How Sarah Palin Really Felt About Her Daughter Being On Teen Mom

When running for office, it's normal for any politician's family to be thrust into the spotlight. However, the media hoopla surrounding then-vice-presidential-candidate Sarah Palin reached new heights in 2008 after her 17-year-old daughter Bristol Palin announced she was pregnant. "We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents," Sarah and Todd Palin said in a statement, per The Guardian. At the time, the outlet reported that Bristol planned to marry her boyfriend and the father of their child, Levi Johnston. However, after two separate engagements, Bristol told People in 2010 that she'd pulled the plug on things with Levi. "He's just obsessed with the limelight and I got played," Bristol explained, while her mom backed her decision to move on.

Per Us Weekly, Bristol found love again with Dakota Meyer in 2014, though Bristol and Meyer divorced in 2018. Over the course of their relationship, the pair welcomed two babies: Sailor in 2015, and Atlee in 2018. Though Bristol loves parenting her kids, she also opened up about the difficulties of being a teen mom in an interview with People in 2009. "Girls need to imagine and picture their life with a screaming newborn baby and then think before they have sex," she explained. Perhaps it was this reasoning that led her to sign on for Season 7 of "Teen Mom OG," per Bustle. According to the outlet, Bristol hoped to use her platform on the show "to spread positivity and light."

Bustle reported that Bristol Palin joined the cast of "Teen Mom OG" when she was 27 years old, making her far removed from being a teenager herself. However, Sarah Palin's eldest daughter already had experience with the world of reality TV — having previously competed on "Dancing With the Stars," per the outlet — and she remains (arguably) one of the most famous teen moms today. As for Sarah, she was nothing if not supportive of her daughter's decision. "Yeah, Bristol's gonna be a great messenger for kind of overcoming a little bit of challenge and doing well in life," the former governor of Alaska told TMZ reporters in 2018. "The girls, my daughters, have been telling me who all the characters are, kinda trying to catch up, but my daughters ... they all have great respect for some of the girls who have really overcome some obstacles and done well with their children," she added.

Clearly, Sarah applauded the fact that Bristol aimed to use her "Teen Mom OG" platform to do some good, but remained adamant that she and her family "weren't doing the reality star type thing," per TMZ. "[Bristol] sees this as a venue, as a forum for good, to help people in a hurtin' world so I encourage her to do this. I support her doing this and I'm proud of her," Sarah shared.

Despite her mother's support, Bristol Palin's stint on "Teen Mom OG" was ultimately short-lived. Though her intention was "to help or encourage others" who may have found themselves in similar positions, per Bustle, Bristol ultimately felt that the show wasn't a good fit. "If I cared what people thought of me, I wouldn't be here today," she wrote on Instagram, in defense of her portrayal on the show. "No matter how bad @teenmom tries to portray my 'life' ... they know the TRUTH. I'm a pretty great mom, work my ass off, show up, and hustle everyday to give my kids a pretty great life." Bristol's then-husband, Dakota Meyer, also dragged the show on Twitter, where he called it "trailer trash," writing, "I'll bring my VLOG back and show you what single parenting looks like since [MTV] can't seem to figure it out."

Likewise, fans were supportive of Bristol's decision to leave "Teen Mom OG" after Season 7. "I still saw you for you," one fan wrote (via Yahoo). "You're too real for them ... They wanted your drama but you ain't about that life." As of this writing, The Things reports that Bristol is focused on her real estate career in Austin, Texas. "I signed on with the Ben Kinney Team ... at Keller Williams Realty!!" the former reality star posted on Instagram in December 2018. "The value and security of homeownership has been so near and dear to my heart for the past decade."