In what is probably the most shiver-inducing Hollywood union since Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13-year-old cousin, 51-year-old US actor Doug Hutchison recently married 16-year-old Courtney Stodden and the couple have given their first public interview...and it's just about as disturbing as one would imagine. You may recall seeing Hutchison in several supporting roles in films throughout the years, most notably as the vindictive prison guard in The Green Mile and TV parts in The X-Files and Lost but now, and forevermore, he'll be known simply as 'that guy who married a 16-year-old'. As well as the sheer unadulterated creepiness of this, it's also pretty much career suicide especially when you consider that Hutchison's agent and manager have dropped him, though you won't be surprised to learn that Hutchison and Stodden have formed plans for a reality TV show.
Who is this child that Hutchison married? She's 16-year-old aspiring country singer Courtney Stodden (seen here delivering a very, very odd anti-bullying PSA) and the couple met at an acting class that Hutchison was teaching and then developed an "online relationship" for a few months before seeking permission from Stodden's parents, who are younger than Hutchison, who gave consent which is enough for a 16-year-old to marry in Las Vegas. Classy.
Stodden said of her wedding on ABC TV: "I was a virgin. I knew if I kept that I would be really blessed with a beautiful gift. And God did. He blessed me with my soulmate. So I'm really thankful for that....I'm very mature for my age. I'm an old soul, and Doug can back me up on this." Quite.
Check out the images from the interview. Are we alone in thinking that Stodden looks more like a 45-year-old diner waitress than a budding 16-year-old country singer? Either way, this story is just plain wrong. Leave your thoughts below please.
-John Balfe
