Once Heisman front-runners, QBs Arch Manning and DJ Lagway have become SEC disappointments

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Once Heisman frontrunners, QBs Arch Manning and DJ Lagway have become SEC disappointments MARK LONG October 1, 2025 at 10:01 PM 0 1 / 4Sam Houston St Texas FootballTexas quarterback Arch Manning (16) celebrates with teammates after he scored a touchdown against Sam Houston State during the first hal...

- - Once Heisman front-runners, QBs Arch Manning and DJ Lagway have become SEC disappointments

MARK LONG October 1, 2025 at 10:01 PM

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1 / 4Sam Houston St Texas FootballTexas quarterback Arch Manning (16) celebrates with teammates after he scored a touchdown against Sam Houston State during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Texas' Arch Manning and Florida's DJ Lagway opened the season as Heisman Trophy hopefuls, even considered front-runners by some.

The highly touted quarterbacks with TV commercials, endorsement deals and probably as much name, image and likeness money as anyone in college were supposed to be the next great ones at their schools.

Can't-miss prospects? Sophomore superstars? Future first-round NFL draft picks?

A month into the season, Manning and Lagway are two of the most disappointing players in the Southeastern Conference, prompting some to wonder if their performance will ever match their pedigree.

Manning and Lagway will share the spotlight Saturday when the ninth-ranked Longhorns (3-1) open SEC play at reeling Florida (1-3, 0-1) in the Swamp. It's a matchup that features the nation's top QB recruit in 2023 (Manning) and the top QB recruit in 2024 (Lagway).

Both are searching for better results after four starts in 2025.

"Eventually it is going to pop," Lagway said. "And when it pops, it is going to be hard to stop. I will tell you that right now."

Manning, the nephew of retired NFL stars Peyton and Eli Manning and the grandson of family patriarch Archie Manning, has nine touchdown passes, five rushing scores and three interceptions. But 10 of those TDs came against San Jose State and winless Sam Houston State.

He completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a 14-7 loss at then-No. 3 Ohio State in the season opener. He has looked more comfortable since but playing in front of 90,000 at raucous Florida Field and against a stout defense offer huge tests for the New Orleans native.

"I'm looking around the country at the high-profile players, I don't know if any of them are living up to what everybody said they were supposed to be," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said.

Lagway was supposed to save Florida. He went 6-1 as a starter as a freshman and hoped to carry that success into his second season. But he spent the better part of seven months rehabbing various injuries, including core-muscle surgery, a sore throwing shoulder and a strained left calf.

The layoff proved costly, with Lagway looking anywhere from rusty to lost. His mechanics have improved with each start, but his confidence remains a work in progress.

"We just need a little spark and it's going to set a blaze," Lagway said.

Lagway has thrown for 690 yards, with five touchdowns and six interceptions this season. Three of the TDs came in a victory against Long Island, and five of the picks came in a loss at LSU. He also threw for 61 yards at Miami in his last game.

Coach Billy Napier responded by getting Lagway consecutive days of 11-on-11 work during Florida's off week in hopes of getting him caught up.

"I see the look in (his) eye," Napier said. "We're trying to do our best for him in terms of creating an environment where he can continue to get back in his rhythm. That's the most important thing right now."

Texas is a 7-point favorite for its first game in Gainesville since 1940, an indication oddsmakers believe Arch Manning can do something Uncle Peyton failed to do in two visits with Tennessee (1996, 1998). Eli won his only game at Florida Field with Mississippi in 2003.

More recently, the Swamp has rattled a number of young QBs. The list includes Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart (2024), LSU's Garrett Nussmeier (2024), Auburn's Bo Nix (2019), LSU's Joe Burrow (2018) and Missouri's Drew Lock (2016).

None of them were Heisman contenders at the time. Odds for Lagway and Manning have dropped significantly in the last month, with BetMGM Sportsbook now listing Lagway at 300-1 (opened at 18-1) and Manning at 20-1 (opened at 6-1). The best they can hope for Saturday is a victory and some vindication after early season slipups.

"College football players are getting critiqued and criticized more now than they ever have in the past," Sarkisian said. "This is a different era that we're in, and I think that we've got to do a great job as coaches of — I don't want to say shelter — but we got to protect our guys because they're not pros yet.

