Courtney Stodden Reflects on Being ‘a Child Bride’ at 16, Says She Was Treated like a ‘Scandal’

Courtney Stodden is looking back at a traumatic time in her adolescence.

On Wednesday, May 20, the model, 31, took to Instagram to share a photo from her wedding day with her ex-husband Doug Hutchison, on what would have been their 15th wedding anniversary. The Celebrity Big Brother alum — who put lines over Hutchison’s face in the photo she posted — and the actor, 65, wed in 2011, when she was just 16, and he was 50. The pair separated in 2018 and finalized their divorce in 2020.

“15 years ago today, a 16 year old girl was married off to a man 35 years older than her and the world treated her like the scandal instead of the victim,” Stodden wrote in the caption. “I was a virgin. Emotionally still a child. And too young to understand what was about to happen to me behind closed doors for years. Just because a child says ‘I do’ does not mean she understands consent.”

Stodden is about to embark on another life change, sharing in her caption that she will undergo a cosmetic procedure.

“Tomorrow I’m downsizing my breasts and for the first time in my life, my body feels like it belongs to me instead of the public that consumed it before I even became a woman,” she penned. “A child bride is not a love story. She’s a child surviving adult trauma in plain sight.”

Additionally, Stodden thanked her supporters for their love.

“today was really hard for me personally and i didn’t feel supported at all in my real life,” she confessed. “but the love from you guys reminded me i’m not invisible. and i just need you to know i see you too. every kind message. every person defending me. every person who understands.”

Following her divorce from Hutchison, Stodden married Jared Safier in December 2024.