Netflix filming Teen Mom and 16 & Pregnant documentary with Whitney Purvis, others?

Netflix is currently filming “a documentary about the Teen Mom/16 & Pregnant franchise,” according to 16 and Pregnant Season 1 mom Whitney Purvis.

Whitney announced on Facebook in June that she was “meeting with Netflix.” She revealed in the comments that the meeting was in regards to “a documentary [they’re] doing on the Teen Mom/16&P franchise.”

Whitney shared an update this week confirming that she was in the process of filming.

Whitney Purvis filming Netflix Teen Mom documentary

“Filming for the Netflix doc today,” Whitney shared on Facebook on Monday.

One commenter asked why it was Netflix and not MTV recording the documentary. “Because certain topics come up like exploiting minors,” Whitney explained.

Whitney was also asked for more details about the documentary, including what it was called and when it would be released.

“I’m not sure what the title is going to be yet,” Whitney replied, “and it’ll be in the fall.”

Despite mentioning Netflix specifically, Whitney did say at one point that the project may find another home if “another network out bids Netflix.”

Other 16 & Pregnant cast members filming?

The comments section of Whitney’s post included multiple former cast members from 16 and Pregnant, some of which expressed interest in the documentary.

“Send them my way next lollll,” wrote Season 2 mom Megan McConnell. “I’ve got lots to share about them 🫠.”

“Let me send you their email,” Whitney replied. “I’m sure they’d want to talk to you too!”

Megan’s 16 and Pregnant Season 2 co-stars Lizzie Mortensen and Ashley Salazar also chimed in, with Ashley hinting at being interested in participating.

“Shoot them my way,” Ashley wrote, adding the 👀😂 emoji combo.

“I’ll send you her email!” Whitney responded.

It’s unclear if the documentary will include interviews with the dads or some of the children involved with the shows.

“I hope they let some of the older children speak their peace as well,” a commenter stated. “Like Kail’s son Isaac, and Chelsea’s daughter Aubrey. Only if the kids wanted to of course. I just feel they grew up being filmed too. So I think it would be cool to hear a little from them too.”

Whitney was unsure if any of the kids are participating. “I was curious about that too, I’m going to ask who all is doing it etc.”

Does Whitney Purvis regret not doing Teen Mom?

Viewers will likely recall that Whitney was featured in the very first season of 16 and Pregnant, which originally aired in June and July of 2009. (Perhaps Netflix plans to use the 15-year anniversary as part of the marketing strategy for the documentary?)

There were six moms featured in Season 1 of 16 and Pregnant. Four of those moms returned as part of Teen Mom Season 1: Amber Portwood, Farrah Abraham, Maci Bookout, and Catelynn Lowell.

Those four moms went on to become tabloid cover reality show stars. They also managed to secure lucrative contracts that resulted in A LOT of money over the years.

Whitney talked about not being a part of Teen Mom in the comments of her post, seemingly revealing that it was her choice to not continue filming with MTV.

“You should have been part of the original cast,” a commenter wrote. “Buuuuut at the same time, it could have been toxic!”

“I go back and fourth on if I regret not doing it,” Whitney admitted. “I don’t think being on television at a young age is healthy for anyone, especially reality tv. But on the other hand, that’s a lot of money to walk away from. There’s a lot of pros and cons to it.”

Whitney then shared her rather negative take on her episode of 16 and Pregnant. “I hated my episode, I’ve watched it once and never again.”

MTV didn’t get Whitney Purvis’s parents’ permission to film her?

Whitney opened up about quite a bit in the comments section of her post, including details about what the experience was like filming 16 and Pregnant at such a young age.

In a bit of a shocker, Whitney claimed that show producers did not communicate with her parents prior to filming.

“Most don’t know this, but MTV never even talked to my parents before filming,” Whitney stated. “I couldn’t imagine my sons just showing up with a film crew. That seems like something you would need to discuss with their parents and get permission.”

Being just a teenager at the time, Whitney didn’t have the perspective to know producers might be taking advantage of her. She also couldn’t have known what the result would be in terms of dealing with the negativity for the rest of her life.

“I didn’t see it as exploitation until I got older and really understood. I definitely wasn’t prepared for the aftermath of it. Having strangers talk sh*t about you like they know you from such a young age really does damage to your mental.”

#16andPregnant's @ashleyslzr applies for new @MTV #TeenMom show, says "I think it's looking good so far?" https://t.co/LkBh7OyFyQ pic.twitter.com/l6ZQM02x5o

— Starcasm (@starcasm) March 10, 2017

Was 16 and Pregnant staged/fake?

Another topic that will surely come up in the Teen Mom Netflix documentary is how much of the 16 and Pregnant episodes were fake and/or scripted. Whitney and Season 2 mom Lizzie Mortenson talked about that.

“I never could get comfortable on camera and 70% percent of it was staged or edited,” Whitney claimed, “so my episode wasn’t really even accurate portrayal of me. But that’s who some [people] will always think I am.”

There was a series of exchanges between Whitney and 16 and Pregnant Season 2 mom Lizzie Mortensen about filming:

LIZZIE: Gotta love when you film scenes where you’re “pregnant” and really its just a pillow under your jacket, and faking a birth scene at 1 am was good times too. 🙃

WHITNEY: Stuff like that is so weird now that I’m older. What about having to walk through the same door like 5 or 6 times lol. I had to pretend my dog ran away, they made it seem like I didn’t know to tie my shoes. Don’t get me started on the narration. I did enjoy all the free food though lol

LIZZIE: I still have nightmares about walking down my stairs. There was a turn in them and I had to redo it a million times, and I’m pregnant and tired and just like, “Bro, let me leave!” But [you’re] right, the free food when being pregnant was boss lol. I remember I worried about getting my nails done cause I had no money, [but] they said anything we do on camera is paid for so I asked if we can go car shopping. lol Clearly it didn’t work.

WHITNEY: Haha oh yeah I forgot about that, that was a cool perk. We went crib shopping and picked the most expensive one since it was gonna be free lol I got a nice baby book too out of it. Filming in public was so awkward cause ppl would just stand around like 😲😲 and you’d have to pretend like ppl weren’t just sitting there staring at you.

#16andPregnant Season 1 mom Whitney Purvis was arrested again this week after being found in contempt for unpaid child support. In October she owed ex Weston Gosa more than $18k for their two sons, ages 15 and 9.

Full details: https://t.co/XGjrj5zPlI

— Starcasm (@starcasm) July 4, 2024

LIZZIE: Filming in general was horrible, there was nothing authentic. Ick. My daughter wants to watch and I’m like, “Why? You know it’s all fake.” lol

WHITNEY: Yeah, I’ve never wanted to show my kids or my baby brother. Hate that it’s on streaming platforms now (which we should get paid for that smh).

LIZZIE: But we were too young to negotiate that.

Starcasm will continue to keep an eye out for more updates on the Netflix Teen Mom documentary, so stay tuned!

Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com