"We've got to do a really good job of putting them in the right mental space to where they're still enjoying playing the game of football with their college football teammates. … They need to play football and not work football."

___

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Once Heisman front-runners, QBs Arch Manning and DJ Lagway have become SEC disappointments

Once Heisman frontrunners, QBs Arch Manning and DJ Lagway have become SEC disappointments MARK LONG October 1, 202...

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Vikings vs. Steelers game in Dublin drew 7.9 million viewers, second-most for an international NFL game

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Vikings vs. Steelers game in Dublin drew 7.9 million viewers, secondmost for an international NFL game Chris Cwik October 1, 2025 at 11:43 PM 0 The first NFL game played in Dublin was a hit. An average of 7.

- - Vikings vs. Steelers game in Dublin drew 7.9 million viewers, second-most for an international NFL game

Chris Cwik October 1, 2025 at 11:43 PM

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The first NFL game played in Dublin was a hit. An average of 7.9 million people tuned in to NFL Network to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers hold off the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, one of the highest totals ever for an international NFL game.

That 7.9 million figure made Vikings-Steelers the second most-watched NFL Network international game ever. The only game to surpass that figure came in 2023, when the Miami Dolphins took on the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany.

🇮🇪 Dublin Game Viewership 🇮🇪*Vikings-Steelers avg. 7.9 million viewers (TV+Digital) -- 2nd most-watched @nflnetwork International Game ever*Up +68% vs. NFL Network's 2024 International Games avg.*Vikings-Steelers avg. over 9 million viewers from 12:30p ET until end of game… pic.twitter.com/GkShnCUDUH

— NFL Media (@NFLMedia) October 1, 2025

That figure was also much higher compared to NFL Network international games last season. Vikings-Steelers viewership was up 68% percent compared to last season. Fans were especially interested to see whether the Vikings would complete their fourth-quarter comeback. From 12:30 p.m. ET to the end of the game, viewership was up over nine million.

The Vikings fought valiantly, but could not overcome a resurgent Steelers defense. Pittsburgh went on to win the contest 24-21.

The Dublin game was the first-ever NFL game played in Ireland. It was also the first international NFL game in Europe this season. The league will play five more games in Europe in 2025, with the Vikings and Cleveland Browns squaring off in London in Week 5.

London will also host games in Week 6 and Week 7. After a brief break, international games will return to the NFL schedule in Week 10, when the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts square off in Germany. The following week, the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders will play in Spain, marking the final international game of the season.

Prior to Week 4, the only other international game on the 2025 NFL schedule occurred in Week 1, when the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Chiefs in Brazil.

Given the league's success with international games, fans should expect to see more of them when the 2026 NFL schedule is released. The league already confirmed at least one international game next season, when the Los Angeles Rams will play a game in Australia. The league has not announced when that game will take place or which team the Rams will play.

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Miami's Carson Beck ready for electric atmosphere at Florida State on Saturday night

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Miami's Carson Beck ready for electric atmosphere at Florida State on Saturday night TIM REYNOLDS October 1, 2025 at 11:43 PM 0 1 / 4Florida Miami FootballMiami quarterback Carson Beck (11) aims a pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Florida, Saturday, Sept.

- - Miami's Carson Beck ready for electric atmosphere at Florida State on Saturday night

TIM REYNOLDS October 1, 2025 at 11:43 PM

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1 / 4Florida Miami FootballMiami quarterback Carson Beck (11) aims a pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Florida, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Miami quarterback Carson Beck has experienced playing in some historic college football stadiums under often hostile circumstances.

He threw for 439 yards last year for Georgia at Alabama's Bryant-Denny Stadium in front of 100,000 or so fans. He threw for 313 yards two years ago at Auburn's Jordan-Hare Stadium. He has won at Texas and Tennessee, both of those crowds topping the 100,000 mark. He has won at Auburn and before a raucous crowd at Georgia Tech.

And now, Doak Campbell Stadium awaits.

Florida State's crowd is always electric when Miami comes to town and even more so when a ranked and unbeaten Hurricanes team is on the opposite sideline. Beck is fully aware of what the environment in Tallahassee will be like Saturday night when the third-ranked Hurricanes (4-0) open Atlantic Coast Conference play by taking on the 18th-ranked Seminoles (3-1).

