A documentary about the wildly popular MTV shows 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom is in development, Us Weekly has exclusively learned.
According to a source, BuzzFeed Studios is teaming up with Maxine Productions, which was behind the groundbreaking investigative documentaries Quiet on Set: The Dark Set of Kids TV, Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story and The Fall of Diddy.
“A documentary on the franchise is in the early stages,” the insider shared with Us. “It will take a deeper look into the lives of the cast and the cultural impact of the show.”
Us has learned the project will aim to shed new light on a pivotal moment in reality TV history when young women became celebrities overnight as they navigated pregnancy in high school.
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The documentary hopes to include commentary from cast members, who will have the opportunity to share what they endured and learned from the franchise.
“It’s sure to be explosive,” the source explained, “considering some of the stories and cast members [featured] on the show over the years.”
16 and Pregnant first premiered on MTV in June 2009 and followed the stories of expectant girls in high school dealing with the hardships of teenage pregnancy. Each episode — produced in a documentary format — featured a different teenage girl from the United States.
In the first season alone, viewers were introduced to Maci Bookout, Amber Portwood and Catelynn Lowell. All three ladies have continued to document their lives for cameras and most recently appeared on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.
Others, like 16 and Pregnant alum Farrah Abraham, have stepped away from the franchise to pursue other projects.
In the last season of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, which concluded on May 22, cameras rolled as Maci, 33, and ex Ryan Edwards’ son Bentley turned 16.
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At the same time, Amber, 35, and ex Gary Shirley separately marked daughter Leah’s birthday milestone. (Amber has had a strained relationship with her daughter, and Leah has spent most of her childhood being raised by Gary, 38, and his wife, Kristina Shirley.)
Sixteen years after 16 and Pregnant premiered, Us has learned BuzzFeed Studios and Maxine Productions’ new project aims to unpack the franchise’s explosive rise, enduring impact and legacy it leaves behind.
“[16 and Pregnant] was the first time people were forced to look at teen pregnancy,” Maci previously told Us in 2019. “But the thing is, just because we turned 20, doesn’t mean that everything all of a sudden was just easy and great. It shows that even 10 years later, I don’t want to say consequences, but some of the things that you still have to battle and deal with because we were teen moms — there are still things. There will still be things in years [to come].”
Us Weekly has reached out to BuzzFeed Studios and Maxine Productions for comment.
