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Survivor of Underage Marriage Fights to End Legal Child Brides
31 Oct
Summary
- Courtney Stodden married ex-husband Doug Hutchinson at age 16 with parental consent
- Stodden wants to raise awareness about legal underage marriages in 34 U.S. states
- Stodden recently revisited her first marriage for a Lifetime biopic
In October 2025, Courtney Stodden, a 31-year-old singer and TV personality, is using her platform to raise awareness about the legality of underage marriages in the United States. Stodden rose to fame for marrying her ex-husband Doug Hutchinson when she was just 16 years old, and he was 51. Despite her young age, their marriage was valid because Stodden's parents had given legal permission.
Stodden is now speaking out, saying, "I don't want this to happen to anyone else, and it scares me." She notes that underage marriage remains legal with parental consent in 34 states, and 4 U.S. states do not require any minimum age for marriage, with a parental or judicial waiver.
To share her story, Stodden recently revisited her first marriage for a Lifetime biopic titled "I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story." While making the film was a difficult experience, Stodden felt it was necessary to bring attention to this issue. The biopic has since become Lifetime's top-performing film of the year, indicating that people are listening to Stodden's message.
Stodden plans to continue speaking out through music and an upcoming memoir, determined to prevent others from going through the same traumatic experience she endured.