"The rivalry that this game is and what it means to not only the players, but also the fan bases, I'm sure that this stadium is going to be packed." Beck said. "I'm sure it's going to be rocking. I'm really excited for that opportunity.

"I am sure it's going to be loud. We know we're working through that and practicing through that with crowd noise and those types of things during practice. It's going to be an electric environment. And we're excited for the opportunity and challenge."

It has all the elements that a Miami-Florida State game should have: title implications, prime-time television, tons on the line for both teams.

The Seminoles know their realistic ACC hopes — which took a hit with last week's overtime loss at Virginia — might hinge on the outcome of this game. The Hurricanes are looking to kick off ACC play on the right foot and finish off a state title of sorts, having already beaten South Florida and Florida this season.

Beck, whose 2024 season at Georgia had some rocky moments and tons of criticism, has played like a Heisman Trophy candidate through his first month with the Hurricanes — completing 73% of his passes for nearly 1,000 yards through four games. And Florida State coach Mike Norvell is taking notice.

"You see a quarterback that's been through it," Norvell said. "He's played obviously at a really high level throughout his career. He's had his challenges. ... You can see that here in Miami he's feeling very comfortable with what they're asking him to do and what they've been able to accomplish here in the early part of the season."

Beck has seen Florida State before — sort of.

Georgia played Florida State in the Orange Bowl to conclude the 2023 season. The Seminoles were unbeaten but didn't get picked for the College Football Playoff — then a four-team event, unlike the 12-team field now — in large part because quarterback Jordan Travis had been lost to a broken leg. Many Seminoles players opted out of the bowl game to begin focusing on the NFL draft and the Bulldogs waltzed to a 63-3 win over a watered-down lineup.

Beck knows the FSU team he'll see Saturday will be far more competitive than that Orange Bowl lineup was.

"Obviously, they're very talented up front," Beck said. "They do a really good job. Their secondary is very athletic, very talented. So again, we're looking forward to the challenge."

___

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Miami's Carson Beck ready for electric atmosphere at Florida State on Saturday night

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Alabama's win over Georgia draws over 10 million viewers and nearly 2 million more than Oregon's OT win against Penn State

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Alabama's win over Georgia draws over 10 million viewers and nearly 2 million more than Oregon's OT win against Penn State Nick BrombergOctober 1, 2025 at 11:53 PM 0 Alabama's win over Georgia drew nearly 2 million more viewers than Oregon's doubleovertime win over Penn State. An average of 10.

- - Alabama's win over Georgia draws over 10 million viewers and nearly 2 million more than Oregon's OT win against Penn State

Nick BrombergOctober 1, 2025 at 11:53 PM

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Alabama's win over Georgia drew nearly 2 million more viewers than Oregon's double-overtime win over Penn State.

An average of 10.42 million people watched the No. 10 Crimson Tide beat the No. 12 Bulldogs 24-21 on ABC per Sports Media Watch. At the same time on NBC, an average of 8.5 million people saw the No. 2 Ducks beat the No. 7 Nittany Lions on safety Dillon Thieneman's interception to secure a 30-24 victory.

It's the fifth game of the season to average more than 10 million viewers on ABC through the first five weeks of the season joining Georgia's win over Tennessee in Week 3, and three games during the opening weekend. The viewer numbers are further evidence why ESPN moved to secure the entirety of the SEC's media rights ahead of the 2024 season when Texas and Oklahoma joined the conference.

The most-watched game of the season continues to be the Buckeyes' victory over Texas in Week 1. That game drew over 16.6 million viewers and no other game has come close. Georgia's win over Tennessee had over 12.5 million watching.

The six regular-season games with more than 10 million viewers already tops the number of games with over 10 million watching during the entirety of the 2024 regular season. Last year, seven games had an average audience of 10 million or more and two of those games were the Big Ten and SEC title games on Dec. 7.

The large viewer numbers continue to be proof that fans have not been turned away from college sports now that athletes are getting paid for their name and image rights and able to transfer freely from school to school.

