Levi Johnston

Levi Keith Johnston (born May 3, 1990) is an American media personality, model, and former apprentice electrician. He first gained national public attention in August 2008 when U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced that her daughter, Bristol Palin, was pregnant by Johnston and that the couple was engaged. Johnston is best known as the twice-former fiancé of Bristol Palin, the father of their son, and for his subsequent public media appearances and modeling career.

Johnston was born in Wasilla, Alaska, to Sherry (née Sampson) and Keith Johnston, and was raised alongside his sister, Mercede "Sadie" Johnston. He attended Wasilla High School, where he played on the school hockey team, though he did not graduate. He later worked full-time in the Alaska North Slope oil fields as an apprentice electrician, leaving the job in January 2009 to pursue opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Johnston and Bristol Palin began dating during their freshman year of high school. Following the announcement of Sarah Palin's vice-presidential candidacy, Johnston attended the 2008 Republican National Convention with the Palin family. Bristol gave birth to their son, Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, in December 2008. The couple called off their initial engagement in March 2009, leading to a public child custody dispute. Although they briefly reunited and announced a second engagement in July 2010, they ended their relationship permanently less than three weeks later.

Following his initial breakup with Palin, Johnston sought a career as a model and actor, hiring Anchorage attorney Rex Butler to represent his interests in entertainment projects. He gave a series of nationally televised interviews, including an appearance on The Tyra Banks Show, and starred in a commercial for Wonderful Pistachios. Johnston also made guest appearances alongside comedian Kathy Griffin on her reality television series Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, and posed for a modeling shoot with Playgirl magazine.

In August 2010, Johnston announced his candidacy for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, intending to tie his campaign into a proposed reality television show. However, he officially dropped out of the race in August 2011, six weeks before the election. Shortly after, in September 2011, he published a memoir about his experiences titled Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs. In May 2013, he appeared as a celebrity coach in the pilot of the reality series Mansformation.

Johnston married Sunny Oglesby on October 28, 2012. The couple has three daughters, born in 2012, 2015, and 2019. His public profile inspired several creative works, including the song "Levi Johnston's Blues" on the 2010 Ben Folds and Nick Hornby album Lonely Avenue, as well as Marian Call's "The Avocado Song." He was also portrayed by actor Justin Gaston in the 2012 HBO film Game Change.