If you're going to cash in on reproduction, the media pays much better than a sperm bank -and nobody knows it better than Levi Johnston.
The bane of the Palin family’s existence is reportedly trying to make a buck - or thousands - on his latest pregnancy endeavour with current girlfriend Sunny Oglesby, whom he started dating after his second engagement to Bristol Palin collapsed in late 2010.
News of the pregnancy came Tuesday during Sarah Palin’s heavily talked-about Today show appearance - and those close to Johnston say that was no coincidence.
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Johnston and Oglesby have been dating since late 2010, several months after his second engagement to Bristol Palin crumbled
Levi Johnston, right, plants a kiss on girlfriend Sunny Oglesby's lips during what looks like a hunting trip. Klassy
A Johnston pal tells The Huffington Post's Naughty But Nice Rob: "Of course he did it on purpose, to once again annoy Sarah.
'This was meant to be her big day, and instead we are all talking about Levi. Love him or hate him, I can tell you for sure that this kid is no fool when it comes to the media'.
Later on Tuesday, Johnston, 21, confessed to TMZ that it came as a surprise when Sunny Oglesby, a 20-year-old schoolteacher also from Wasilla, Alaska, found out she was expecting a child.
Although the pregnancy was not planned, Johnston said he was 'excited' about the news and tentatively talked of the couple's future.
The news that Johnston was becoming a rather again came as Sarah Palin hosted the Today show in New York with (left to right) Al Roker, Ann Curry and Matt Lauer
He told TMZ on Tuesday: 'Sunny and I are looking forward to raising the [new] baby together and maybe eventually getting married or something'. Things happen and we are both happy with what came of it'.
If Johnston does sell the story, it wouldn't be the first time he earned some coin off the media.
In 2010, Us Weekly reportedly paid about $100,000 for the exclusive news that Bristol and Levi were rekindling their romance, a charge the magazine denied.
Johnston was an 18-year-old high-school hockey player in Wasilla, Alaska, when he was thrust into the spotlight after Sarah Palin was selected as John McCain's running mate back in 2008.
Bristol's pregnancy was revealed to the Republican Party convention just days later.
He and Bristol, 21, who were engaged, broke up shortly after the birth of their son Tripp in December 2008.
Johnston was twice engaged to Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol, before and after the birth of their son Tripp
Johnston claims bad blood between him and the Palins have resulted in limited visits with his son.
He told TMZ that he loves Tripp 'more than anything but unfortunately I don't get to see him a whole lot.'
He also alleged that Bristol repeatedly lied to him that she had taken Tripp out of town to avoid letting him see his son.
Bristol later became a loud and proud advocate for abstinence - reclaiming her virginity and vowing not to have sex again until she's married.
Johnston claims his sour relationship with the Palins has resulted in limited visits with his son
In 2009, he stripped off for Playgirl magazine. That same year, Johnston struck up a friendship with comedienne Kathy Griffin, and accompanied her to the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Johnston also appeared alongside Griffin in an episode of her Bravo reality show My Life on the D-List, when she travelled to Wasilla and the two tried such activities as ice fishing together.
In a 2010 interview with People magazine published just before he and Bristol got back together, Johnston issued an apology to the Palin family, proclaiming that he 'said things about the Palins that were not completely true'.
However, after their relationship fizzled again several months later, he recanted the apology.
In his memoir Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin’s Crosshairs, published last year, he claimed that the former Alaska governor had a 'cougar crush' on him while he was dating Bristol.
Other allegations in the book include the claim that Mama Grizzly owns a tanning bed, can't load a gun, loathes the outdoors and that she and husband Todd barely speak.
Bristol fired back in her own autobiography, Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far - claiming Johnston 'stole' her virginity after she got drunk off a few wine coolers.
She also claimed Johnston of spread 'false accusations against our family' and said his Playgirl spread made her want to 'puke'.
In 2011, Johnston announced he would run for mayor of Wasilla, the position held by Sarah Palin before she became the state's governor.
Six weeks before the election, however, he abandoned the campaign.
Last month, market research firm E-Poll listed Johnston ninth among the top 10 most overexposed celebrities, just ahead of Khloe Kardashian.
He was portrayed by actor and model Justin Gaston in the controversial HBO film about the 2008 Republican campaign, Game Change.
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