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Entertainment Media

Teens in Crisis: Pregnant and Scared
The Montel Williams Show Tackles Teen Pregnancy

Tune in Thursday for a powerful teen pregnancy episode of The Montel Williams Show.  Montel talks candidly with pregnant and parenting teens about the challenges and choices they face.  National Campaign CEO Sarah Brown offers helpful tips for parents and teens.  Check your local listings for time and channel. Get more info on Montel's website.

The Secret Life of the American Teenager

Ben has a crush on Amy.  She’s a fifteen year old “good girl” who plays French horn in the high school marching band and has nice friends and a caring family.  She’s also pregnant.  She had sex at band camp with a boy she barely knows and now she’s trying to figure out what to do.  Meanwhile, beautiful cheerleader Grace is wearing a new a purity ring to show the world how serious she is about her vow of abstinence until marriage.  Her football hunk boyfriend, Jack – also a Christian who says he’s committed to waiting – is conflicted.  Adrian and Ricky look like they’re about to get hot and heavy while Alice and Henry look like they’re going to wait a while before having sex.  And the new guidance counselor wonders why everyone keeps asking him for condoms.  Welcome to “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.”

Get a sneak peek of the series here:

Selected Press Clips


Tuning in the 'Secret Life of American Teenager'
The Buffalo News (June 24, 2008)

 

The Baby Borrowers on NBC
New Reality Series Has People Buzzing About Teen Pregnancy

 

   

Can teens be good parents? That's the big question raised by NBC's The Baby Borrowers as five teenage couples take part in a reality TV social experiment that lets them experience life in fast forward.  They are given nice homes and a brief parenting class, and then real life babies care for – thanks to volunteer parents (some of whom were teen parents themselves).  

The teen couples quickly learn what it means to be responsible for a child – as well as go to a job every day and sustain relationships with their partners.  After a few days with the babies, the teen couples get toddlers to care for, then “tweens” with family pets, then teenagers, and finally senior citizens.

Over the course of six episodes, you'll get to watch as each couple deals with the drama, surprise, challenges, and rewards of parenting in ways that are riveting and intense.  As NBC says, “It’s not TV, it’s birth control!”

To learn more about NBC's The Baby Borrowers, visit http://www.nbc.com.

  • Answer our short survey and tell us what you think about the show.
  • Download a discussion guide developed by The National Campaign and NBC to help parents and teens talk about the important issues raised by the show. 
  • Read an Associated Press article about a The Baby Borrowers viewing party hosted by The National Campaign's Youth Leadership Team.

Starr Manning is 16 and Pregnant 

  "One Life to Live's" Starr and Cole (Kristen Alderson and Brandon Buddy)
 
"One Life to Live's" Starr and Cole
(Kristen Alderson and Brandon Buddy)

Starr Manning, a 16-year-old resident of Llanview, PA, had sex with her boyfriend Cole Thornhart for the first time last month and recently found out she’s pregnant.  She’s scared and confused and isn’t sure what to do next.  Her parents don’t know about the pregnancy but her dad is mad enough already after finding his daughter in bed with her boyfriend.  Starr’s best friend, Langston, is trying to help, but she too is shaken up and afraid about what her friend is going through.  No one knows for sure what will happen next.

So what makes Starr different from the hundred of thousands of other teen girls who get pregnant every year?  For starters, Starr is a fictional character – she’s really actress Kristen Alderson – herself a 16-year-old – and a member of ABC’s “One Life to Live” family.  She’s also blogging about her experience in this role – the good and the bad – at www.onelifetolive.com.  And on April 11 she addresses the entire OLTL audience with some wise words about teen pregnancy prevention in a commercial during the broadcast.

This storyline, its related blog posts, media coverage and nationally televised public service announcements are all part of The National Campaign to Prevent Teen & Unplanned Pregnancy’s partnership with ABC Daytime.  Working with the show to provide viewers with important information about teen pregnancy is just one of the ways the Campaign is reaching out to teens and parents with messages about sex, prevention, and consequences. 

