A Herbert Hoover High School student and mother of twins will befeatured on the prime-time reality television show "16 and Pregnant"tonight.
MTV will feature Leah Messer on its popular show, which followsteen girls as they go through pregnancy.
Each episode of the show, now in its second season, focuses on adifferent girl beginning when she's about six to eight monthspregnant and ending after her child is a couple of months old.
Previous episodes have followed teen mothers through pregnancycomplications, adoptions, financial troubles, getting or losingjobs, graduating from high school and relationship troubles.
An episode focusing on Messer, her boyfriend Corey Simms and twindaughters Aleeah and Aliannah will air on the cable channel at 10p.m. today.
A clip on MTV's "16 and Pregnant" homepage, 16andpregnant.mtv.com, shows Messer and a tearful Simms discussingwhether or not to cut ties and end their relationship.
MTV's crews likely got several aspects of the Kanawha Valley onfilm. For example, a crew followed Messer to the Charleston CivicCenter last fall as she took in the action at the Rough N Rowdyamateur boxing contest.
But her high school won't be on the program. Principal MikeKelley said he decided early on not to allow film crews in the highschool.
"We're not passing judgment on the show or on Leah. We supportLeah and will help her any way we can. We just felt like filminghere would have caused a distraction and a disruption in the normalgoings on in the school," he said.
Kelley said he doesn't know how "16 and Pregnant" will reflect onhis school.
"Frankly, I don't know what publicity that we are getting," hesaid. "I haven't seen the episode, and I've only ever watched thatshow one time. I really don't know what's going to happen."
There already is a Facebook page dedicated to Messer's appearanceon MTV. It's called "Leah Messer's Official Fan Page." On it are 480fans who have posted words of support and statements of excitementabout the MTV premiere.
Amy Falls, a longtime friend of Simms, helps Messer with theFacebook page.
A fan of "16 and Pregnant" since the first season, Falls saidfake profiles and fan pages quickly popped up for other girlsfeatured on the show. She didn't want that to happen to Messer.
"I didn't want Leah to get caught up in all that. I was trying toshow her ways to keep her from having her identity stolen," Fallssaid.
So far, most of the response to Leah and the show has beenpositive, Falls said.
"There's more support than anything. I'd say 90 percent of peoplesupport her," she said. "Most people are supportive, but witheverything you have your so-called 'haters.'"
She said activity on the site has increased as Messer'stelevision debut draws closer.
Falls said she thinks people respond to "16 and Pregnant" becauseit shows the unflinching truth about teenage pregnancy.
"I think with any child it's hard at her age," Falls said, but inMesser's case "everything is times two."
"It shows that not every time you get pregnant as a teenageryou're going to have one baby," she said. "It's not always easy aspeople think."
Four of the six mothers featured on the first season of "16 andPregnant" starred in MTV's spin-off series "Teen Mom," whichfollowed the girls through their first year of motherhood.
Falls said she doesn't know if Messer will be included in thesecond season of "Teen Mom."
COURTESY PHOTO Leah Messer, at right, and boyfriend Corey Simmshold their twin daughters Aleeah and Aliannah during an MTV pressevent for 16 and Pregnant.
Contact writer Zack Harold at 304-348-7939 or zack.harold@dailymail.com.
