From Teenage Bride To Hot Mess: What Happened To Courtney Stodden?
Learn about the reality star's new man, singing career & new body!
March 25 2020, Published 3:25 p.m. ET
Remember when Courtney Stodden was a 16-year-old girl married to 50-year old actor, Douglas Hutchison, and on every tabloid magazine and reality TV show? Well, a lot has changed since her blonde extensions first popped up on the celebrity scene. For one, she decided to ditch the frosted lipstick. Second, the reality star filed for divorce.
Since calling off her marriage and trying to date men “closer” to her age, Stodden also promised that she wouldn’t slow down. She changed her name and look, (again), wrote a “tell-all” song, and even tried dating (again).
MORE: Hot Mess! Courtney Stodden Shows Off Underboob In Revealing Bikini
So, in case you haven’t been following the pin-up's transformation since her divorce, keep reading to find out what happened to Courtney Stodden?
When Was The Separation?
After nearly six years of marriage, the infamous couple parted ways in September 2017. Courtney Stodden, who was 22 at the time, sat down for an interview with People. “We have not signed divorce papers yet. We are legally separated … I’m also trying to take things slow because I love him and it’s really hard on him … it’s extremely sensitive.”
Stodden said that she wanted to separate in order to focus on herself and her career. She also said that suffering a miscarriage in July of 2017 “deeply affected” her and contributed to the decision to separate from husband Doug Hutchinson. Hutchinson eventually moved to Michigan.
This was the second time that Stodden and Hutchinson had separated. Previously, the couple separated in November 2013. At the time, the then-19-year-old Courtney wanted to experience single life. “As you know Courtney was married at a young age,” her rep explained. “Now, at 19, she’s interested in exploring life as an unmarried single young adult – with the freedom to explore her independence.”
Nine months later, the couple reunited in August 2014 and even renewed their vows. But three years after that, they were apart again.
Who Was Her Rebound?
Stodden wasted little time looking for love after separating from Hutchinson. By October 2017, she was spotted on a beach making out with her new boyfriend, MMA fighter Shondo Blades. The two first met on Million Dollar Matchmaker’s “first ever bisexual mingle” a few weeks earlier. At the time, Blades was 10 years older than the 23-year-old Stodden. But compared to her age gap with Hutchinson, she and Blades were practically the same age.
Stodden’s fling with Blades was short-lived. She also enjoyed hook ups with Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Marc Mani and model/actor Chris Winters.
Did Stodden Struggle With Depression After The Separation?
Yes. While Courtney Stodden partied it up and lived the single life following her separation, she also struggled with depression.
Stodden has battled depression for years. In 2016, her miscarriage reportedly resulted in a bout of depression. Separating from Hutchinson worsened her mental health.
In December 2017, she took to social media to share her experiences. “Depression is so hard to kick. But I’ll get through it and so will you if you’re a sufferer,” she wrote on Snapchat. “I feel too much. I soak up too much energy from myself and others. I love too deeply. I’m extremely insecure. Terribly childlike and vulnerable. This is me and my struggle with depression. But I have faith I’ll prevail. If you’re a sufferer of anxiety or depression – know that you aren’t alone.”
Her mental health struggles continued, and in January 2018, she again took to social media, this time to beg Hutchinson to take her back. “Ever since we’ve been separated and he’s moved away, I’ve been really depressed and I’ve realized that I don’t deserve him,” she wrote in a since-deleted Instagram post. “I love him so much and I need him back in my life. I just need him to come help me and be with me and I love him.”
Hutchinson wasn’t willing to get back together as he believed her to be “addicted to fame.”
When Did They Divorce?
Courtney Stodden officially filed the paperwork for her divorce from Doug Hutchinson in March 2018. It would take almost two years until the divorce was finalized, due to various legal issues … like in 2019, a judge denied Stodden’s request for divorce because she forgot to date the paperwork. The divorce wasn’t finalized until January 2020.
As Stodden first revealed in 2013, the couple didn’t have a prenuptial agreement and she didn’t ask for spousal support. "There's a big misconception about he was this rich sugar daddy, and I mean, in reality, I was kind of the breadwinner, you know, for a while in our relationship," Courtney explained. "Big misconception. I did a good job playing into the whole image, you know. But I was the breadwinner."
In their divorce agreement, Stodden reportedly got to keep the furniture and appliances, while Hutchinson got to keep his 2001 Jeep Wrangler and their Italian greyhound, Dourtney.
What Was Stodden’s Post-Divorce Look?
