Jennifer Del RioIt seemed obvious last season that 16 and Pregnant star Jennifer Del Rio and her baby daddy Josh Smith were headed nowhere good. But now, according to TMZ, it has become even worse. Del Rio says he is a huge threat to her family's safety and she moved 1,000 miles away from him and is asking for sole custody of their twins. 

This isn't the first time this couple has had issues. Even on the show, their fights were extremely ugly and bitter. Their relationship seemed a little more volatile and a lot more dangerous than anyone else who had been on the show. But the allegations against Smith are horrific. One is that he threatened to have Del Rio raped.

No wonder she wants to keep him from their babies. This also says something very frightening about the show itself.

The thing we always have to remember about these shows is that they're real. These aren't actors playing a little role. These aren't shiny, happy kids pretending like they have issues. These are real teenagers who got pregnant at a very young age. The fact is, most of the time, teens who find themselves pregnant aren't coming from the best backgrounds.

Maybe there was domestic abuse or abandonment or poverty. Maybe there were bad grades or drugs or other problems. Usually teen pregnancy that is carried to term is more of a symptom than the problem itself.

In other words: These are at-risk kids and they are on TV. The only difference between them and any other teen with serious, serious issues is that they are on TV. That means we care about their trials and tribulations, their fights and breaksups, the messes they make of their lives.

But this isn't entertainment. This is real life and real pain and real danger. I hope Del Rio and her little boys can be safe and happy and far away from anyone who might threaten them or harm them.

This is when the show is just pathetically sad and wrong. This isn't a situation we all need to see. It's just not.

Do you think this show is good or bad for these moms?

 

Image via MTV