Teen Mom's Leah and Cory file for divorce. Noooo!

Leah and Cory as teenagers in love on Teen Mom 2. (Courtesy of MTV)
Leah and Cory as teenagers in love on Teen Mom 2. (Courtesy of MTV)


As a relatively media savvy adult, I shouldn't be surprised that teenagers on an MTV reality show are breaking up. But of all the reality stars I want to believe and believe in, it's Leah and Cory.

After six months of marriage, Leah's filed for divorce and rumors are circulatingthat he cheated. Is this as devastating to you as it is to me? As one quarter of the Teen Mom 2 pie, they were a slice of hope. Despite their high school fling that resulted in twins, one born with developmental disabilities, they decided to stick together as a family. At the end of this season, they held a tearful wedding ceremony that suggested they'd live happily ever after.

On a series that spotlights the immaturity of teenage parents in impossible situations, Leah and Cory were the exception. They served as a stark contrast to Jenelle and Kiefer who finished the series in jail; Chelsea and Adam who were so awkward together they could barely look each other in the eye; and Joe and Kaelin who required police mediation for any type of discussion about their child. Leah and Cory cried together, made doctors appointments together, developed a somewhat balanced work-home routine, and cheered together as their daughters' early progress. On top of all their maturity, they still had the fidgety, moony-eyed vibe of two teenagers in love.

Jokes on me. Not only are they divorcing, they're also doing it while shooting the next season of 'Teen Mom.' All this past season's romantic hurdles only happened over a few months, despite seeming like an eternity. In the six months since the cameras stopped taping them and the show aired, they've become tabloid sensations and full-fledged TV stars hounded by paparazzi. If the rumors of Cory's infidelity are true, maybe the attention got to him. Or maybe they were never very solid to begin with, just beneficiaries of an edit bay and some good story producers.

Still, losing the strongest couple on a show where every other teen dad is a dud is a loss-for the young couple, for their twins, and for the two million plus viewers. Corey served to show that real men stick around, they cry over their kids and they fall madly in love with their children's mother. Together, they suggested that teenagers could transform into a mature, caring parents if they worked at it. What's the message now?

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