Like many people who divorce, Stodden decided to shake things up and alter her appearance. It also conveniently gave various news outlets another reason to keep her in the headlines.
In May of 2018, to coincide with the release of her album, Off the Record, Stodden introduced an alter-ego, Ember. Despite Stodden’s image as a “blonde bombshell,” Ember was a redhead. She did eventually go back to blonde and then was a brunette for a while.
In November 2018, Stodden announced on social media that she was feeling much better after gaining 25 lbs. After years of struggling to maintain her weight of 100 lbs, Stodden wrote, “The funny part is, I was my MOST INSECURE at 100 lbs. Now, 5 years later, at 125 pounds ... I’m so much healthier. I’m so much HAPPIER and I feel my sexiest just be happy everyone and PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT CONFORM (especially if it’s subconscious) #curves #liveyourbestlife."
Stodden also wrote that she was learning to enjoy food again. “I used to starve myself. I’m learning to love food. Of course there’s a balance ... with everything in life — but bitch, I’m gonna eat. #eat.”
Has Stodden Had Plastic Surgery?
Yes, multiple times, although it also caused some strain on her relationship. According to Stodden, Hutchinson didn’t want her to change her appearance, and the two argued over everything even from hair extensions to false eyelashes.
In 2013, when Stodden was 18, she underwent breast augmentation surgery that increased her cup size from C to DD. She’s also had temporary lip fillers and porcelain veneers. In 2016, she got a nose job and invited Entertainment Tonight to film it.
Has Stodden Seriously Dated Anyone After Her Divorce?
Stodden’s first serious relationship after Hutchinson was with movie producer Chris Sheng, whom she started dating in June 2017, when she was 23 and Sheng was 37. According to Stodden, they first met when Sheng reached out with an offer to help her music and acting career.
Stodden officially moved in with Sheng in February 2018 and wore a tight black dress and nude platforms as her move-in outfit. A couple months later, in April 2018, Stodden hinted on social media that she and Sheng were engaged.
But in January 2020, Stodden was spotted cozying up with a mystery man outside a West Hollywood restaurant. So who can say what’s really going on?
What’s Going On With Stodden’s Musical Career?
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Way before she met Doug Hutchinson, Courtney Stodden’s first love was singing. She was writing and releasing her own music while also competing in beauty pageants as a teenager. In 2012, a year after marrying Hutchinson, she released the single “Don’t Put It On Me Girl,” addressed to the women whose men couldn’t control themselves around her.
Stodden kept making music in the wake of her divorce. On July 1st, 2018, she released her first album, Off the Record. One song on the album referenced her marriage to Hutchinson and was called “Sixteen,” the same age Stodden was when they were married. The song included lyrics like "Sixteen, drinking, top shelf gets me by ... hide all the pain inside" and "You were that Hollywood star, I was just a girl with my scar.”
In December 2018, she released a single titled “Daddy Issues,” which was about her relationship with her father. “I actually do have some daddy issues, so why not throw all of that creative pain into this song and just be honest about it?” she said at the time. “It pretty much cuts deep in my life because I’m having issues with my own father right now, and him and I have been on and off for quite some time, and it’s affected me deeply, so it’s just a fun way to kind of express my heartbreak.”
As of October 2019, Stodden was working on an upcoming pop album, Courtney Rx.
Did Stodden Actually Go To The Grocery Store In Lingerie?
Yep! As reported by RadarOnline.com in January 2019, Stodden turned heads when she visited a West Hollywood grocery store in a snugly fitted trench coat, opened to reveal white lingerie underneath.
Stodden is often scantily clad, like when she posed for an Easter photoshoot in lingerie a few months later, in April 2019. But running errands in lingerie is a first … that we know of.
How Is Stodden’s Reality TV Career Going?
Not so good. Stodden has long been a fixture on reality TV, nearly winning Celebrity Big Brother in 2013. In 2017, during her separation, she sought the help of professional matchmaker Patti Stanger by appearing on Million Dollar Matchmaker. Stodden’s episode was the first time Stanger arranged a bisexual matchmaking session in the show’s history.
On September 2019, Stodden starred on the FNL reality series, Courtney, and things didn’t go so well. As several of her fellow cast members told RadarOnline.com, Stodden was a “nightmare” to work with. On the show, Stodden revealed that she was diagnosed as bipolar and reportedly expressed raw emotions on several occasions. Stodden also frequently fought with her mother, Krista Keller. Stodden ultimately refused to promote the show or even speak with her fellow cast members.
