Salon.com > Levi Johnston http://www.salon.com Mon, 28 May 2012 15:05:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Levi Johnston’s sister bares all for Playboy http://www.salon.com/2011/07/14/mercede_johnston_does_playboy/ http://www.salon.com/2011/07/14/mercede_johnston_does_playboy/#comments Thu, 14 Jul 2011 19:40:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2011/07/14/mercede_johnston_does_playboy Congratulations, America, you've brought Mercede Johnston back. The reliably cantankerous teen, whose main claim to fame is having a brother who "stole" the virginity of dancing queen  and best-selling author Bristol Palin, has been keeping a low profile of late, barely stopping by her vitriol-fueled blog to update it. And it's been five long months since rumors first surfaced that Miss Johnston, like her trou-dropping brother Levi, would bare it all in the pages of a national magazine. But everyone knows that just because some things -- like Cher, or harem pants -- go away for long periods at a time, that doesn't mean we've seen the last of them. So hold on for the Summer of Mercede.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/07/14/mercede_johnston_does_playboy/feed/ 30 Did Bristol Palin accuse Levi of rape in her new memoir? http://www.salon.com/2011/06/21/bristol_palin_my_journey_so_far_rape/ http://www.salon.com/2011/06/21/bristol_palin_my_journey_so_far_rape/#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2011 14:52:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/books/2011/06/21/bristol_palin_my_journey_so_far_rape Us Weekly published blips from Bristol Palin's new biography this weekend, which describes in not-so-flattering detail the former V.P. candidate's daughter's coital relationship with baby daddy Levi Johnston. From the excerpts of "Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far":

The 20-year-old single mom reveals that, while drunk for the very first time, she lost her virginity to Levi Johnston during a camping trip.

Palin says she woke up alone in her tent, with no recollection as to what happened. Johnston, meanwhile, "talked with his friends on the other side of the canvas."

Snarky blog The Superficial put it in more salacious terms. "Bristol Palin is accusing Levi Johnston of rape!" reads its headline, but that's not really fair to Bristol. Sure, she calls Levi a "gnat" and quotes his reaction to the pregnancy news as "Better be a f***ing boy," (which ... classy!), but that's not Bristol calling it rape. Saying she doesn't remember the event isn't saying she was unconscious for it, just wasted.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/06/21/bristol_palin_my_journey_so_far_rape/feed/ 38 Levi Johnston’s hilarious book cover http://www.salon.com/2011/05/11/levi_johnston_book_cover/ http://www.salon.com/2011/05/11/levi_johnston_book_cover/#comments Wed, 11 May 2011 20:45:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2011/05/11/levi_johnston_book_cover Levi Johnston's forthcoming memoir "Deer in the Headlights: My Life in Sarah Palin's Crosshairs" is available for pre-order on Amazon. And the cover is something special: Johnston, dressed in hunting garb, is posing like a literal deer in headlights, lest readers take the metaphor too lightly.

It gets better. The teaser on the inside jacket, The Hollywood Gossip reports, reads:

He got naked and got inside Bristol Palin. Then he got naked in Playgirl. Now it's time for Levi to get you the naked TRUTH about Sarah Palin. Respect.

It is worth recalling, in light of this, that Johnston told the AP that he was releasing the book for himself, for his "boy Tripp and the country." Thank you, Levi.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/05/11/levi_johnston_book_cover/feed/ 24 Levi Johnston’s sister takes it off http://www.salon.com/2011/02/15/levi_johnston_sister_mercede_takes_it_off/ http://www.salon.com/2011/02/15/levi_johnston_sister_mercede_takes_it_off/#comments Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:45:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2011/02/15/levi_johnston_sister_mercede_takes_it_off It's not uncommon for siblings to share proclivities, whether it's an aptitude for math or a flair for tennis. And if you've ever skimmed Penthouse or Playboy, you know that even a thing for posing nude can run in the family. But of all the naked-getting clans in the world, who'd have thought the Johnstons of Alaska would turn out to number among them? It's true, though – following on the heels of her brother Levi's famed Playgirl wardrobe shedding, Mercede Johnston is apparently taking it off for Playboy. Soon, there will be nobody left in Wasilla still wearing pants.

