When a friend said last night on Twitter that Kathy Griffin had taken Levi Johnston — teenage father of Bristol Palin’s son Tripp — as her date to this year’s Teen Choice Awards, I thought I had to be reading some sort of joke. But apparently this is a thing that actually happened.
So weird. Since when is former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s former future son-in-law a red carpet celebrity? I can’t tell if Johnston meant this appearance as a self-aware gag about extending his 15 minutes of fame — in which case, pretty funny! — or if he’s genuinely trying to position himself as someone Hollywood should care about. The fact that he was in town for a Vanity Fair photo shoot suggests the latter option, which is sort of tragic, but I’m guessing the answer is a little bit of both.
Meanwhile, don’t ask me to figure out why Griffin asked young Levi out. Hasn’t she heard what happens to TV comedians who cross the Palins? If only we could have heard the surely-hilarious conversation between Griffin’s guest bookers and Johnston’s agent that led to this date. Perhaps on an upcoming episode of My Life on the D-List.
How did Wasilla’s most (least?) eligible bachelor enjoy his evening with Ms. Griffin, anyway? Asked by an E! reporter, Johnston said, “I just, you know, look at her, shut up and do what I’m told.” Must have felt familiar! And hey, considering the way this guy was forced to be part of a three-ring media circus last year, the least he deserves now is every American’s God-given right to be a shameless publicity hound. Doesn’t he? What do you think of this utterly bizarre pairing?
