The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Talking to Courtney Stodden’s Mom

Posted on | July 20, 2011 | 25 Comments

By strangest happenstance, I found myself on the phone this afternoon with Krista Stodden, whose 16-year-old daughter Courtney made worldwide headlines last month when it was learned that the aspiring singer/actress had married 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison, best known for his role in the Oscar-winner “The Green Mile.”

Transcribing our 35-minute interview is taking longer than I had anticipated when I teased Twitter followers three hours ago:

Incredible! You won’t believe who I just interviewed. I promise — You. Will. Not. Believe.

Rather than let the speculation run wild: Yeah, Courtney’s mom reached out to me, saying that she really enjoyed my post last week in which I reminded readers: “Courtney describes herself as a Christian and a Republican. She’s on our side, whether we like it or not.”

A couple of quick things: While some commentators have labeled the Stodden family “trailer trash,” they are in fact prosperous and well-respected in their community. Furthermore, accusations that Krista Stodden is a “stage mom” who pushed Courtney into show business — some have even accused Courtney’s parents of “pimping” their daughter — are utterly without factual basis. And finally, as I was talking to Mrs. Stodden about my sympathy toward public figures who have been demonized in the media, I mentioned Sarah Palin — and she’s a huge fan.

Now I’ve got to get back to transcribing audio of the interview, and expect to have a complete feature online in a few more hours. But I wanted to let you know it’s coming, and also to share with you — at Krista Stodden’s suggestion  —  this video that Courtney did when she was 14:

Perhaps you see the point: Nobody had to “push” Courtney into show business. And you can see that, even at age 14, she was already way too much for tiny Ocean Shores, Wash., population 3,836.

UPDATE: The feature story and 3,700-word excerpt from the interview are now online.

Category: Celebrities, Culture, Hollywood, Marriage

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