d last celebrated a birthday without alcohol when she was 17-years-old.

As she turned 31 she told Daily Mail she felt ‘incredible’ about forgoing an alcoholic beverage as she navigates sobriety.

‘I feel stronger than ever and look forward to a healthy future,’ said the former teen bride. ‘I honestly didn’t think I would make it to 31 but here I am.’

‘I’d like to believe that I’m stronger than I ever thought I was and if this resonates with you, so are you,’ she affirmed.

Courtney added, ‘There’s a light within you that can carry you through the hardest trials and tribulations. My first sober adult birthday, let’s do this! Cheers either way with a glass of water!’

She confessed that some of her friends won’t know how to interact with the ‘healthy’ version of her, but she’s vowed to stick with her plan regardless.

‘Alcohol was my escape for years, but it turned into a trap,’ she told Daily Mail.