US actor Jason Alexander has apologised to reality star Courtney Stodden for a 2012 comedy sketch in which he rubbed a phone against her breasts and joked about wanting to "have his way" with her once she turned 18, at a time when she was 17. Stodden spoke out this week after re-sharing the Funny or Die sketch, saying she now sees it not as comedy but as an adult joke made at the expense of a minor who had no power to refuse participation, and that she "felt so alone" as the only child present.

Alexander, best known for playing George Costanza in Seinfeld, said in a statement that he "completely agreed" the sketch, which he also co-wrote, was inappropriate and that he was "deeply sorry" for any harm caused. Stodden, now 31, said she appreciated the public apology but urged Alexander to back concrete action instead, specifically supporting California's AB 1267 bill, which would raise the state's minimum marriage age to 18. She married actor Doug Hutchison in 2011 aged 16 with her parents' consent; marrying at 16 or 17 remains legal in 33 US states under similar conditions.