On Wednesday, the hotheaded 19-year-old blogger directly addressed rumors regarding her impending nudity -- and the "insider" who claimed: "She always wanted to be a model, but it can be tough to break into the industry. And she's obviously choosing to go the easy route and take her clothes off."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2011/02/15/levi_johnston_sister_mercede_takes_it_off/feed/ 25 Levi Johnston takes back his Palin apology http://www.salon.com/2010/08/26/levi_johnston_take_back_palin_apology/ http://www.salon.com/2010/08/26/levi_johnston_take_back_palin_apology/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:54:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/08/26/levi_johnston_take_back_palin_apology Levi Johnston, the father of Sarah Palin's grandson, says he wishes he hadn't apologized for telling lies about the former Alaska governor because he's "never lied about anything."

Johnston said in an interview on CBS' "The Early Show" to air Friday that he wishes that he hadn't issued the apology to Palin.

"I don't really regret anything," Johnston said, who has appeared nude on the cover of Playgirl. "But the only thing I wish I wouldn't have done is put out that apology 'cause it kind of makes me sound like a liar. And I've never lied about anything. So that's probably the only thing. The rest of the stuff I can live with."

CBS said the interview was taped Thursday in Los Angeles.

Johnston is the two-time fiance of Palin's eldest daughter, Bristol, and the father of Bristol's son Tripp. Bristol Palin's teen pregnancy thrusted the couple into the national spotlight during Sarah Palin's run as the GOP's vice presidential candidate in 2008.

Johnston has expressed an interest in politics, filing papers last week to run for office in his hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, next year.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/08/26/levi_johnston_take_back_palin_apology/feed/ 15 N.H. state representative resigns after making Palin remark on Facebook http://www.salon.com/2010/08/12/new_hampshire_rep_resigns_sarah_palin_facebook_death/ http://www.salon.com/2010/08/12/new_hampshire_rep_resigns_sarah_palin_facebook_death/#comments Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:13:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/trending/2010/08/12/new_hampshire_rep_resigns_sarah_palin_facebook_death Yet another way Facebook can get you in serious trouble:

Two days ago New Hampshire Democratic activist Keith David Halloran commented on the social networking site that he wished Sarah Palin and Levi Johnston were on board the plane that crashed in Alaska, killing Ted Stevens and four other people. While Halloran was being publicly excoriated for it (and promptly apologizing,) state Rep. Timothy Horrigan made a similar comment, also on Facebook, that "a dead (Sarah) Palin would be even more dangerous than a live one."

Facebook is a public website, people.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/08/12/new_hampshire_rep_resigns_sarah_palin_facebook_death/feed/ 6 Levi Johnston: The politician America deserves http://www.salon.com/2010/08/10/levi_johnston_reality_star_mayor/ http://www.salon.com/2010/08/10/levi_johnston_reality_star_mayor/#comments Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:01:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life//feature/2010/08/10/levi_johnston_reality_star_mayor America, we had this coming. We're the ones who named the 20-year-old among the sexiest men living, the ones who TiVoed that episode of "Tyra," the ones who struggled valiantly to keep up with his on-again, off-again romance, after all. Is it any wonder then that the most eligible bachelor in Wasilla, Alaska, Levi Johnston, is shopping around a reality show that will pit the single father and recent Playgirl model against the democratic process itself -- as he runs for mayor of his hometown?