ESPN also drew strong numbers for Virginia's upset of No. 18 Florida State on Friday night. The Cavaliers' 46-38 win knocked the Seminoles out of the top 10 and got nearly 4.4 million viewers. It was the fifth-most watched game of the weekend behind the two primetime games, No. 4 Ole Miss' win over No. 13 LSU and No. 1 Ohio State's win over Washington. Both of those games were at 3:30 p.m. ET.

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Alabama's win over Georgia draws over 10 million viewers and nearly 2 million more than Oregon's OT win against Penn State

Alabama's win over Georgia draws over 10 million viewers and nearly 2 million more than Oregon's OT win ag...

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Leonardo DiCaprio says One Battle After Another tackles what political 'extremism does on both si...

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Director Paul Thomas Anderson's goal was &34;not about imposing your own ideology or your own political belief system on an audience,&34; says the actor. Leonar

Director Paul Thomas Anderson's goal was "not about imposing your own ideology or your own political belief system on an audience," says the actor.

Leonardo DiCaprio says One Battle After Another tackles what political 'extremism does on both sides'

Director Paul Thomas Anderson's goal was "not about imposing your own ideology or your own political belief system on an audience," says the actor.

By Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff is an award-winning journalist and staff writer at ** with over 12 years of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry.

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September 27, 2025 10:00 a.m. ET

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Benicio del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor and Sean Penn at London premiere. Credit:

Joe Maher/Getty

- The cast of *One Battle After Another* discusses how the action thriller uses humor and satire to hold "a mirror up to where we are as a society," without "imposing" its own ideology on the audience.

- Leonardo DiCaprio discusses how the film explores extremism on both sides of the political spectrum.

- Regina Hall explains how the film goes hard on "female empowerment" both on and off-screen.

If art imitates life, then *One Battle After Another *is an apt reflection of our absurd times.

The film, about a group of revolutionaries who reunite to help one of their own — Bob Ferguson, a washed-up, paranoid stoner — rescue his daughter from their longtime enemy, has a lot to say about our fraught, divisive reality.

But for writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, who loosely based the film on Thomas Pynchon's novel *Vineland*, it was crucial to deliver that commentary without lecturing his audience.

"Paul keeps talking about the fact that if you're going to create a political espionage thriller like this, it's not about imposing your own ideology or your own political belief system on an audience — that's like taking medicine," star Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Bob, says. "And you look back into the films that we admire, the Kubrick films like *Dr. Strangelove*, there's a comedy to it, a satire to it, which makes you able to sort of hold a mirror up to where we are as a society."

Leonardo DiCaprio and Billy Zane have a 'Titanic' reunion at the 'One Battle After Another' premiere

Leonardo DiCaprio tells Paul Thomas Anderson that turning down 'Boogie Nights' is his biggest regret

He continues, "[Anderson] just creates these worlds, these characters, these people that have a conviction in their ideology, their belief system, and what extremism does on both sides. And I think he very fairly analyzes what that means. What is extremism? Why can't we communicate? Why don't we want to understand each other? And I think at the core, we have these characters that have a greater deal of humanity to them, that have almost created a family together, and they realize that they're just trying to survive. That's the beauty of what this movie projects, I think."

In addition to DiCaprio, newcomer Chase Infiniti plays his character's daughter, Willa. Benicio del Toro costars as Sensei St. Carlos, Willa's karate instructor and Bob's buddy, who also moonlights as the leader of an underground railroad for immigrants. Teyana Taylor stars as Willa's mother and controversial revolutionary leader, Perfidia, while Regina Hall plays Deandra, the most loyal revolutionary in the group. Oh, and the film's main antagonist is the ridiculous Col. Steven J. Lockjaw (played by Sean Penn), who desperately wants to be initiated into a secret white supremacist group that calls itself... the Christmas Adventurers Club.

Teyana Taylor as Perfidia and Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson in 'One Battle After Another'.

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

It's juicy roles all around for this stacked cast, but especially for its trio of women, says Hall. "In the midst of all the depth, I feel like I met two incredible women," she says, referring to Infiniti and Taylor. "That's a big thing, that female empowerment comes across on screen, but it really is behind the screen as well. It's nice to see somebody do great things and feel excited for that and kind of champion that," she says, adding that she believes there's no one else who could have played Willa or Perfidia.

