Topics: Parenting, Sex and Relationships, TLC, Social Media, TikTok, Film and TV
The latest series of TLC's hit teen mom documentary Unexpected is set to air in a matter of weeks, but before the show has even premiered, the family of one of its young stars has spoken out about the difficult situation they're in.
15-year-old Bella Vaughn sparked controversy and public debate when she was revealed as one of the new moms being featured on the show's upcoming seventh season - mostly because the father was merely 12 when the baby was conceived.
After Unexpected's trailer dropped and the hate started pouring in, Bella hit back at her critics who accused her of doing something criminal, saying: "Just because he was 12 [when he got me pregnant], he turned 13 a few days later!"
The teen mom added that dad Hunter 'was sexually ready faster than I was', but this has done little to stem the questions from trolls and concerned citizens alike ahead of the show's release, February 16.
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Commenters astounded at Bella's situation have even attacked her parents, both for her teen pregnancy and for putting her on TV. This means the family are having to deal with a torrent of hate, and the show has not even aired yet.
One argued that 'they are absolutely using their 15-year-old daughter for money and internet fame'.
Now, her father, Kris Vaughn, has hit back, directing some of his anger at women who have criticized his family, calling them 'unscrewable', and claiming that their words only make his family richer.
He said: "Due to all the trolls, and the women quickly being known as what I have to say on TV as the 'unscrewables', they are going to make season 7 hot. It’s going to be a hot season."
Separately, Bella took to her Instagram to defend her parents, stating that they had nothing to do with her pregnancy and have supported her throughout the process. She said: "They have done everything for me.
"They support, they take care of me, they help me take care of my kid because I am a teen.”
Her dad, in a TikTok post hitting back at the trolls, claimed that all the attention was just lining his pockets, adding: “All [the critics] are doing is making us the stars of the show and I got to tell y’all, my royalty check is going to be so fat.
“We’re going to be able to buy a lot of groceries, so thank you all. It’s freaking awesome and you all have a great night.”
But this comment reflects some of what TLC fans argued after seeing some clips from the upcoming series, with Reddit users arguing that the parents 'want to be the main character' in the story about their daughter's pregnancy.
One asked: "What kind of parents go on [TikTok] when they know their comment section looks like that with their child right there?!”
However, Bella claims their motivation is to show the difficulty of having a baby when you're so young. She said: “If you watch Unexpected, they show how hard it is, they show how [many] fights you get [into] and how annoying it is and how inconvenient it is.
"That is what Unexpected is about. It's not about glorifying it. I'm not recommending teen pregnancy to anybody.”
