Unlike much of the population, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper isn’t repulsed by the Las Vegas nuptials of 16-year-old singer Courtney Alexis Stodden and 51-year-old actor Doug Hutchison—or so he said on Tuesday night’s “RidicuList” segment.
As part of the sarcastic segment, the television personality blasted the “heartless folks” who have been criticizing Hutchinson’s decision to tie the knot with a teen.
“Now a lot of people are making a bunch of noise about how the girl Courtney Stodden is a minor and how there’s a 35-year age difference between them,” Cooper said. “Blah blah blah…I don’t see what the big deal is.”
Cooper justified the marriage because it apparently took place at the end of the week.
“The wedding was on May 20, according to my calendar, that was a Friday,” Cooper said, adding that the young woman probably only missed some class as a result of her ceremony. “So she probably only had to miss one day of high school. And what was she going to miss in eleventh grade anyway? Algebra? Who uses that?”
Though he defended the marriage, Cooper did seem to mock Stodden when he played a clip of her music video, where she can be seen holding a margarita glass in a pink bikini. (Anderson Cooper bashes Snooki)
“Oh goodness, well I’m sure there’s more to her than just that,” Cooper said with a laugh. “Well, now a lot of people are suggesting that someone should have told Courtney…don’t marry that guy, he’s too old for you, you have your driver’s test coming up, someone you know, like her parents maybe. But guess what, romance haters? Her parents gave their permission. They’re not those uptight parents who don’t let their teenage daughters stay out past eleven or make music videos on boats or marry someone three times her age, they’re cool parents.”
Cooper took a few more sarcastic shots at Stodden, who boasts on a YouTube video that she’s not a porn star.
“I like that at 16 years of age she makes a point of pride that she’s never done pornography,” Cooper said. “That’s like basically saying ‘I’m about to do pornography.’ Or, inevitably, ‘I will do pornography, but I haven’t done it yet.’”
*This article has been updated to clearly explain that Cooper’s segment was done in a sarcastic tone, as it was a part of his “RidicuList” segment.
Watch: Anderson Cooper talk about the wedding