The decisions and convictions of the latter are the topic of much discussion in the film, but Taylor herself just hopes those conversations linger long after the audience walks out of the theater — no matter which side of the political aisle they're on.

Regina Hall as Deandra in 'One Battle After Another'.

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

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"I think this is the time for the necessary conversations," Taylor says. "And hopefully this does spark — and it's already sparking — a lot of healthy dialogue. Everything don't have to be a big blow-up. I think we are allowed to have different opinions, and we're allowed to really discuss, but I think the conversations are very, very necessary and hopefully this wakes that up."**

If the subject matter and the hilariously absurd way it's presented make you uncomfortable, it's okay to laugh, too. Just ask del Toro, who promises, "That's why you have to see this movie on the big screen, because when you hear someone else laughing, then you go, 'Okay, I can laugh. It's okay to laugh. I am okay to laugh. I'm not crazy if I laugh at this.'"**

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Leonardo DiCaprio says One Battle After Another tackles what political 'extremism does on both si...

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David Spade says Corey Haim hit him up for lunch money while filming Dickie Roberts: Former Child...

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Things got a little too real while shooting the comedy. David Spade says Corey Haim hit him up for lunch money while filming Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star

Things got a little too real while shooting the comedy.

David Spade says Corey Haim hit him up for lunch money while filming Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star

Things got a little too real while shooting the comedy.

By Jordan Hoffman

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Jordan Hoffman is a writer at **, mostly covering nostalgia. He has been writing about entertainment since 2007.

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Corey Haim in his teen years. Credit:

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty

If you were hoping that *Fly on the Wall* — Dana Carvey and David Spade's podcast — was nothing but laughter and good cheer, there was a moment on the most recent episode that got a little dark.

The hosts were talking about Spade's 2003 comedy *Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star*, a silly entertainment-obsessed movie co-produced by Adam Sandler in which Spade plays a former kid actor who is down on his luck.

David Spade in 'Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star'.

Mark Fellman/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock

A good number of actual former child stars appeared in the movie, including Corey Feldman, Barry Williams, Emmanuel Lewis (who Spade referred to as "Webster" on the podcast), Leif Garrett, Danny Bonaduce, and more. Spade reflected on a musical number in the project (written by Robert Smigel) that included the whole gang, including Corey Haim, who died in 2010 at the age of 38.**

"Corey Haim, remember him?" Spade asked his cohost. "He's Corey Feldman's buddy. Super sweet. Walking to lunch from the soundstage after singing, I'm in my outfit and he goes, 'Hey, hey, thanks for having me... Uh, hey, I was going to go off campus and eat.' [He then asked], 'Do we get a per diem for today?'"

Remembering Corey Haim

Corey Feldman accuses Charlie Sheen of sexually abusing Corey Haim in '(My) Truth' documentary

When Spade said he wasn't sure, Haim asked if Spade would be the one to give him his allowance.

Continuing, Spade recalled telling him, "'I don't think I'm the one that gives you your per diem.' And he goes, 'But I need some 'cause I want to go get lunch.' He goes, 'You got 100 bucks or something? I could just go get lunch?' And I f---in' did it."

Knowing now that Haim had a significant substance abuse problem, Spade said, "I swear at the time it didn't even hit me that he might go use or something. And he probably didn't, but I was like, 'Was that stupid? Was that f---ing dumb of me?'"

J. P. Aussenard/WireImage

Thinking more about how his comedy may have landed with some actual former child stars, Spade said that "the parents a lot of the time, not all the time, a lot of times the parents are, like, spending the money. They're like, 'Hey, you're my kid. It's my money.' And then when they're 18, they're like, 'Back up that Brinks truck!' And they're like, 'The thing is, there's not a ton left.'"

It's all a bit of a bummer, which might be why *Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star *isn't quite the cherished film that others from that era have become.**

***Sign up for **'s free daily newsletter* *to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.***

To check out the most recent episode of *Fly on the Wall*, you can click the link below. ********

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David Spade says Corey Haim hit him up for lunch money while filming Dickie Roberts: Former Child...

Things got a little too real while shooting the comedy. David Spade says Corey Haim hit him up for lunch money whi...

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Where is Courtney Stodden now? All about the former tabloid fixture and subject of Lifetime's Chi...

