Courtney Stodden's Child Marriage Bill Just Hit Gov. Newsom's Desk After Nine Years

Courtney Stodden was 16 years old when she married 50-year-old Doug Hutchinson in 2011, and the world watched it happen like it was reality TV. Fourteen years later, she’s the one pushing to make sure no kid in California goes through the same thing. Stodden has been working with the advocacy group Unchained at Last on AB 1267, a California bill that would ban child marriage with no exceptions, and after nine years of advocacy, the legislation is finally headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.

The bill matters more than most people realize. Child marriage is still legal in 34 states, and California, Mississippi, and New Mexico have no minimum marriage age on the books at all. Stodden hasn’t just been lobbying for the law, she’s also been addressing the famous faces from that era of her life. She publicly praised Jason Alexander for apologizing over a 2012 sketch in which he rubbed a phone on her chest when she was 17, calling him a rock star for owning it, while noting that others have still not taken accountability.

Stodden says the goal was never revenge, it was change. She has also publicly accused Dr. Drew Pinsky of inappropriate behavior toward her as a minor, and she’s made it clear that the apology from Alexander should be the standard, not the exception. Turning one of the most talked-about childhoods in pop culture into a law that protects other kids is a full-circle moment that even her toughest critics can’t ignore.

Do you think every state should have a minimum marriage age? Sound off in the comments.