I Was A Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story (2025 Lifetime Movie)
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Cast: Holly J. Barrett, Maggie Lawson, Doug Savant, Courtney Stodden
Director: D’Angela Proctor
Writer(s): Kim Barker
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DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearlySynopsis (via Lifetime)
The controversial story of Courtney Stodden, a teenager catapulted into international notoriety after marrying 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison at just sixteen. Narrated by the real-life Courtney Stodden and told through her perspective.
Recap/Wine Thoughts
The movie starts with Courtney Stodden in a black turtleneck talking directly to camera, promising to tell the true and complicated story of her rise to infamy.
The movie then shifts to a scene of a young Courtney crying to her mother, Krista, played by the brunette Maggie Lawson, about bullies. Her mother tells her to pray to Jesus and takes her daughter out of school to be home-schooled instead. Courtney prays under the bed as her parents argue over what to do with their daughter.
Krista wants Courtney to help them get out of Ocean Shores. Courtney starts modeling and enters pageants. Those pagants push Courtney to be over sexualized and age her up from her young fifteen years. Winning titles doesn’t transfer to TV or music fame for Courtney. Krista tries everything to get her daughter in front of the right people, including a local talk show on public television.
People in church think Courtney is too sexy and is a distraction to the congregation. They ask them to worship elsewhere. The TV station cancels the show as well, due to calls from wives annoyed that their husbands are watching jailbait on TV. Krista tells Courtney that they have outgrown the town and tries to find someone to help them break into the business, but only finds creepy men. Krista believes God will find a way.
In comes Doug Hutchison and his scammy acting classes. He is a 50-year-old professional actor who is a longtime friend of Krista’s. They set up a meeting with Doug, and Krista isn’t comfortable sending 16-year-old Courtney to LA, so Doug agrees to work with them virtually. Doug and Courtney message online, and she says he was grooming her and Krista into thinking his behavior is normal. He calls Cournte his “Star Girl”, and he is creepy AF.
Doug talks with Krista and tells her that he is in love with her daughter. Krista says she can see the love they have for one another and is blinded by the Hollywood connection. When Doug asks to marry Courtney, Krista thinks it is a good idea as long as it is what Courtney REALLY wants. (She is a minor and can’t decide things like this.) It was legal at the time for a minor to marry with parental consent. (It is not anymore, thankfully!)
Krista and Courtney welcome Doug to town, and he is much older than his online pictures and movies depict. Doug has scars on his face, still recovering from a facelift. Courtney’s dad reluctantly agrees to the marriage, and Krista is legit star-struck when Doug name-drops Tom Hanks. Doug proposes to Courtney on the beach, and she thinks it is the most romantic thing, even though he looks like he is having a stroke.
The wedding happens quickly, and Courtney is taken away from her parents. Courtney worries that on their wedding night, she won’t measure up to the women she idolizes, because in the words of Britney Spears, she is not a girl, not yet a woman. Doug doesn’t care and is just gross. (It’s actually shocking that the WORLD just let this happen.)
Courtney, in her role as a ‘good housewife’, parades around the house in a style reminiscent of Peg Bundy crossed with Anna Nicole. Doug, however, emotionally manipulates her, claiming his family has disowned him and she is his only family now. He exerts control over her, particularly in the bedroom, where he demands she roleplay as a schoolgirl.
When Krista visits, Courtney only shows her the positive aspects of her relationship with Doug. Krista, impressed by the lavish lifestyle, tries to offer marital advice, but sadly, she doesn’t hear Courtney’s silent cries for help. Instead of removing her daughter from a problematic situation, Krista puts all her faith in God.
The paparazzi and press learn about the unusual marriage, and Courtney is freaked out by the attention. Krista thinks it is great PR and loves that her daughter is famous, and believes all publicity is good publicity. Doug, of course, leaked the story to boost his career. It has the opposite effect, and his upcoming projects are canceled. He blames Courtney for ruining his career, but then turns her into his cash cow. Taking late-night interviews and tabloid exclusives to make money.
A list of celebrities slutshames Courtney, and no one seems to worry about Doug. Courtney makes public appearances and is the breadwinner for her family. Doug is insanely jealous and berates Courtney for getting attention from other men.
Courtney relies on sedatives and alcohol to cope with her situation. Doug tries to convince Courtney that her mother is in love with him and doesn’t have her best interest at heart. Krista leaves Courtney to be on her own with Doug, which isn’t suitable for anyone. He claims to have given up everything for Courtney and calls her ungrateful.
UK Big Brother calls and wants Courtney to do the show. She goes on the closed set and leaves Doug. The time away makes Courtney realize that she could be happy on her own. It changes the way she views her relationship and reframes her time in the marriage. Courtney tells Doug that she doesn’t love him anymore when the show is over. He doesn’t take it well and begs her to stay with him. They stay in separate rooms for months.
Courtney doubles down on the partying to avoid the reality of her situation and just have fun with her friends. She avoids going home with Doug and stays out all night. She is only 19 and trying to escape her marriage. The partying puts Courtney around people who are not in her best interest. (It is honestly incredible she survived it at all.) When Doug finds out about the SA Courtney experienced, he tells her that he would have been able to protect her. So, Courtney remarries him.
Doug isolates Courtney from everyone, and the couple falls into dysfunctional patterns. Courtney fires her mother as her manager just as she becomes pregnant. Doug calls the press and announces the pregnancy and lands a reality TV show about the new baby, but sadly, Courtney has a miscarriage. Doug is more worried about losing the TV show than the baby. He keeps the pregnancy ruse going as long as possible to make money from the PR. (What an absolute monster. He is the worst.)
Courtney and Doug lose their house and move into an apartment. She starts mixing booze and pills to check out of her own reality. It is her rock bottom. Courtney decides to call her dad as a last-ditch effort for help. When he doesn’t answer, she tries to end it all.
Doug finds her, and Courtney survives, but she wants a divorce. Doug agrees to a Non-Divorce Divorce, where they will publicly be a couple to still make money, but privately live alone.
Courtney goes to rehab, and I’m surprised she didn’t see Lindsey Lohan there. She does see her dad there. He admits that he made a mistake marrying off his teenage daughter and apologizes for not protecting his child until she was an adult who could make her own decisions. It is what Courtney needs to hear, and she has some serious daddy issues. She works it out in therapy.
Now sober, Courtney gets to decide who she wants to be without outside judgment or control. Courtney repairs her relationship with her mother, and even though they aren’t as close, they agree to try to move forward. Courtney gets a proper divorce from Doug at 25. She says she has forgiven those who put her in that situation and is ready to become who she was truly meant to be.
STRAY Thoughts
The Actress who played Courtney had her laugh down.
Looking back on this era, the media coverage of this was truly abysmal.
Overall rating
Number of Kills: Not that kind of Lifetime Movie
Lifetime Tropes: True Story, Ripped from the headlines, Mother/Daughter, SA, Substance abuse.
Enjoyment Level (1-5 scale)
🍷🍷🍷 (Glass of Wine)
Should you watch it?
Pour it up! (Check it out!)
What are your thoughts on the mo ie? I’d love to hear from you. Share your comments or connect with me on social media at @LifetimeUncorked and @patrickmiguel. Your perspective is valuable.
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*Photo Credit: © 2025 A&E Television Networks, LLC
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