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Stodden rose to fame in 2011 after marrying 51yearold actor Doug Hutchison when she was just 16. Where is Courtney Stodden now? All about the former tabloid fix

Stodden rose to fame in 2011 after marrying 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison when she was just 16.

Where is Courtney Stodden now? All about the former tabloid fixture and subject of Lifetime's Child Bride

Stodden rose to fame in 2011 after marrying 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison when she was just 16.

By Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn

Randall Colburn is a writer and editor at **. His work has previously appeared on *The A.V. Club, The Guardian, The Ringer*, and many other publications.

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September 27, 2025 12:00 p.m. ET

Doug Hutchison and Courtney Stodden. Credit:

Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty

- Courtney Stodden rose to fame as a tabloid fixture and reality TV star after marrying 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison at age 16.

- The couple divorced in 2020, and she's since accused him of grooming her.

- Stodden is the subject of a new Lifetime movie, *I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story*.

Courtney Stodden was just 16 years old when she became a tabloid fixture after marrying a much, much older man in 2011.

In the 15 years since she first made headlines, Stodden has run the 21st-century media gauntlet, capitalizing on her tabloid fame with pop aspirations, appearances on numerous reality TV shows, a few acting roles, and even a solo sex tape.

Now, she's the subject of a new Lifetime movie,* I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story*. The TV movie, which chronicles Stodden's marriage to 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison, is narrated by Stodden and, according to Lifetime, told through her perspective.

In light of the new film, you might be curious where Courtney Stodden is now. Let's dig in below.

Who is Courtney Stodden?

Stodden was raised in Ocean Shores, Wash., by parents Alex and Krista. As a child, she competed in beauty pageants, including Miss Teen Washington USA, per ABC News.

Stodden rose to fame in 2011 after marrying Hutchison, an actor known for his roles in *The Green Mile* (1999) and *Lost* (2007–2009), when she was 16 and he was 51. A bizarre and uncomfortable interview with ABC News, conducted roughly a month after the wedding, helped to cultivate the public's fascination with the couple.

Courtney Stodden would join Chrissy Teigen's reported Oprah interview 'if it would help people'

Farrah Abraham, Michael Costello, and more speak out after Chrissy Teigen's apology

Stodden was attempting to forge a career as a pop star around this time, having already released singles such as "Car Candy" and "Don't Put It On Me" prior to their marriage.

She found more success, however, on reality TV. Stodden and Hutchison starred on season 2 of VH1's *Couples Therapy* (2012), and she appeared solo on the British iteration of *Celebrity Big Brother* (2013). She later appeared on reality series like *Reality Ex-Wives* (2015), *The Mother/Daughter Experiment* (2016), and *Courtney* (2020), an FNL Network show said to be about her "day-to-day challenges."

Stodden's career features other strange and intriguing endeavors, including a cameo in a 50 Cent video, a role in Glenn Danzig's 2019 film *Verotika*, a solo sex tape released via Vivid Entertainment, and an OnlyFans account, not to mention advocacy for the animal rights organization PETA.**

How did Courtney Stodden and Doug Hutchison meet?

Stodden met Hutchison when her parents signed her up for private acting lessons with the actor, per ABC News. The pair reportedly spoke online and over the phone for six months before the twice-divorced Hutchison traveled to Stodden's Washington hometown to meet her in person for the first time and propose marriage.

Despite the fact that Stodden was underage, her parents approved of the union. Krista Stodden signed over consent to her daughter, and Stodden and Hutchison were wed in Las Vegas, where it was legal.

"Every father can only pray to have such a man behind their daughter," her father, Alex Stodden, told RadarOnline.com following the wedding.

"We're aware that our vast age difference is extremely controversial, but we're very much in love and want to get the message out there that true love can be ageless," Hutchison told E! News* *at the time.

Is Courtney Stodden still married to Doug Hutchison?

No. Stodden and Hutchison officially divorced in March 2020.

In an Instagram post announcing the divorce on March 3, 2020, Stodden wrote, "I've been scared to even speak up about feeling groomed or being verbally abused during the almost 10-year marriage because I was a child and he was 50 when we married but I'm a woman now and it's time for me to put my big girl pants on and speak on this matter. I've felt completely trapped, manipulated and at times abandoned by adults."

