Levi Johnston biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Public figure. Born Levi Keith Johnston on May 3, 1990, in Wasilla, Alaska, to parents Sherry and Keith. Johnston excelled in sports - specifically hockey - and was an avid hunter at an early age, tracking bears, elk and caribou.

Johnston met fellow classmate Bristol Palin in 2005, while a freshman at Wasilla High School, and their romance quickly blossomed into a serious romantic relationship. Johnston also excelled in hockey at Wasilla High, where Palin could be seen frequently cheering him on from the stands. Johnston struggled academically, however, and dropped out of school his senior year to work as an apprentice electrician in the Alaskan oil fields.

Johnston's family life had also grown less than ideal; his mother struggled with a prescription drug problem, and both parents tried hard to make financial ends meet. During this time, Johnston asserts, he lived at the Palin household with Bristol, while his own parents struggled to pull their lives together.

Relationship with Palin

Levi's relationship with his girlfriend grew more and more serious, leading Johnston to tattoo Bristol's name on his ring finger. In 2008, however, the couple's relationship became a political matter when Bristol revealed she was expecting a child with Johnston. Bristol's mother, Sarah, was serving as governor of Alaska at the time, and her daughter's relationship became a living example of the Republican viewpoint on family values and abortion rights. Adding additional pressure to the matter was Sarah Palin's sudden appointment as the Vice Presidential candidate in John McCain's presidential campaign.

The year was a tumultuous one for Johnston. He and Bristol became engaged later that year, and often appeared as poster children for teen pregnancy. That same year, Johnston's mother was caught dealing the prescription painkiller OxyContin, and was set to go on trial.

Breakup

In November of 2008, Sarah Palin and running mate John McCain lost their presidential bid. In December, Johnston and Bristol's son Tripp was born. Following the birth of their baby, Johnston and Bristol canceled their marriage plans and ended their three-year relationship. Johnston says he still exercises custody rights, and has publicly declared his love for his son. But his animosity toward the Palin family since his split from Bristol has taken the form of several tell-all interviews discussing the Palins' private lives. In a 2009 interview with Vanity Fair, Johnston claimed that Sarah Palin wanted to keep Bristol's pregnancy a secret, and offered to adopt the baby and raise him as her own. Johnston said he and Bristol refused to agree to the plan.