Unexpected stars Bella Vaughn and Hunter Johnson just took another very grown-up step in their relationship– despite only being 16 and 14 years old, respectively.
On Tuesday, Bella announced via TikTok that she and Hunter are now engaged.
No, seriously…
In a video set to the song “Mom of Boys,” Bella first shows off a promise ring she had previously received from Hunter, and then an engagement ring as the lyrics, “Now the best thing about my left hand is a ring on it from the right man” play.
“From promise ring to engagement ring, I’ll forever love you Hunter, Wesley and I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together,” Bella captioned the video, along with the hashtags “engagment” (spelled wrong, naturally), as well as “15andpregnant” and “fiance.”
Bella has limited who can comment on the post.
The couple— who had conceived their son Wes when Bella was 14 and Hunter was only 12— has arguably caused more controversy than any other couple to appear on the TLC reality show. From the multiple pending court cases between their parents for custody of Hunter and Wes, to Bella’s frequent on-air conversations about everything from anal sex, to showering with Hunter, to wanting another baby— the couple (and their parents) is already getting a large amount of online hate for their actions, which many feel are far too grown-up for kids their age.
Hunter and Bella have been together since late 2023. (Bella became pregnant with Wesley during the summer of 2024.) Currently, Hunter’s father Casey Johnson is fighting Hunter’s mom Stacie Riddle in court for full custody of Hunter. He is also fighting Bella’s mom Falen Vaughn for full custody of baby Wesley. Both cases are pending.
Although Hunter and Bella are engaged, their ages will prevent them from actually being able to get married, even with parental consent. In Arkansas, you must be at least 17 years old to get married, even with parental consent. Currently, Arkansas law states that both parents of the potential bride, and both parents of the potential groom must provide legal consent before a marriage license will be issued. (The only exception to this rule is if one of the parents has no custody of the minor.)
Even with parental consent, the court can still rule against issuing a marriage license to minors if the judge decides the marriage is not in the child(ren)’s best interest and/or the parent giving their consent is ruled “not fit to make decisions” concerning the child.
The parents of Hunter and Bella have not yet commented publicly regarding the couple’s engagement.
