A teenager who got pregnant at 14 by a 12-year-old at the time has hit back at claims she’s being exploited as she prepares to appear on a popular TV show.
Bella, who is now 15, fell pregnant by her boyfriend Hunter, who is now 13, and the couple are one of the focal points of the upcoming season of TLC’s Unexpected. Bella’s family reportedly wanted her to keep the baby, while Hunter’s family were more keen on a termination.
Viewers were left shocked when the young couple’s ages were first confirmed and Bella, who has since amassed a huge following on TikTok, faced a lot of backlash on social media in particular.
The couple were extremely young when Bella first fell pregnant (TikTok/@_izabellamarie)
On a recent TikTok, the teenager said: “This video is for everyone saying I’m being exploited.
“If I didn’t want to share my story and let people know my situation, ’cause it is pretty unique compared to other people’s, I wouldn’t do it.
“The other reason my mum posts TikToks is ’cause it was my idea.
“My idea to share my story for other girls out there going through the same thing. They struggle with it because it’s hard, it’s not easy, it’s really, really hard.
“And I would never recommend it to anybody. But everyone out there saying I’m being exploited, this is not true.
“I didn’t want to do it for pregnancy. I just always wanted to do social media.”
She’s also since denied claims that she planned to get pregnant, and explained that her parents have been extremely supportive both before and after her son Wesley was born back in March 2025.
“They are so amazing, so much better than other parents,” Bella said, adding that she knew ‘right from wrong’ when it came to having a child at such a young age.
“We would never recommend it to anyone,” she clarified.
TLC’s longrunning teen pregnancy series Unexpected is back for a new season airing next month – and it’s already facing backlash for a controversial decision.
The US-based series features follows teenage couples as they navigate the ups and downs of becoming young parents – however, it’s the ages of one of the couples which has caught viewers’ attention.
The couple’s ages were revealed in a recent teaser for the show, with the inclusion of such young parents leaving viewers shocked.
“13?!? That’s actually so heartbreaking,” a second person commented, while a third added: “My heart dropped when I heard 13, like hay guys no is this a joke or what.”
Bella has since responded to the backlash on social media, posting a series of TikTok’s aimed at clearing up rumours circulating online.
Responding to claims made about her online, Bella clarified that she was not trying to get pregnant and that her parents were ‘great parents’, who are supportive of her and her young son.
She revealed her parents’ reaction to her pregnancy in another video, revealing they were incredibly supportive over the pregnancy and have helped her with raising the baby, named Wesley.
“They are so amazing, so much better than other parents,” Bella said, adding that she knew ‘right from wrong’ when it came to having a child young.
When it comes to Hunter’s family, the teenager revealed that his parents were not supportive of the pregnancy and wanted her to get a termination (via The Tab).
The young couple appear on the new season of Unexpected (TLC)
Bella also responded to claims that she was glamorizing teenage pregnancy, saying the TikTok’s her mum makes are intended to show ‘how hard it is’ to be a young parent.
“We would never recommend it to anyone,” she adds.
The difficulties of Bella’s journey are also teased in the trailer for Unexpected, which reveals that Hunter is struggling to pass the 8th grade (Year 9) at school.
“I don’t want him to be held back in the 8th grade,” Bella’s mother Falen states in the trailer, to which Bella replies: “I don’t want him to be a tenth grader dating an eighth grader. We’ve got a toddler.”
The couple aren’t the only expectant teenagers featured on the show, which also follows Isabella and Bryce, both 18, Amya and Jose, both 16, and, Mia and Jessie, both 16.