Today, ABC Family announced that Bristol Palin, daughter of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, will guest star on an upcoming episode of the hit series The Secret Life of the American Teenager.  The casting coup makes sense since the show is about a pregnant teenager and Bristol is perhaps the world's most famous pregnant teen since Juno.

But the guest appearance makes even more sense than that.  Yes, Bristol and the show's main character, Amy Juergens, are both unwed teenage mothers, but the comparisons are more than skin deep.  In many ways, it seems like The Secret Life of the American Teenager borrowed liberally from the real Palin family.  Here are just some of the things the two have in common.

Hilariously Awesome Average Dude Fathers

Bristol's dad is snow machinist Todd Palin, a typical everyman who nearly became the First Dude in the White House.  Amy's dad, George, doesn't race snowmobiles, but he's still a Joe Six-Pack everyman like Todd Palin.

Aloof, Preening Baby Daddies
The father of Bristol's son, Levi Johnston, is well-known for being a rather vapid, self-centered pretty boy who posed for a nude photo shoot in Playgirl.  On Secret Life, Amy's baby daddy, Ricky (played by Levi lookalike Daren Kagasoff), is an equally self-centered, self-absorbed lothario who's known for ignoring the mother of his child.

Strong, Independent Women Who Do What They Want

At their core, Bristol and Amy deal with being a teenage mother in the same way.  Neither are ashamed of their situation and they both take on all comers, never backing down from a fight and refusing to hide in the background.  Bristol isn't afraid to go on national TV to defend her views (or take on Seth MacFarlane on Facebook) and Amy refused to let her fellow students talk about her behind her back.


Bristol Palin will appear on The Secret Life of the American Teenager when the show returns for its third season this summer.  New episodes currently air Mondays at 8pm on ABC Family.