Bristol Palin, daughter of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, will make her acting debut playing herself on ABC Family’s “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” the network announced yesterday, in spite of her mother’s disapproval.
“We Palins don’t like reality,” Gov. Palin said, according to the Huffington Post. But it’s okay, she said, “just so long as it doesn’t become a regular thing.”
Bristol will play a friend to the show’s protagonist, Amy, at a music program for teen mothers. The show focuses heavily on how Amy’s family and friends deal with her own unexpected pregnancy.
“We’re thrilled to have (Bristol) join us,” said Secret Life executive producer Brenda Hampton in a statement. “And I think she will bring additional attention to the issues facing teen parents that we’ve been exploring for a couple seasons now.” The episode will air this summer.
Bristol Palin, who became pregnant in high school, was thrown in the spotlight with her young baby when Sarah Palin was named as John McCain’s running mate in the 2008 presidential election. She was briefly engaged to the father of the baby, Levi Johnston, an unemployed high school dropout who recently posed in "Playgirl." She has gone to court to get full custody of their 13-month-old son, Tripp, and to ask for increased child support.
Last month Bristol appeared on “The Oprah Show” to expound on her pledge to be abstinent until she gets married. Last spring, Bristol told “Good Morning America” she wanted to use her fame to spread her abstinence message. “I am thrilled to be on this show and to be part of a program that educates teens and young adults about the consequences of teen pregnancy,” she said in a statement.