As the world awaits the governor of California's latest action flick, it is perhaps fitting that a man whose qualifications for public office appear to begin and end with impregnating Sarah Palin's daughter should choose a career in public service/reality TV stardom (not necessarily in that order). The show, being shopped around by producers Stone & Co., is tentatively titled "Loving Levi: The Road to the Mayor's Office." That whirring sound you hear is the Founding Fathers spinning furiously in their graves.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/08/10/levi_johnston_reality_star_mayor/feed/ 39 Bristol Palin dumps Levi Johnston over other women http://www.salon.com/2010/08/03/bristol_palin_dumps_levi_again/ http://www.salon.com/2010/08/03/bristol_palin_dumps_levi_again/#comments Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:04:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/trending/2010/08/03/bristol_palin_dumps_levi_again Bristol Palin told People Magazine that she dumped repeat fiance Levi Johnston after finding out he may have impregnated another woman. Lanesia Garcia was outed by the National Enquirer as the knocked-up teen in question, but Garcia told US Weekly that she hasn't hung out with Johnston since the ninth grade.  According to E!Online, the real reason for the split was a <em>different</em> ex-girlfriend, one Briana Plum, and a Facebook photo.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/08/03/bristol_palin_dumps_levi_again/feed/ 1 Kathy Griffin’s Levi-Bristol heartbreak http://www.salon.com/2010/07/15/kathy_griffin_levi_bristol_heartbreak/ http://www.salon.com/2010/07/15/kathy_griffin_levi_bristol_heartbreak/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:16:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet//2010/07/15/kathy_griffin_levi_bristol_heartbreak While Hitler has yet to weigh in on Wednesday's news that Levi Johnston's finally going to make an honest woman out of Bristol Palin, the announcement did not go without the requisite amount of Internet drama. Leave it to Levi's other bit of arm candy, Kathy Griffin, to show the world how to rock the public heartbreak. After bravely tweeting, "Oh y did I trust my heart 2 a 19 yr old ice-fisherman/babydaddy from Wasila? Like Britney I'm putting myself on a 5150 psych hold BUY MY BOOK," she took to YouTube to vent her agony. It's bad, people. Celine Dion-level bad. And the two of them looked so happy at the Teen Choice Awards!

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/07/15/kathy_griffin_levi_bristol_heartbreak/feed/ 19 Bristol and Levi: Family values role models http://www.salon.com/2010/07/14/levi_and_bristol/ http://www.salon.com/2010/07/14/levi_and_bristol/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:25:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet//2010/07/14/levi_and_bristol She has been a (perhaps unwitting) symbol of her mother's ultimate pro-life commitment; he cut off his mullet and agreed to wear a suit for the Republican Convention. She spent her first year postpartum making bank telling other young women not to even think of having sex; he was dubbed "Sex on Skates" by New York magazine and stripped down to his skivvies for cash. But perhaps, like the boy who pulls your pigtail on the playground, all those differences and petty squabbles were a sign of true love; according to this week's Us Weekly magazine, it was all just a prelude to a big white Alaskan wedding: Bristol Palin, abstinence educator, and Levi Johnston, Playgirl model, have announced their (second) engagement.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/07/14/levi_and_bristol/feed/ 64 Bristol Palin, Levi Johnston say they’re engaged http://www.salon.com/2010/07/14/us_people_palin_johnston_4/ http://www.salon.com/2010/07/14/us_people_palin_johnston_4/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:23:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/07/14/us_people_palin_johnston_4 Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston say they're engaged -- and they haven't told her parents yet.

Palin, the daughter of 2008 vice-presidential candidate and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is featured on the cover of Us Weekly with Johnston, holding their son, 18-month-old Tripp.

Bristol Palin tells the magazine that she finds the idea of telling her mother "intimidating and scary." Us Weekly editor Caroline Schaefer said on NBC'S "Today" show Tuesday that Palin approached the magazine looking for a platform to explain why she got engaged.

Palin and Johnston say they reconnected while working out a custody plan and became engaged two weeks ago. Schaefer says they hope to get married within six weeks in a small ceremony in Alaska.

Representatives for Sarah Palin did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press seeking comment.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/07/14/us_people_palin_johnston_4/feed/ 24 Levi’s sister can’t be tamed http://www.salon.com/2010/07/09/levi_johnston_sister_unstoppable/ http://www.salon.com/2010/07/09/levi_johnston_sister_unstoppable/#comments Fri, 09 Jul 2010 15:10:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet//2010/07/09/levi_johnston_sister_unstoppable You would think that being the sibling of the man who impregnated the daughter of Sarah Palin would be enough to get a measure of fame in contemporary America. And you would be correct. Lending further credibility to the notion that all of civilization is rapidly becoming an episode of "The Hills," Levi's Johnston's sister Mercede has decided to bring her family drama to the place most suited to working out one's issues: the Internet.

