Cleft lip and palate characters almost never show up on TV, except maybe as villains in reruns of thrillers like “Manhunter” and “Red Dragon.”
Cleft woman on MTV show.
Now, we’ve got a new star who has joined 8 year-old Mia of “Duck Dynasty” fame. I’m talking about Courtney Ames. She is the young woman on MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” series, not the young lady of the same name involved in the “Bling Ring” burglaries of Paris Hilton and other celebs’ homes. Cleft Courtney Ames just had a son who also has clefts, albeit minor ones.
Here’s a video about Courtney and the dilemmas she’s facing on the show. The drawings early on in the video of her cleft are unique and educational for general viewers. The MTV show doesn’t make many demands on viewers since it targets preteens and sweet sixteens. (If you wish, though, catch other videos of Courtney interacting with her boyfriend Scott on YouTube.)
MTV Drama.
A summary of Courtney’s episode on “16 and Pregnant” might go something like this:.
Courtney’s a teenager from Colorado. After she and her boyfriend, Scott, discover they’re expecting a child, Courtney decides it’s best for the two of them to be abstinent. She claims to be very religious and regrets her lapse. Shortly after announcing her decision to remain abstinent, Courtney finds out her unborn child might suffer from a cleft lip, which is the same genetic abnormality Courtney struggled with growing up. She, and perhaps viewers, now must deal with feelings of guilt. She and Scott find themselves arguing about remaining abstinent.
Visit this site for more complete scene summaries of Courtney from MTV’s ’16 And Pregnant.’
Cleft lip update.
I’ll bring you up to date on the abstinence tussle and on son Dayton’s clefts in my next blog. I’ll also throw in a little genetics info about cleft lips and palates.
My latest book, PRIVILEGED KILLERS, is a true story about a half-dozen Dark Triad people in my everyday life - narcissists, manipulators, and psychopaths. Three of 'em murdered people, and one came after my wife and me. Print and e-book versions of this (and CLEFT HEART) available at Amazon and elsewhere online. Also at your local bookstore.

Leave a Reply