Bristol Palin Back in the Spotlight for Lifetime Reality Series
Published at
Kevin Winter/Tonight Show/Getty Images for The Tonight Show(NEW YORK) — Lifetime announced Wednesday that the network has picked up a new documentary series focusing on Bristol Palin, daughter of 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and former contestant on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.
The show, Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp, was picked up for 10 half-hour episodes and will offer an insight into the life of the 21-year-old mother as she raises her 3-year-old son, Tripp. The network said the show will also focus on her relationship with her parents, Sarah and Todd Palin, and her siblings.
“From the first moment she was thrust into the public eye, Bristol and her son have been the subjects of a huge amount of curiosity and misunderstanding,” said Rob Sharenow, executive vice president of programming for Lifetime Networks, in a news release Wednesday. “This show will reveal the real Bristol Palin and her journey as a daughter, mother and a young woman making her way in the world.”
Palin first stepped into the spotlight in 2008, when her mother, the former Alaska governor, became Republican Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential running mate.
At the age of 18, Palin gave birth to her son, garnering national attention because she was not married to the father, then-18-year-old Levi Johnston.
The two have been engaged and broken the engagement twice in the past four years.
After the birth of her son, Palin began working with the Candie’s Foundation as an advocate for the prevention of teen pregnancy, speaking to teens about the importance of abstinence.
In 2010, Palin participated in Dancing With the Stars alongside celebrities David Hasselhoff, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino from Jersey Shore, Florence Henderson and Jennifer Grey. She placed third in the competition’s 11th season.
Palin’s memoir, Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far, made the New York Times best-seller list after its release in 2011. The book chronicled her personal life and time spent in the public eye.
The current Lifetime series is already in production, but no clips of the show have been released. Network representatives said they plan to begin airing the series sometime this year.
As for Johnston’s role in the series, his manager, Tank Jones, said he was offered a role by the producers, but they have yet to make a decision.
“I don’t like surprises,” Jones told ABC News. “I don’t want him to walk into a bad situation — not that we necessarily think it will be. We’re just trying to be careful so we’re looking at everything before he decides to participate in the show.”
This is the second proposed series focused on Palin. The first, a reality show picked up by the BIO channel, was dropped in November, and would have included fellow DWTS contestant Kyle Massey.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio