Courtney Stodden had every reason to mark California's new child-marriage ban with emotion, having been married herself as a teenager. But her celebration took an unexpected turn when she called Gavin Newsom 'Daddy Newsom' after watching him sign AB 1267 into law on 30 September 2026.
Stodden paired her heartfelt message about protecting children with a deliberately flirtatious joke. She said she had 'a weakness for a man with a pen', adding an unexpected twist to an otherwise deeply personal moment.
Stodden Calls Newsom 'Daddy'
Stodden attended the Sacramento signing alongside fellow former child brides Christina Sutton and Sara Tasneem, marking a major change to California's marriage laws. In a post shared after the ceremony, she wrote that she had spent years wishing someone had protected 'the little girl' she used to be before adding, 'And yes, I called him Daddy Newsom.'
The nickname was not a journalist's description or something invented by commenters. Stodden herself used it, then followed it with the deliberately playful line that she had 'always had a weakness for a man with a pen', making the otherwise serious ceremony an unexpectedly awkward social-media moment.
Her Own Childhood Made The Moment Personal
The legislation carries particular significance for Stodden because her own marriage happened while she was still a child. California's governor's office says her parents allowed her to marry actor Doug Hutchison when she was 16, and Stodden has described that relationship as abusive and predatory.
Stodden has since become an advocate against child exploitation and has spoken publicly about her experience. Her presence at the signing therefore connected the new law directly to the childhood she says she wished had been better protected, giving her playful caption a much more serious backdrop.
California Finally Sets The Age At 18
AB 1267 sets California's minimum age for marriage and domestic partnerships at 18 and removes provisions that previously allowed minors to marry with parental consent. The law takes effect on 1 January 2027, following years of campaigning by survivors and advocates.
California had previously required parental consent and judicial approval for minors to marry, while advocates argued those safeguards did not adequately protect young people. CBS 8 reported that an analysis of US Census data found around 35,000 underage marriages occurred in California between 2000 and 2021.
The Flirty Caption Got People Talking
The unusual wording quickly became a talking point among some Reddit users discussing Stodden's appearance at the signing. Several commenters questioned the phrase 'Daddy Newsom' and described the tone as strange or flirtatious, while others made clear they supported the child-marriage ban itself.
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Those reactions come from individual social-media commenters and do not represent public opinion as a whole. Stodden later addressed the nickname again, saying in another Instagram post that Newsom laughed when she called him 'Daddy Newsom', while stressing that the important part was his signing of the law to protect California children.
Survivors Helped Push The Bill Through
Stodden was not alone in marking the legislation, with Sutton and Sara Tasneem also attending the ceremony as former child brides. Sutton, who married at 17, described the law's passage as a relief and said it would help prevent other young people from experiencing circumstances similar to those she faced.
Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, who authored AB 1267, credited survivors with helping lawmakers understand the difficulties minors can face when trying to leave marriages or seek legal help. The bill passed unanimously in both the California Senate and Assembly after previous efforts to change the law had failed.
Stodden Wants All 50 States Covered
For Stodden, the California signing was presented as a beginning rather than an ending. She thanked Unchained At Last and other survivors before declaring that 'California is only the beginning' and calling for protections against child marriage across all 50 states.
Newsom's office said 17 US states have completely banned child marriage without exception, meaning California now joins that group. For Stodden, the significance of the law is therefore rooted in the protection it provides, even if her decision to call the governor 'Daddy Newsom' and joke about his pen gave the historic occasion an unexpectedly cheeky twist.
