Courtney Stodden Biography

Courtney Alexis Stodden (born August 29, 1994) is an American television personality. In 2011, 16-year-old Stodden received widespread criticism after marrying 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison.

Early life

Courtney Alexis Stodden was born on August 29, 1994, in Tacoma, Washington, to Alex John Stodden and Krista Kay Keller Stodden, the youngest of their three daughters. Stodden describes her childhood as "beautiful and fun", stating that she was "extremely spoiled, in a good way".

Stodden says that she dropped out of high school because she was bullied over "the way she looks", and finished her education by being home schooled through an online private Christian academy.

Relationship with Doug Hutchison

At age 16, the aspiring country music and pop music singer signed up on the Internet for an acting workshop taught by actor Doug Hutchison, 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 teenager, began a courtship with her over the Internet that lasted between four and six months, 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.

On May 20, 2011, Stodden married Hutchison in Las Vegas, Nevada. Stodden is his third wife. Their relationship drew controversy and criticism, as Stodden was 16 when she married 51-year-old Hutchison, who has been labeled a "pedophile" and "predator". According to Hutchison, as a result of his marriage to Stodden, his agent quit, his family disowned him and he received death threats.

Media appearances

Stodden's manager is her mother, Krista Stodden.

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

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 receive 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. Despite the criticism leveled at the couple, and her own reservations about the dynamic of their relationship, 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." 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.

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 least amount of votes to save against Carol McGiffin, Louie Spence, Mario Falcone and Vicky Entwistle.

Personal life

Stodden is a vegetarian, having chosen the diet due to being lactose intolerant and because she "never felt right eating animals before". She began the diet a month prior to filming "Playing By The Rules", an October 2012 episode of Couples Therapy's second season. Stodden has attempted to follow a vegan diet, but chose instead to follow a vegetarian diet due to fewer food restrictions. She has promoted the vegetarian lifestyle on PETA's behalf.

Discography

Singles

• "Car Candy" (2010)
• "Crazy" (2010)
• "Don't Put It On Me Girl" (2010)
• "Reality" (2012)

Promotional music videos

• "Car Candy" (2010)
• "Don't Put It On Me Girl" (2010)
• "Hurting People" (2010)