Courtney Stodden Biography

Courtney Alexis Stodden was born on August 29, 1994, in Tacoma, Washington, U.S., to Alex John Stodden and Krista Kay Keller. She was the youngest of the three children in the family. She grew up with two elder sisters, both of whom were around 10 years older than her. Soon after she was born, the family moved to Ocean Shores, Washington. It was a picturesque town, and Courtney describes her childhood as “beautiful and fun.”

She attended the ‘Ocean Shores Elementary School.’ Even as a kid, she exhibited immense talent in writing. In fourth grade, she won a writing competition. Although she was average in academics, she was also on the cheerleading team, which made her a popular girl. In her own words, the other girls in her school were intimidated by her, owing to her popularity.

However, she was raised in a strict Catholic environment and was not even allowed to go on field trips or sleepovers with her friends.

When she was 10 years old, Courtney Stodden told her mother that she was keen on modeling. Her mother enrolled her at a local modeling agency. Even as a teenager, she had a burning desire to succeed in the entertainment industry. She thus began shooting music videos and uploading them on ‘YouTube.’

In school, she grew more quickly than other kids and was thus bullied. Owing to this, her mother pulled her out of school when she was 16. Following this, she was homeschooled and attended classes of an online Christian academy named ‘Alpha Omega.’

Courtney Stodden also participated in the “Miss Ocean Shores Teen USA” contest in 2009. However, she did not win. She also lost the “Washington Teen USA” beauty pageant in 2010.

She was part of some modeling assignments in her early teenage years. She began working soon after her high-school graduation. In 2009, she auditioned and earned the chance to host her own cable show, ‘The Courtney Stodden Show.’ However, the show was shot on a small scale and was telecast five times.

Courtney had aspired to become a musician since her early days. After she gained a little popularity locally, she decided to pursue her passion. She began writing her own songs at the age of 16. She recorded them, made music videos, and posted them online. Some of her early songs were ‘Car Candy,’ ‘Crazy,’ ‘Hurting People,’ and ‘We Are America.’

Although most of her early music did not find enough success, she certainly reached some level of success with her song ‘Don’t Put It on Me.’ ‘Star Observer’ named it one of the top songs of 2011.

During her initial years of struggle, her mother worked as her manager. Her mother also accompanied her during most of her work trips and concerts. However, in 2015, she fired her mother from her manager’s job, citing “creative differences” as the reason.

When she was 16 years old, Courtney Stodden became desperate to start her show-business career. She knew that Los Angeles was her final destination. She began digging up contacts and got in touch with actor Doug Hutchison. They talked over e-mails over the next few months. They eventually fell in love and got married.

She was still a minor back then. She came into the limelight following her marriage to Doug and took it as an opportunity to explore her talents and make a career in the entertainment industry.

Soon, opportunities began pouring in. Doug was a well-known Hollywood actor, and his marriage to a teenager, at 50, appeared problematic to a lot of people. Several Hollywood gossip shows and publications covered the story, bringing Courtney into the limelight.

In 2012, she appeared on several TV shows, such as ‘Father Albert,’ ‘E! News,’ and ‘Good Morning America.’ She appeared in those interviews with Doug and came across as a young and happy-go-lucky teenager who was an aspiring artist.

In October 2012, Courtney Stodden got her big breakthrough when she appeared on the reality TV show titled ‘Couples Therapy.’ The show invited real-life couples, and they received counseling for their relationship problems. The issue, in their case, was due to their age difference.

Dr. Jenn Berman, who was their therapist on the show, was uncomfortable while filming the show. She stated that she did not believe Doug was a paedophile even though it was not usual for a 50-year-old man to marry a 16-year-old girl.

In 2013, she appeared on the British reality show ‘Big Brother.’ She was a popular contestant on the show and was evicted on the 21st day.

In 2014, she appeared on another reality show, ‘Hollywood Hillbillies.’ The same year, she appeared for a few seconds in rapper 50 Cent’s music video for the single ‘Don’t Worry Bout It.’

In 2015, she created a ruckus in the media when she released her solo sex tape, ‘Courtney Uncovered: The Courtney Stodden Sex Tape.’ The tape was released by ‘Vivid Entertainment,’ and she later stated that the earnings from the video would go to various charities.

Later that year, Courtney Stodden joined the artist management company ‘Rich Kid Mafia.’ In 2016, Courtney appeared with her mother on the show ‘The Mother/Daughter Experiment: Celebrity Edition.’

The same year, she made her film debut with an independent film titled ‘Love Addict.’ She also appeared on TV shows such as ‘Celebs Go Dating’ and ‘Dr. Phil.’

In 2018, she claimed that she was working on an extended play. Later that year, she released an album titled ‘Off the Record.’

Courtney Stodden met actor Doug Hutchison when one of her maternal aunts suggested that Courtney take online acting classes offered by Doug. Courtney signed up for the class. Theirs was initially a teacher–student relationship that turned into a love affair. They eventually met and confirmed their love for each other. They got married on May 20, 2011, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The wedding took place there because marriages between/involving minors was illegal in most U.S. states.

Doug asked her parents whether they were fine with the marriage. The couple married only when Courtney’s parents agreed.

However, this brought a lot of difficulties for Doug, as his family disowned him after the marriage. He was constantly called a “paedophile” by the media, but the couple sailed through the difficulties. Courtney also stated that their age difference did not matter to her.

However, the couple separated in 2017 and divorced in 2020.

Courtney is a vegetarian. She is also the national spokesperson for ‘PETA.’

Courtney Stodden holds the record for being one of the youngest contestants on the reality TV show "Celebrity Big Brother" at just 19.