While her almost sister-in-law Bristol made her acting debut and brother Levi, in a flash of 12-steppish gentlemanliness, made amends to the Palin clan for the "youthful indiscretion" of saying things about them back in November "that were not completely true," Mercede has been fanning the flames of discord like a Real Housewife on a bum batch of Adderall. Since launching her blog in June, Mercede has been eagerly fielding questions "about Wasilla, our life, and our family." But on Wednesday, she really lit the match, writing with all the panache of the little sis that she is that "I will NOT sit down and shut up!" Claiming that her brother had sent a message over the weekend that "if I did not take my blog down by Wednesday that I would never get to see him, or [his son] Tripp, again," Mercede launched into a grand, you're-not-the-boss-of-me tirade.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/07/09/levi_johnston_sister_unstoppable/feed/ 27 Levi Johnston apologizes to Sarah Palin for “youthful indiscretion” http://www.salon.com/2010/07/07/levi_johnston_apologizes_to_sarah_palin/ http://www.salon.com/2010/07/07/levi_johnston_apologizes_to_sarah_palin/#comments Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:08:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/trending/2010/07/07/levi_johnston_apologizes_to_sarah_palin The ongoing saga of the Palin family and estranged father of Tripp Levi Johnston continued today when the Alaskan Playgirl model publicly apologized for his widely reported villification of the ex-governor. Just weeks after rumors circulated about Johnston and ex-girlfriend Bristol Palin getting back together, it looks like he's attempting to make amends for things like telling CBS's "Early Show" that Sarah Palin called her son Trig (who has Down's Syndrome) "retarded." It may take more than one apology.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/07/07/levi_johnston_apologizes_to_sarah_palin/feed/ 2 Bristol Palin, Levi Johnston together again? http://www.salon.com/2010/06/16/bristol_palin_levi_johnston_reunited/ http://www.salon.com/2010/06/16/bristol_palin_levi_johnston_reunited/#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:16:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/06/15/bristol_palin_levi_johnston_reunited Ah, young love.  It can be fickle, it can be cruel, it can saddle you with a baby and end your mother's Vice-Presidential ambitions.  Everyone's favorite unwed teenage parents, Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston, seem to be rebuilding their relationship for the sake of their child. Just how intimately they are working on it seems to be up for discussion, though.  US Weekly cites a source that says they are full-on back together, although Harper's Bazaar has a fascinating interview with Bristol in June's issue in which she discusses Levi being "a stranger" to her.  AP is reporting that the couple is merely "cordial."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/06/16/bristol_palin_levi_johnston_reunited/feed/ 2 Levi Johnston: Playgirl centerfold, deadbeat dad? http://www.salon.com/2010/01/22/levi_child_support/ http://www.salon.com/2010/01/22/levi_child_support/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:23:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet//2010/01/22/levi_child_support Levi Johnston's been just about everywhere in the 13 months since his son, Tripp, was born: He's shit-talked the Palin family to any and all media outlets, found his fame-whore soul mate in Kathy Griffin and attained gay icon status (not to mention a spot on Salon's "Sexiest Man Living" countdown) by posing for Playgirl. But there's one thing Johnston hasn't done this year, according to his ex, Bristol: paid his fair share of child support.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2010/01/22/levi_child_support/feed/ 10 Bristol Palin launches custody battle http://www.salon.com/2009/12/29/us_palin_johnston_1/ http://www.salon.com/2009/12/29/us_palin_johnston_1/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:04:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/2009/12/29/us_palin_johnston_1 A judge's ruling has revealed a heated legal custody battle between Sarah Palin's daughter and the father of her grandson.

Bristol Palin's request to keep the proceedings closed was denied last week by a Superior Court judge. A temporary order had authorized the use of pseudonyms while the court was considering the request, which stated that no good "could result to the child by an onslaught of media."

Levi Johnston, the father of 1-year-old Tripp, has pushed for open court proceedings, saying he "just wants a simple case on the merits."

"I do not feel protected against Sarah Palin in a closed proceeding," Johnston said in an affidavit. "I hope that if it is open she will stay out of it. Bristol's attorney is her attorney."

Bristol Palin's petition for sole custody and child support, filed in early November, also seeks a visitation schedule for Johnston. Bristol says her ex-fiance has exercised "sporadic visitation rights."

Relations between the Palins and Johnston and his family have frequently been strained since the couple broke off their engagement after their son was born in late December 2008.

