Unexpected season 7 star Hunter Johnson — who conceived a baby with girlfriend Bella Vaughn, 15, when he was 12 years old — is opening up about his dad’s reaction to him becoming a father.
“He said I ruined my life,” Hunter, now 13, told producers in a confessional alongside Bella and her mom, Falen, as well as his own mom, during season 7’s Monday, February 16, premiere on TLC. “I do not feel like I ruined my life.”
After a producer asked Hunter how he felt when his father said that, the teen responded, “I know Bella won’t believe, [but] I didn’t care.”
However, Bella wasn’t convinced.
TLC’s Unexpected returns in February 2026 with dramatic new stories of teenagers navigating parenthood. Season 7 follows a brand-new cast of eight teenagers throughout their pregnancy journeys, as they break the news to their families and experience the challenges of becoming teen parents. Cameras follow every step of the way as the Unexpected cast members […]
“I think he may not show it but sometimes it really upsets him,” she told the cameras, to which Hunter insisted, “No, it don’t.”
Bella added, “I think he lets in more than he lets out.”
Hunter and Bella have caused a stir among Unexpected viewers as some of the youngest parents to join the show. Unexpected season 7 sees the couple navigate disagreements with their parents over Bella’s pregnancy and Hunter’s grades in school as they prepare to become parents.
In a TikTok video back in January, Bella revealed that her boyfriend was 12 years old when they conceived their son, Wes, who was reportedly born in March 2025. According to Bella, Hunter turned 13 a few days after conception.
“I understand it doesn’t make it any better. I understand he was sexually ready faster than I was, and that’s OK, but I was ready when we had sex,” she said at the time. “You can all stop saying that it was illegal and that I raped him because I didn’t. It was both intentional. On both sides, people have already said that. We’ve already talked to the cops about it. It was consensual.”
Bella later added, “I did not ruin Hunter’s life. I gave, when I found that I was pregnant, I gave him the option. I said, ‘If you can’t do this or you don’t want to be here, that is fine. I understand we’re both very young, but I can do this on my own or with you. It’s your decision. Whatever you choose, I’m fine with.’ He chose to stay with me. He chose to take care of our baby.”
Bella also shut down speculation that she was “glorifying” teen pregnancy.
“Nothing is being glorified. If you watch my mom’s TikToks, we say how hard it is, we say we would never recommend it to anyone,” she continued. “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.”
In a preview clip shared last week ahead of the premiere, Hunter reflected on being only 12 years old when he learned he would be a father.
“I did not think I would be finishing eighth grade and becoming a dad at the same time,” he admitted.
Likewise, Bella said, “I did not think at 15 years old I’d be pregnant. I didn’t think [it would be] with a 13-year-old either.”
During Monday’s episode, Bella addressed the possibility of Hunter being held back a grade in school, telling him, “I don’t want to be two grades above you, 10th grade, dating an eighth grader while we’ve got a toddler.”
In a confessional, Bella added, “I’m not gonna let him fail. He’s gonna go to school, and he’s gonna do what he needs to do because he’s got a kid. Plus, if he gets held back when I go to prom, 11th grade, he won’t get to go.”
New episodes of Unexpected season 7 air Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.