Bristol Has New Boyfriend, Harsh Words For Levi

Bristol Palin has admitted (under duress) that she’s dating a new guy. But she was much more excited to talk about how much Levi sucks.

According to People, the hosts of the Anchorage-based Bob & Mark Show pressed Bristol Friday on whether she’s dating “a 20-year-old Alaska pipeline worker.” She refused to answer at first, but then the hosts gave her a script, telling her she could say, “Yeah, you know what, I’m seeing a guy and he’s really great and Tripp loves him and we’re having a really good time and we’re really good friends.” At that point Palin responded, “Yeah, we can go with that. I’m thrilled. I love the town that I live in. I love my house. Tripp’s happy; he’s healthy.”

If putting words in their mouths is the way to get semi-celebs to answer invasive questions, I’m surprised no one’s thought of it before — though I wish Bob and Mark had said something like, “My mom should never be elected President” instead. In any case, the house Palin’s referring to is in Maricopa, AZ, so it appears her new relationship is a long-distance one, much as her parents’ was for much of their marriage. And her oil-worker beau shares a profession with Todd. Presumably the hosts didn’t bring up Todd’s infidelity allegations, but it appears they haven’t affected Bristol’s decision to date a dude who’s at least somewhat like Dad.

A topic Palin wasn’t shy about: Levi Johnston‘s shortcomings. She said he’s unwilling to sign over his parental rights with respect to Tripp:

I’ve asked him to do that many times – just say, ‘Hey, look, let’s just avoid this custody case that’s been ongoing since Tripp was born just get it over with just sign over your rights. He’s always going to be your son, you can see him whenever you want to,’ but he just doesn’t want to sign him over because it looks bad on paper.

However, he’s apparently been delinquent about visiting his son: “Since Dancing With the Stars he’s seen him, at the most, three times,” for just a few hours at a time. Adds Palin, “It’s unfortunate for Tripp.” Palin once seemed uncomfortable dealing with the media, but she’s getting better at deflection and control of the narrative every day. It remains to be seen whether she’s inherited her mom’s unique crappiness at dealing with criticism — but she’s still looking into a hosting gig at a Phoenix radio station, so maybe we’ll soon find out.

Bristol Palin Reluctantly Confirms She’s In A New Relationship [People]
Bristol Palin Pursues Radio Job, Confirms New Boyfriend [USA Today]