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Jason Alexander apologizes; California Senate advances child-marriage ban

7/22/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Seinfeld star Jason Alexander apologized to Courtney Stodden for a 2012 Funny or Die sketch in which he rubbed an iPhone on her breast and made sexual jokes while she was 17.
On July 1, the California Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-0 to advance AB 1267, which would ban child marriage.
Stodden, now 31, said she will keep fighting until child marriage is illegal in California because she could not consent as a minor.

History

Historical Context

California’s 1913 Marriage Age Act set 18 as the baseline but left a loophole for 16-year-olds with parental consent. After a 2017 reform attempt stalled and a 2019 rule added a 30-day waiting period, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-0 on July 1 2024 to advance AB 1267, joining the wave of bans seen in states such as Delaware (2018) and Massachusetts (2022).

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Story summary

Seinfeld star Jason Alexander apologized to Courtney Stodden for a 2012 Funny or Die sketch in which he rubbed an iPhone on her breast and made sexual jokes while she was 17.
On July 1, the California Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-0 to advance AB 1267, which would ban child marriage.
Stodden, now 31, said she will keep fighting until child marriage is illegal in California because she could not consent as a minor.

1 / 2