  • Read Kristen’s blog
  • Learn more about Starr and the other characters on OLTL
  • Get tips on how to prevent pregnancy among the teens in your life

 

National Day Media Partners Take a Stand Against Teen Pregnancy

This May, in honor of the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, leading entertainment media companies promoted the National Day Quiz and delivered prevention messages in their programming. Here are some highlights:

  • ABC Daytime’s “One Life to Live,” whose teen character Starr Manning (Kristen Alderson) is dealing with the consequences of teen pregnancy.  Through the story line and through Kristen Alderson’s weekly blog, the show’s fans learned the facts and used the show to start family conversations about sex, love, relationships and preventing teen pregnancy. Find out more at http://blogs.abc.com/kristen.
  •  The Candie’s Foundation, a leader in raising awareness of teen pregnancy by mobilizing celebrities, creating innovative ad campaigns, and keeping the national spotlight on the issue, honored ABC Daytime and other national leaders for their commitment to the cause at the annual Event to Prevent gala in New York City on May 7.  Find out more at http://www.candiesfoundation.org.
  • NBC’s “The Baby Borrowers” teaming up with members of The National Campaign’s Youth Leadership Team to screen the new reality series and to start a dialogue about the reality of teen pregnancy and the importance of prevention. The National Campaign and NBC collaborated on discussion guides for parents and teens, which will be available online when the show premieres on June 25 at 8-9:00 p.m. ET.  Find out more at http://www.nbc.com.
  • The N, Nickelodeon’s network for teens, ran teen pregnancy-related episodes of favorite shows including “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” “The Hills,” “Dawson’s Creek,” and others throughout the day on May 7, and ran The National Campaign’s “Stay Teen” PSAs throughout May.  For more about The N, visit http://www.the-n.com.
  • Fox Broadcasting Co. aired “Stay Teen” PSAs throughout May during popular prime-time shows including "American Idol," “Mad TV,” “American Dad” and others. Find out more about Fox prime time programs at http://www.fox.com.
  • ThinkMTV.com, CWTV.com, Seventeen.com and YourProm.com are among the top web sites for teens that featured teen pregnancy prevention messages, promoted the quiz prominently throughout their sites, and encouraged users to get involved. Please visit their sites to find out more.
  

For a full list of National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy partners and to learn more about the event, please visit our National Day section.

 

Now Showing: Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy in the Media

  • The Montel Williams Show - Syndicated
    July 3, 2008
    National Campaign CEO Sarah Brown joins Montel and three teen moms who each made very different decisions about how to handle their pregnancies. Tune in to what is sure to be a powerful episode.  To learn more, visit Montel's website.
  • The View - ABC
    May 15, 2008
    • The National Campaign’s Marisa Nightingale appeared on ABC’s “The View" on May 15!  Along with actors Kristen Alderson and Brandon Buddy of “One Life to Live,” they talked to the ladies about the soap opera’s teen pregnancy story storyline.   To learn more, visit The View's website.
  • The Tyra Banks Show - Warner Brothers Television
    February 11, 2008
    Tyra speaks to young girls to find out why girls choose to have sex at such a young age, pressures they face to have sex and the options available to them if they find themselves pregnant.  To learn more, visit The Tyra Banks Show's website.
  • Dr. Phil - Syndicated
    February 1, 2008
    Dr. Phil examines what happens when young girls find themselves having a baby while they're still in their teens. For more information about the show, visit Dr. Phil's website.
  • Family Guy - FOX
    January 27, 2007
    When Meg reveals to the family that she is pregnant, Peter forces her and her boyfriend to tie the knot. For more information, check out the official Family Guy website at www.familyguy.com.
  • Gossip Girl - The CW
    January 9, 2007
    Gossip Girl rocked the whole world of the Upper East Side’s elite by reporting that Serena van der Woodsen was spotted buying pregnancy tests. Of course, on the Upper East Side, the truth is often even juicier and more scandalous than the gossip. Check out www.cwtv.com for more on Gossip Girl, including show info, games, and much more.
   

For more examples of teen and unplanned pregnancy in the media, please visit our Now Showing archives.

Recent Entertainment Press Clips


Parent Trap
Washington Post Express
June 27, 2008

Tuning in the 'Secret Life of American Teenager'
The Buffalo News
June 24, 2008

Jamie Lynn Spears Birth, Teen Pregnancy Increase Concern Experts: 'Babies Need and Deserve Adult Parents'
MTV News
June 20, 2008

Get Real, Hollywood: Babies Are No Joke
Washington Post
February 12, 2008

Going from Zoey 101 to Knocked Up
Washington Post
December 20, 2007

Jamie Lynn's Pregnancy Has Folks Talking
USA Today
December 19, 2007

For more National Campaign press clips, please visit The National Campaign Press section.