The Secret Life of the American Teenager is a television series created by Brenda Hampton. It first premiered on ABC Family on July 1, 2008 and ran until June 3, 2013. The show features a regular cast of characters, which began with eleven people in its first season. Since then, characters have left the show, with new main characters having both been written in and out of the series. In addition, Secret Life features multiple guest stars each week, some having larger roles than others.
The plot focuses on the character of Amy Juergens after becoming accidentally pregnant at band camp. It explores how the pregnancy affects her, her peers, and her family. After her sister starts high school, Amy finds how virtually everyone at school carries a secret or an unexpected problem. Amy is the mother of John Juergens.
Portrayed by Shailene Woodley, Amy gets pregnant after a one-night stand at band camp before her freshman year of high school. At the beginning of the series, she is 15 years old. Upon entering high school, Amy begins a relationship with Ben Boykewich (also 15), a supportive classmate with whom she falls in love. She confesses her pregnancy to her two best friends, Madison and Lauren, who accidentally spread the rumor that Amy had sex with Ricky. During this time, Amy's 13-year-old sister Ashley discovers her pregnancy due to Amy's recent weight gain and erratic behavior, but promises to keep her secret from their parents. Ben proposes to Amy after finding out, because he genuinely loves her, and feels he would be a better father than Ricky due to his family's financial stability. After Amy tells her parents, she contemplates having an abortion, as she is afraid of her peers' perceptions. She changes her mind, but is still adamant about not returning to school. Ricky reaches out to Amy during this time, saying that he wants to be involved with what happens to the baby. Amy plans to go live with her grandmother Mimsy, but is unable to go after discovering that Mimsy is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and is moving into assisted care living. Amy returns to school, but is uncomfortable with being known as "the pregnant girl".
Halfway through her pregnancy, Amy's mother Anne informs her that in order to keep the baby, she will have to find a job and daycare. Anne intends to get a job to replace the loss of her husband George's income as they prepare for divorce. Amy is surprised, since she assumed that her mother would stay home and look after the baby, as she had with her daughters. As a result, Amy and Ben get married using fake IDs, but they learn afterwards that the marriage was void since they were both underage. Amy then decides on adoption, and discovers that her father's longtime employee Donovan and his husband Leon want to adopt the baby. The adoption fails due to Ricky's interference, and she ultimately decides to keep the baby due to the love and support of her family and friends.