She added, "And to Doug... I'll always love you; yet I'll always be angry... I wish you well. But please don't ever do this to another minor again. It's not right... even if the parent signs off."**

Stodden opened up about the divorce in a 2021 interview with the *Daily Beast*, in which the then-26-year-old claimed that Hutchison "groomed" her.

"I didn't know what [grooming] meant. But as I grew into a woman, I started realizing what happened to me," she said. "I didn't wake up to it until he ended up leaving to Michigan while I stayed in West Hollywood. I was over the relationship and wanted to move on, but when he left, I was terrified to be on my own. I didn't know *how* to be on my own. I still don't have a license. I depended so much on him and he knew that, so when he left it was almost a manipulative way of going, 'OK, let's see if you can survive without me here.' ... It took me a really, really long time to understand what happened to me, and I'm still going through the repercussions of being groomed."

In that same interview, she addressed her parents' support of the marriage and how they, too, were charmed by Hutchison. "[When] Doug flew in to Washington to meet me and my family in person, he was lovely. He was so charming and so charismatic, and for this man to be so charismatic to give this protective dad his consent to marry his daughter, at the time I was kind of confused about it. I thought, 'Oh, my dad gave his consent. He must be a great guy.' They thought I was going to be saved and protected, and that it was this big love story. But that couldn't have been further from the truth."**

Hutchison responded to Stodden's allegations in a statement shared with multiple news outlets. "These false malicious and egregious allegations are sadly and assumedly fueled by Courtney Stodden's insatiable and desperate desire to remain in the entertainment media limelight at all costs," it reads.

The statement continued, "Ms. Stodden has a history of unfortunate deception and/or exaggerations to depict herself as a 'victim,' using unsubstantiated and provocative terms like 'grooming,' 'abusive,' and 'predatory.' If you take the time to explore and unbiased deep dive into Ms. Stodden's deceptive and narcissistic nature — you would uncover a plethora of manipulative dishonesty."**

Where is Courtney Stodden now?

Following her divorce from Hutchison, Stodden came out as non-binary and began using she/they pronouns.

She also admitted to struggling with a dependency on Xanax and alcohol, though she maintains that she was sober during the now-infamous ABC News interview following her wedding.

"I didn't drink then or had ever taken a pill. Later on, I developed a Xanax and alcohol dependency. But I was sober. I was just drunk on fear and being taken advantage of in that interview," she told the *Daily Beast*.

Stodden has also discussed struggling with suicidal thoughts amid aggressive bullying both online and from the media. In 2021, she made headlines after calling out model and TV personality Chrissy Teigen for past Twitter posts in which she mocked Stodden and told her to kill herself.

Teigen later apologized. "I have tried to connect with Courtney privately but since I publicly fueled all of this, I want to also publicly apologize. I'm so sorry, Courtney. I hope you can heal now, knowing how deeply sorry I am," she said in a statement, per ABC News.

In 2021, Stodden got engaged to entrepreneur Chris Sheng, though they split in July 2023. The following month, she began dating filmmaker and producer Jared Safier. They married in December 2024 and are still together. Along with Stodden, Safier is a producer on Lifetime's *I Was a Child Bride.*

These days, Stodden, now 31, regularly advocates for animal rights and vegetarianism with PETA.

She also continues to publicly allege that she was groomed by Hutchison. In a recent interview with Inside Edition to promote the Lifetime film, Stodden opened up about the persona she perpetuated throughout the 2010s. "The stripper shoes, the short skirts, all of that, I was told who I was. It was being encouraged by my groomer."

In an Instagram post shared in September 2025, she touched on her experience working on *I Was a Child Bride.* "This movie made me realize how broken I've been but also how strong I've had to be. I thought I was healed until I sat down and watched it," she wrote. "The truth is my pain doesn't feel like it has a beginning or an end."**

Where can I watch I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story?

*I Was a Child Bride: The Courtney Stodden Story *premieres on Lifetime on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m. ET.

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October 01, 2025

Where is Courtney Stodden now? All about the former tabloid fixture and subject of Lifetime's Chi...

Stodden rose to fame in 2011 after marrying 51yearold actor Doug Hutchison when she was just 16. Where is Courtney...

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