Molly Ringwald Starred In Nearly 100 Episodes Of A Hit Shailene Woodley Drama
As a member of the Brat Pack, Molly Ringwald became one of America's most beloved actresses in the '80s, starring in classic John Hughes movies like "The Breakfast Club" and "Pretty in Pink." Although she'd done television sporadically in her career before teaming up with Shailene Woodley, her longest and most prominent TV role was on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," in which Woodley starred as a teen who becomes pregnant. Ringwald played Anne Juergens, the mother of Amy (Woodley) and Ashley Juergens (India Eisley), in 96 episodes of the ABC Family show.
As a main character, Anne had her own dedicated storylines, some of which were groundbreaking. In the early seasons, her marriage to Amy and Ashley's father, George Juergens (Mark Derwin), ends because of his infidelity, but they would go on to remarry, have a son, and then break up again. Later in the show, Anne comes out as a lesbian. Both her late-in-life pregnancy and her discovery of her sexuality were bold storylines for the time.
Speaking to Out in 2012, Ringwald revealed that Anne's coming out story had to be signed off at the highest level. "They've dealt with gay characters, and they've dealt with gay characters kissing — they just haven't dealt with 'Molly Ringwald being a lesbian,'" the actress said of the execs at ABC Family. Ringwald was personally involved in developing the storyline, knowing how much good it would do among viewers. "Seeing someone that they've grown up with, that they've identified with for so long — it's a great way to break down that us-versus-them barrier a little more."
Ringwald found one cast member difficult to work with
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager" debuted in 2008 and ran for five seasons, with the series finale, "Thank You and Goodbye," airing on June 3, 2013. While she's proud of the storylines that her character was involved in, Molly Ringwald actually clashed with one cast member — but she won't reveal who it was.
During an August 2026 appearance on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," when asked to rate some different sets from throughout her career, Ringwald gave "The Secret Life of the American Teenager" the lowest possible score, calling it "the worst." There were audible gasps from the audience, which prompted Ringwald to explain her rock-bottom rating.
"I loved the cast. I loved Shailene [Woodley]. There's so many people that I worked with that... there was one person that was really difficult," she said before adding that she was "not going to say who that one person is." Ringwald also gave the sitcom "The Facts of Life" a low score because she was abruptly fired alongside several other female cast members.