“Seinfeld” alum Jason Alexander has accepted Courtney Stodden’s request to donate money to a nonprofit of her choice after an “inappropriate” comedy skit she filmed when she was a minor resurfaced.
The comedian donated $15,000 to Unchained at Last, an organization that fights to end child and forced marriage, TMZ reported Thursday.
A representative for Alexander told TMZ that Alexander submitted the payment but did not disclose the amount donated.
Ms Alexander, 66, coughed up the funds after Ms Stodden, 31, called her out over a 2012 “Funny or Die” sketch they filmed together when they were 17.
Earlier this week, Stodden reshared a photo of the skit on Instagram, which showed Alexander massaging her breasts with her cell phone in an attempt to get a signal.
“I was 17 in this photo,” she captioned a photo of herself in a bikini and Alexander, then 52, in a suit.
“The older you get, the more impossible it is to understand this,” Stodden continued, explaining how the “Pretty Woman” star “repeatedly rubbed her phone against[her]chest, saying that[her]head had ‘no signal,’ but[her]chest had ‘a lot of signals.'”
According to Stodden, Alexander also “joked that when I turned 18, he wanted me behind the couch and ‘do my thing’ with him.”
According to IMDb, Alexander was listed as a writer on a sketch on “The Don Clay Show with Courtney Stodden.” Stodden’s then-husband, Doug Hutchison, also appeared in the skit.
Stodden was 16 and Hutchison 51 when they married in 2011. Stodden’s marriage ended in 2018, and her divorce was finalized two years later.
“Growing up, it’s not easy, it’s harder to understand that fact. I was a minor,” she continued in the caption.
“I had no legal authority to decide whether or not to participate. The adults signed the contract. Doug was paid. The production went ahead. I was the only person in the room.”
Stodden questioned how adults could “look at a minor and decide this is acceptable,” adding: “That’s exactly why I’m speaking out today. Children deserve the laws that protect them. They don’t have to grow up to realize that the laws should have been protecting them all along.”
Alexander later addressed Stodden’s post and took full responsibility for his past actions, telling Page Six, “Looking back at the comedy skit that Mr. Stodden and I participated in in 2012, I completely agree that it was inappropriate and truly regret it.”
“But more importantly, we deeply apologize for the harm and distress caused to Mr. Stodden.” “I sincerely apologize to her.”
Ms Stodden admitted on Wednesday that she was “very surprised” to hear that Mr Alexander had apologized, as “many adults” have not taken “accountability” for their actions.
“When I first heard the news that he had publicly apologized, I was grateful, because I think that’s the first step toward change,” she told Variety, claiming that “it would be better” if Alexander made amends by supporting Unchained at Last.
