Palin's Ex: Need to 'Mature' Before Marriage
Father of Bristol Palin's child confirms marriage off, doesn't rule out reunion.
March 15, 2009 -- Levi Johnston, the former fiance of Bristol Palin, says the couple broke up "a week, two weeks" ago but leaves open the possibility that they could reunite.
"We'll see, we'll see how it is," Johnston, 19, said March 13 in an exclusive interview at his Alaska home with Neal Karlinsky of "Good Morning America." "We'll just remain friends for now. We're both cool with that decision, and we'll see."
For the first time, Johnston described the circumstances of his split with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's eldest daughter, and talked about becoming a father.
Watch the full interview Monday morning on "Good Morning America."
"We were just, we were in a fight," the teen said. "And trying to see if we can make things work. But this is what it kind of ended up turning into. But we'll see what happens."
Johnston said he felt they needed time to grow up before following through on marriage plans.
"It's just us not, me not being mature enough, or something, and having a kid and thinking ... it could be better -- better for us to separate for a while," Johnston said.
The young couple's relationship came under intense focus in the heat of last year's presidential campaign, with the announcement that Bristol Palin, then 17, was five months pregnant. The revelation came just days after Sarah Palin was tapped as the Republican vice presidential candidate.
At the time, Sarah Palin announced that the parents-to-be planned to marry.
Last month, Bristol Palin told Greta Van Susteren of Fox News that the plan was still on.
"Eventually, we'd like to get married," Palin told Van Susteren. "We're focusing on getting through school though, getting a career going."
Palin gave birth to a son, Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, on Dec. 27, 2008.
Johnston sees his son regularly and described how becoming a father had changed his life.
"I'd give anything for [Tripp], to be with him," he said. "[There are] a lot of changes when you're a father, when you hold him for the first time, you know. I don't do a lot of things I used to anymore, I'll tell you that."
"Yeah, [I'm] growing up a lot," he added. "So, it's fun. It's good times."
Asked if he felt any pressure from the Palin family, Johnston said he did not.
"No," he said. "Not at all."
