Lifetime’s I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story was released on September 27, 2025, at 8:00 pm (ET). The biopic is currently streaming on Philo, Sling and DIRECTV. The biopic follows the controversial and highly publicised marriage of Courtney Stodden at the age of 16 to actor, Doug Hutchison, who was 51 years old at the time. While the film claims to dramatise the events from Courtney’s perspective, their mother, Krista Keller, has now publicly pushed back, stating that she never pushed her daughter to marry anyone. So, as the film releases tonight, here is everything you need to know about the biopic and what Krista had to say about it.
What is I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story about?
I was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story is narrated by the real Courtney Stodden. In the biopic, they revisit the events that led to their marriage to Doug Hutchison in May 2011, at the tender age of 16. The film further explores themes of exploitation, trauma, resilience, and the blurred lines between fame, control, and vulnerability.
According to reports, the biopic dramatises the conflicts between Courtney and their mother, Krista, including a scene in which Krista seemingly encourages marriage as a way to avoid legal responsibility. According to the promotional materials, Holly J. Barrett plays Courtney, while Maggie Lawson portrays Krista, and Doug Savant essays the role of Doug Hutchison.
Krista Keller claims she never pushed her daughter into marriage
Krista Keller had recently appeared for a candid conversation with The Sun and expressed her hurt over the dramatised scene showing her entering her teenage daughter’s room, pressuring them, “You really can’t date him…the only way is that you’d have to be married.” During the conversation, Krista claimed that this never happened and that she never manipulated or forced Courtney into marrying anyone.
“When you have a movie made about you and your family, Lifetime has this beginning statement that they added things to it to make it more dramatic, and there’s one scene that really, really bothered me. It was really hard for me to watch. It really made me sad….I never made that decision for her. I didn’t talk her into it. I wish I would have talked her out of it. And, you know, wait till you’re 18. And we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
In the same conversation, Keller shared that while she supported some aspects of the film and cooperated with the writers, Lifetime’s dramatisation layers, which included exaggeration under the guise of storytelling, were nothing but ‘hurtful’ and ‘crushing’. She was quoted as saying:
“But Lifetime…that’s why they have that disclaimer at the beginning so that they can add drama to it. And, you know, it’s okay with the other scenes if they needed to add this or that, but that particular scene was very hurtful to watch. It just crushed me, because again, it never happened. And I just kind of want to set the record straight. I did not force or even manipulate my daughter into this marriage.”
This is not the first time Krista Keller and Courtney Stodden have been at odds
The mother-daughter duo has had a difficult relationship for years, and this is not the first time it has been brought into public conflict. In prior reality TV appearances, Krista admitted she once told Doug she loved him, prompting controversy and heartbreak. Courtney has also at times accused Krista of betrayal, emotional manipulation, and inappropriate emotional involvement with Doug. However, Krista still frames herself as a ‘stage mom’ who only wanted to support Courtney’s ambitions, asserting she never intended harm.
What are your thoughts on Krista Keller and Courtney Stodden’s differences? Are you going to watch I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story? Let us know.
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