More than a decade after one of Hollywood’s most infamous cases of online harassment, Courtney Stodden says she has never once spoken to Chrissy Teigen, not in person, not by message, not at all. The former teen reality star, now 31, said in October 2025 that despite Teigen’s highly publicized apology for her past cyberbullying, “there’s been zero interaction” between them since the controversy first erupted. “I’ve never spoken with her. I’ve never spoken with John,” Stodden said. “Even when she would write me, like every single day, privately, I never wrote her back. So, I’ve had zero interaction with her.”

The conflict traces back to 2011, when Stodden, then 16, married her 50-year-old acting coach, Doug Hutchison, a decision that instantly ignited a media storm. Amid that frenzy, Teigen, then a rising model and social-media personality, joined in with a barrage of cruel messages that crossed the line from public criticism into cyberbullying. In one now-deleted tweet, Teigen wrote, “@CourtneyStodden my Friday fantasy: you. dirt nap. mmmmmm baby.” Stodden later said some of Teigen’s messages arrived privately, encouraging her to harm herself, a deeply damaging form of emotional abuse that, today, falls under the legal and psychological frameworks of online harassment.

When those tweets resurfaced in 2021, Teigen faced widespread backlash and issued a public apology, writing, “I am ashamed and completely embarrassed at my behavior… I’ve tried to connect with Courtney privately, but since I publicly fueled all this, I want to also publicly apologize.” According to Stodden, however, the apology never reached her directly, as Teigen had blocked her on social media.

Despite the lasting harm, Stodden says she doesn’t harbor resentment toward Teigen. Instead, she hopes the model uses her experience to promote anti-bullying and mental health awareness. “If I were in her position, I’d open a nonprofit for families who’ve lost children to bullying,” she said. “She has such a huge platform. She could really turn this around for something bigger, something that saves lives.” Stodden added, “I wish her healing. I wish myself healing. Nobody should be bullying anyone.”

Cases like this have pushed courts to increasingly recognize emotional distress from cyberbullying as a legitimate form of personal injury, especially when online humiliation leads to trauma, anxiety, or reputational damage. Stodden, who appeared on Couples Therapy and Celebrity Big Brother, has spoken publicly about how years of ridicule affected her mental health. At her lowest point, the intensity of the abuse made her feel hopeless and isolated—a sentiment shared by many victims of prolonged online harassment.

Legal experts say such experiences underscore the growing understanding that digital defamation and cyber harassment can inflict harm comparable to physical injury. The Stodden–Teigen episode remains a striking example of how social media has blurred the line between opinion and defamation. What begins as celebrity gossip can easily escalate into targeted harassment with long-term emotional consequences.

For victims, the legal path to redress, whether through defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, or cyber harassment claims, remains complex, but awareness continues to grow. Since the scandal, Teigen, now 39, has rebuilt her public image through family life, cookbook projects, and honest discussions about mental health. She and husband John Legend have four children and appear to have moved on from the controversy publicly.

For Stodden, however, the story serves as a cautionary reminder of the psychological damage that unchecked cyberbullying can cause and a call for stronger accountability in the digital era.