Courtney Stodden was 16 when she married 51-year-old Doug Hutchison. They'd only met one week earlier.

Warning: This post deals with distressing content and may be triggering for some people. 

Courtney Stodden was just 16 years old when her father walked her down the aisle to marry a man three times her age.

The aspiring actor and singer had met 51-year-old Doug Hutchison online after expressing interest in his acting workshop. Hutchison, known in Hollywood for his role in The Green Mile alongside Tom Hanks, proposed on the first day they met in person. Within a week, they were married in Las Vegas in 2011.

The age gap was staggering — Stodden's own father was 47, making him four years younger than his daughter's new husband. Due to Stodden's age, her parents had to sign permission forms for the marriage to proceed.

"We are totally supportive of this marriage. Doug is a wonderful man and we love him," Stodden's mother, Krista, told Radar Online at the time.

The couple quickly became tabloid fodder, making worldwide headlines.

Watch: Courtney Stodden and Doug Hutchison discuss their marriage in this 2011 interview. Post continues below. 

During a television interview with Good Morning America, the couple announced that Stodden had been a virgin when they married. When pressed about rumours of plastic surgery, Hutchison defended his teenage bride, saying "Courtney's plastic surgeon was God."

Asked whether she had married to advance her career, Stodden responded: "If it does, that's just another beautiful blessing that God hands me. But if I'm just with him for the rest of my life, supporting him, that would make me happy too."

By 2012, just one year into their marriage, the couple appeared on reality TV show Couples Therapy.

According to The Daily Beast, the show's therapist Dr Jenn Berman observed numerous issues between them. Hutchison admitted he was uncomfortable with the attention his wife's revealing wardrobe attracted and didn't like her friendship with an ex-boyfriend.

Courtney Stodden and Doug Hutchison in 2011, the year they married. Image: Getty.

Their appearance was described as a trainwreck, revealing significant cracks in their relationship. In 2013, the inevitable happened — the couple announced their separation.

"After two and a half years of marriage, Courtney and Doug have decided to become legally separated," they told The Daily Mail.

But the story didn't end there. Nine months later, in 2014, they reunited and renewed their vows. Stodden's mother told People: "Courtney got a taste of being single... But she found out she really, really loves Doug."

Doug Hutchison, Courtney Stodden and Krista Keller Stodden in 2012. Image: Getty.

In 2016, Stodden announced she was pregnant with their first child, but tragically suffered a miscarriage. Speaking on the podcast Allegedly with Theo Von & Matthew Cole Weiss, she opened up about the loss and the support she received from others who had experienced similar grief.

"I've had so many people reach out to me — men and women — who've experienced it and they just said that I've helped them so much," she said. "When you think you're alone, not only in a miscarriage but in any trial in life, you feel like you are the only one and the world is closing in around you."

The couple's on-and-off relationship continued to struggle. In 2018, Stodden filed for divorce, which was finalised in March 2020.

To mark her divorce, Stodden posted on Instagram, saying that looking at old photos made her "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," she wrote. "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."

Addressing Hutchison directly, she added: "I'll always love you; yet I'll always be angry... Please don't ever do this to another minor again. It's not right..."

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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.

A post shared by Courtney Stodden (@courtneyastodden) on Mar 3, 2020 at 12:11pm PST

Hutchison also reflected on their relationship, telling Fox News in February 2020: "I shot my career in the head for love. And in doing so, I lost my family and friends. I was suddenly on the Titanic and everyone was fleeing except for me and Courtney."

Following her divorce, Stodden came out as non-binary and began using she/they pronouns.

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A post shared by Courtney Stodden (@courtneyastodden) on

In August 2020, at 26 years old, Stodden reflected on the decade she'd spent in the public eye under intense scrutiny.

"Ten years ago, I turned 16. Nothing could have prepared me for what was around the corner. I had a child's mind, a teenager's body and I was a virgin," she wrote.

"According to many, I was 'mature' enough to date men my father's age (or older), and eventually marry one. Looking back, I now see how desperately I craved my own father's attention. He didn't teach me how to drive. I didn't know how to write a cheque. I never went to prom. Instead, I dropped out of high school, went to Las Vegas, and with the blessing of my parents, I wed a 50-year-old man I had just met in person.

"I gave him my all — my body, my mind, my heart, my soul. No one stopped me. No one stepped in and said that this wasn't okay. Instead, after achieving a kind of fame I wasn't prepared for, the world became my jury. I hid myself beneath a blonde mask, and eventually I lost my complete identity."

In December 2024, Stodden married for the second time, wedding Emmy Award-winning producer Jared Safier. Their relationship began in summer 2023 and quickly developed into a serious partnership, with the couple becoming engaged in June 2024.

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A post shared by Courtney MF Stodden (@courtneyastodden)

Between her two marriages, Stodden was briefly engaged to film producer Chris Sheng. When that relationship ended in 2023, she reportedly flushed her $500,000 engagement ring down the toilet.

Today, Stodden is the subject of a new movie, I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story. The film chronicles her marriage to Hutchison from her perspective, with Stodden serving as narrator.

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In an Instagram post from September 2025, she shared her experience working on the film: "This movie made me realise how broken I've been but also how strong I've had to be.

"I thought I was healed until I sat down and watched it. The truth is my pain doesn't feel like it has a beginning or an end."

Beyond the film, Stodden continues to speak publicly about her experience, alleging she was groomed by Hutchison. She also advocates for animal rights and vegetarianism with PETA.

This article was originally published on April 29, 2020, and has since been updated with new information.

Feature image: Getty.

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