Johnston denies in court documents that he has avoided his responsibilities. He is seeking shared custody.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2009/12/29/us_palin_johnston_1/feed/ 6 Bristol Palin seeks full custody http://www.salon.com/2009/12/29/us_palin_grandson_custody/ http://www.salon.com/2009/12/29/us_palin_grandson_custody/#comments Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:25:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/2009/12/28/us_palin_grandson_custody An Alaska judge's ruling has revealed a heated legal custody battle between Sarah Palin's daughter and the father of Palin's grandson.

A November request by 18-year-old Bristol Palin keep the proceedings closed was denied Christmas Eve. Her Nov. 3 petition for sole custody and child support also seeks a visitation schedule for Levi Johnston, the father of 1-year-old Tripp.

Bristol says her ex-fiance has exercised "sporadic visitation rights."

The 19-year-old Johnston denies in court documents that he has avoided his responsibilities. He is seeking shared custody.

Bristol is the eldest daughter of Sarah Palin, who resigned as Alaska governor in July. She announced her daughter's pregnancy days after being named the running mate of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2009/12/29/us_palin_grandson_custody/feed/ 16 Levi Johnston suing for joint custody of Palin grandson http://www.salon.com/2009/11/09/johnston_7/ http://www.salon.com/2009/11/09/johnston_7/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:32:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2009/11/09/johnston Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has been making more and more forays back out into the public eye as the date of her memoir's release grows closer. Now, with the book due out in just eight days, she's been hit with news that's probably going to put a crimp in her whatever plans she's had for getting positive coverage during her book tour.

Levi Johnston, the former fiancé of Palin's daughter Bristol -- and the father of the former governor's first grandchild, 10-month-old Tripp -- reportedly plans to sue for joint custody of his son.

"It's not working. I'm done," Johnston told the Insider. "It's going to have to go to court. They just finally pushed me over the edge."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2009/11/09/johnston_7/feed/ 32 Palin goes on the warpath against Johnston http://www.salon.com/2009/10/28/palin_johnston_2/ http://www.salon.com/2009/10/28/palin_johnston_2/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:25:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/news/politics//war_room/2009/10/28/palin_johnston Levi Johnston, the father of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's grandchild, was back on television Wednesday morning. As with all of his most recent appearances, what Johnston had to say didn't exactly paint the woman who was once going to be his mother-in-law in the most favorable light.

During an interview on CBS' "Early Show,"Johnston repeated and expanded upon an allegation he'd made earlier, that Palin refers to her son Trig -- who has Down Syndrome -- as "retarded." He also said he knows other things about Palin that could hurt her, but that he won't reveal them.

"I have things that can, you know -- that would get her in trouble, and could hurt her. Will hurt her. But I'm not gonna go that far. You know, I mean, if I really wanted to hurt her, I could, very easily. But there's -- I'm not gonna do it. I'm not going that far," Johnston said.

Palin has issued a statement responding to Johnston. She had some rather harsh things to say about him -- she referenced his forthcoming appearance in Playgirl magazine -- and also criticized CBS for putting him on the air. The statement:

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2009/10/28/palin_johnston_2/feed/ 68 Levi Johnston: Stud http://www.salon.com/2009/09/03/levi_johnston_3/ http://www.salon.com/2009/09/03/levi_johnston_3/#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:04:00 +0000 http://www.salon.com/life//feature/2009/09/03/levi_johnston If you ever wondered about the difference between boys and girls, Bristol Palin and her ex-boyfriend and forever baby daddy, Levi Johnston, are currently staging a very convincing reenactment of that old high school drama: the slut vs. the stud. Bristol, as we all know, has spent the months since their son was born speaking out for abstinence, essentially agreeing with her harshest critics that she should have kept her legs closed. Meanwhile, Levi has an offer to pose for Playgirl.

In a video on the Vanity Fair Web site, Levi and his handler Tank Jones -- Tank! -- cruise in a limo around New York talking about Mr. Johston’s, ah, johnson. Yes, we do mean this in the most literal sense. When Levi says he’s game to pose for Playgirl, Tank says, “You realize you’ve got to have some johnson. You’ve got to unfold some things.” Tank mentions that a friend of his who once posed for the magazine had to “add an extra leaf to fold out for him” -- not that Tank ever saw the shots, mind you, since he’s not into that kind of thing.

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