Courtney Stodden found a 'bigger purpose' in life
Courtney Stodden thinks she has found a "bigger purpose" in life with her campaigning to end child marriage.
Courtney Stodden thinks she has found a "bigger purpose" in life.
The 32-year-old star - who was just 16 years old when she married then-51-year-old Doug Hutchinson in 2011 - is campaigning for California Assembly Bill AB 1267, which would prohibit anyone under the age of 18 from obtaining a marriage licence or establishing a domestic partnership, and while she never expected her path to follow this direction, she is pleased to have found a positive outlet for her "pain".
She told Us Weekly magazine: “I’ve been working with Unchained at Last, and we have been working on AB 1267 – a bill that will end child marriage [in California] with no exceptions...
“I never really wanted this, to be honest with you.
"I wanted more out of my life, but I think the craziest thing is that I’m figuring out [that] I’m waking up to a bigger purpose — turning pain into purpose. And the amount of DMs and messages I get from women and men who are telling me how much I’m helping them and saving their lives, I have such a responsibility.
“I have to give back, and I have to do it. No matter if I’m tired, I got to spread the word because it’s really important.”
Courtney - who separated from The Green Mile actor in 2017 - has connected with many other women who had similar experiences to her and she's optimistic about putting an end to child marriage.
She said: "I’ve been fighting for so long and really, really hard with amazing survivors who have become my survivor sisters.
“We’ve been going to the Sacramento Capitol, and for the first time in nine years this is going to reach [Gov. Gavin] Newsom’s desk and he’s going to sign it. And no more girls will ever have to go through what me and all of those other survivors went through.
“There have been years of abuse — child trafficking in California – and a lot of people say, ‘This isn’t true. It happens in another country. It’s not here.’ No, it’s here. But it stops now.”
Courtney recently called out Jason Alexander over a 2012 Funny or Die sketch filmed when she was just 17, in which the 66-year-old actor rubbed his phone across her breasts and also joked about "having his way" with her when she turned 18.
The Seinfeld actor subsequently issued a public apology, in which he admitted he "truly regretted" taking part in the "inappropriate" skit, and the former Celebrity Big Brother contestant praised him for taking accountability.
She said: “Jason Alexander, you are a f****** rock star. You took accountability. We need to see more of that.
“A lot of people haven’t taken accountability, and I think #MeToo has raised a really important platform for survivors, but now it’s time for the people to take accountability because otherwise we just stall. We stay there. So Jason Alexander, he took accountability. I never received a personal apology, but he put his money where his mouth is, right? And all I want to do is get AB 1267 signed by Gavin Newsom.”
