Levi Johnston--Unwed and Now Unemployed

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

08 Jan 2009 11:05 PM

Forget about being unwed, Bristol Palin's baby daddy is now unemployed thanks to his famous future mother-in-law.

According to reports, Levi Johnston, the 18-year-old boyfriend of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol and father of the former Republican vice presidential candidate's first grandchild, recently quit his job in an Alaskan oil field after questions of his eligibility surfaced.

Johnston, reportedly left his position in an electrical apprenticeship program, after an Alaskan radio talk show host raised questions about whether he was eligible to participate. The teen had been working for ASRC Energy Services Inc. in North Slope County, Alaska, for the past three months. However, shortly after Bristol gave birth to the couple's son Tripp last month, local Alaska radio talk show host Dan Fagan went public with information regarding federal regulations that require members of the apprenticeship program to have a high school diploma - which Johnston does not. Fagan also questioned Governor Palin's involvement in securing the job for her future son-in-law.

In an interview with the Anchorage Daily News the governor denied helping Johnston secure his high paying apprenticeship position saying that Fagan's comments were "a political potshot" that threatens to "destroy a young man's opportunity for work."

As for Johnston, his father Keith told the newspaper that his son felt it was best to quit his job "to kind of calm the waters, so to speak."

Keith Johnston, who reportedly works as a construction engineer for ASRC Energy Services, Inc., called the diploma brouhaha an "oversight."

"It's just something that slipped through the cracks," Johnston told the newspaper.

Levi's dad also made another interesting comment in the article blaming the media for his son's current lack of employment.

"[The media] is watching him so tightly," Johnston said. "He's being treated different than an average 18-year-old kid. He has to do everything by the book now."

Being forced to follow the rules... what a concept.

I wonder if scoring $300 grand for photos of his newborn son played a part in Johnston stepping away from his oil field position?

Learn more about Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism.

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