Cue the Crazy

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

21 Jun 2011 11:21 PM

And you thought a 15-year-old dating a 20-year-old was crazy.

Miley Cyrus has nothing on 16-year-old aspiring country music star Courtney Alexis Stodden.

The latter is making headlines for marrying 51-year-old Lost actor Doug Anthony Hutchinson last month in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas. Of course.

The couple's 35-year age difference has tongues wagging and cash flying because, you know, no one in Vegas wants to lose money on this one.

Yes, the bets are on as to how long the pair will live happily ever after... together.

Personally, I could care less about the length of their union, my immediate thought upon hearing about the marriage was, is it legal?

Exactly how does a 16-year-old girl get hitched to a 51-year-old guy when she is not even old enough to vote or buy tobacco in most states.

Granted, the buxom blonde beauty looks like she's at least 30, but still...

Turns out, according to Clark County, Nevada's website, the couple's marriage license is legit. Apparently, in Sin City, minor applicants who are 16 years old can obtain a marriage license provided they fork over an original or certified copy of their birth certificate, and a parent or legal guardian gives his or her consent.

Enter the young bride's parents, Alex and Krista Stodden. According to reports, Mama and Papa Bear Stodden approve of their wannabe singing sensation marrying her rich Prince Charming, and did in fact sign the necessary permission form.

"Doug is the nicest man I've ever met in my life," Alex Stodden told reporters.

P.S. At 47 years old, Papa Bear Stodden is four years younger than his son-in-law.

By the way, in most states kids under 18 are not able to legally wed if they don't get permission from mommy or daddy. A few states are even stricter and refuse to allow kids under 21 to tie the knot without parental consent.

According to legal experts, if there is valid parental consent, the marriage is legal in every way. Meaning, by law, every other state must honor that marriage.

Even if it is a marriage that involves a 16-year-old and a 51-year-old.

As a parent, what do you make of the union? Crazy or creepy?

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Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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