American Idol Season 22 contestant Triston Harper, 16, has confirmed that he’s married and expecting his first child with his 17-year-old wife Paris Reed.
The teenage country singer, who was a finalist on the most-recent season of ‘American Idol,’ shared on Facebook last week that he had tied the knot by updating his relationship status to “married” and tagging Paris in the life update.
According to People, Triston surprised fans again just two days later when he reposted a photo of himself and Paris holding a positive pregnancy test.
The photo was originally posted by Triston’s mom, Hattie Mae Sullivan, who proudly told followers she is “bout to be a G Ma.”
Fans first met Triston when he auditioned earlier this year for Season 22 of ‘American Idol’ at the age of 15. The teen performed a cover a Jason Isbell’s “Cover Me Up” before sharing with show judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie that he “grew up in a small town” and had “been through a lot” in life.
In a video segment that aired on the show, the McIntosh, Alabama, native revealed that he got into music because his “mama wanted us to be something.” He proceeded to open up about the struggles he and his family endured.
“By the age of 11, my mom was with my stepdad,” Triston recalled. “He was getting very abusive. We had to leave McIntosh and then everything went sideways.”
Triston went on to reveal that by the age of 12, he and his mom were homeless and “sleeping on the sidewalk.” Triston noted that he was happy to have the opportunity to share his story with millions of viewers.
Following his appearance on ‘American Idol,’ Triston has continued to make music. The teen recently released a new single called “H.O.P.E.”
After news broke of Triston’s journey into teen marriage and parenthood, the comment section of his most-recent Instagram post was filled with both supportive and not-so-supportive comments.
“Hang in there. Things are gonna get better,” one person wrote. “It’s not on our timing Gods timing. You are where you are supposed to be in your life right now. You just can’t see it yet.”
“Time to give up your dreams and get a job at the factory,” someone else commented. “Welcome to teenage parenthood.”
A Facebook comment posted by Tristan’s mom, Hattie, revealed that Tristan didn’t get married because he got his girlfriend pregnant.
“They have been married a while now,” Hattie wrote. “They just posted it. She did not get married until after they were married.”
On Triston’s personal Facebook page, he lists the date of his and Paris’ marriage as November 6.
According to the laws in Alabama, a person must be 16 years old to get married. They need the consent of a parent or guardian to get married if they are under the age of 18. The consenting parent or guardian must fill out an Affidavit of Consent for Marriage of a Minor” and presnet it— along with the complete marriage form— to the probate court for recording.
Hattie did not reveal why she allowed her 16-year-old son to get married. However, she did comment on it in response to another person’s comment on Facebook.
“I know Triston is 16 and Paris is 18 but this is what they have been talking about and something I have noticed whatever Paris wants she gets,” Hattie wrote. “So, I am jumping in the backseat and just riding.”
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(Photos: Instagram; Facebook)
10 Responses
Kids getting married and having kids…. I give it a year
That’s rough, best of luck to them.
wasn’t aware this was even legal…
As long as the parents sign off on it, yes it’s legal
I couldn’t imagine being with the guy I was with at 16/17 years old.
Neither could I. What a nightmare.
No. Just no.
Sad
As long as theyre good parents who gives a flying f*** how old they are?
It beats going out here and killing it aka getting an abortion like a lot of teens.
Lol good parents and teens don’t go in the same sentence. They’re not grown, they’re not established, and they haven’t even had the chance to learn who they are as people. Which will happen as they mature and develop. Throwing an innocent child in the middle of this dysfunction always leaves an indelible mark on their development as well. That’s why it’s generational. But, as we can all see from your comment, you’ve narrowed down a very complex situation to the lazied self serving argument and could care less. Too many people think this way, it’s become apparent.