Courtney Stodden is calling for more than just an apology from “Seinfeld” alum Jason Alexander after he expressed regret for his actions during a 2012 sketch that involved inappropriate contact with her when she was a minor.
In an interview with Variety on Wednesday, the 31-year-old reflected on the moment Alexander, 66, issued his public apology. Stodden admitted feeling “very taken aback” by his remorse as she noted, “It’s not often that adults take accountability for their actions.”
“When I first heard about his public apology, I felt grateful,” Stodden revealed. “Recognizing a mistake is the first step toward meaningful change.”
Nonetheless, Stodden believes that real change demands more than words. She suggested that Alexander could demonstrate his commitment through concrete actions, such as advocating for anti-child marriage legislation.
To that end, Stodden encouraged Alexander to support AB 1267, a bill currently under consideration in the California Assembly that seeks to ban child marriage. Additionally, she urged him to consider donating to Unchained at Last, a nonprofit dedicated to ending child marriage.
Stodden — who was famously underage when she married 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchinson in 2011 — also called it “really frightening” that California allows minors to marry.
Earlier this week, Stodden put Alexander on blast for a controversial 2012 “Funny or Die” sketch, where the comedian repeatedly rubbed his phone across Stodden’s breasts while she was dressed in a skimpy bikini.
“Looking back now, I don’t see comedy,” Stodden wrote on Instagram Monday. “I see a 17-year-old girl whose body became part of an adult joke.”
In response, Alexander told Page Six he “truly regret[s]” participating in the “inappropriate” sketch.
“But more importantly, I am deeply sorry for any harm or distress it has caused Ms. Stodden,” he added. “I offer her my sincerest apologies.”
Stodden told Variety she realized she was offended by the sketch years later while watching the scene from “Pretty Woman” where Alexander’s character assaults prostitute Vivian Ward, played by Julia Roberts.
“I was in shock,” Stodden said of seeing the scene. “It felt very close to home, and like he pulled from ‘Pretty Woman’ and thought it would be funny to recreate that with a child. I didn’t know he was going to be feeling me up on set.”
Stodden added that she “was very manipulated” into being groped in the skit when she was only a “child.”
“I really just trusted the adults around me, and this is the effect of that,” she shared. “Looking back on it, it’s really damaging.”
In a statement to Page Six about the sketch, Stodden said her reason for speaking out about her experience with Alexander “isn’t about revisiting the past for its own sake.”
Instead, Stodden said her goal is to “create a future where children are better protected and where adults in positions of power are held to a higher standard.”