I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story

After spending her childhood competing in beauty pageants in her home state of Washington, 16-year-old Courtney Stodden came to international attention when she married 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchinson in 2011. Courtney was infamous overnight, plastered on tabloid covers with the likes of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan. While Courtney was a victim of the 2000s tabloid culture, she was also a victim at home. Once they married, Doug quickly turned into her abuser, ridiculing and isolating Courtney to keep her from leaving him. In 2020, after nearly 10 years of marriage, a 25-year-old Courtney broke free and divorced Doug. In this fully authorized movie, Courtney tells her story, and hers alone, for the first time. We follow her journey from a wide-eyed, child bride to a battered wife, an unlikely media sensation, and her ultimately emerging as a strong, thoughtful woman who is ready to speak her truth.