‘Secret Life of the American Teenager’ Couples Guide: Who Ended Up Together?
For some inexplicable reason, The Secret Life of the American Teenager keeps popping up on our algorithms. And yes, we’re watching every single clip and loving it. Can you really blame us?!
What started with a teenage pregnancy quickly spiraled into more teenage pregnancies, an adult pregnancy, infected hair plugs, and so much more. Honestly, this was the show that just kept on giving.
But after five glorious seasons, The Secret Life of the American Teenager sadly came to an end in 2013. And it was just in time for lead Shailene Woodley to blow up with 2013’s The Spectacular Now, 2014’s The Fault in Our Stars (Okay? Okay.) and, of course, the Divergent series. Petition to release the last film!!
But who did everyone end up with on The Secret Life of the American Teenager? What went down with the major couples over the course of the ABC Family hit’s five seasons? What happened to all our troublesome teens after graduation? Let’s find out.
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Did Amy & Ricky end up together?
The start of it all! Amy (Woodley) loses her virginity to Ricky (Daren Kagasoff) at band camp, only to later discover that she’s pregnant. After her breakup with Ben in Season 3, she and Ricky begin dating, though their relationship is complicated by Ricky’s previous rakish ways. They’re on and off, with some Ben mixed in somewhere.
Eventually, Ricky proposes to Amy at his graduation in front of everyone, and she says yes. Then comes the series finale.Amy calls off the wedding, deciding that they’re simply too young and that they’re only getting married for their son, John. She opens the breakup with, “Please don’t be mad at me,” which is, frankly, never a good sign. What follows is a brutal argument, with both of them telling each other they hate each other. Amy insists that Ricky isn’t “in love” with her, before he asks the heart-wrenching question: Is she in love with Ben? Amy just smiles. Fade to black.
She then moves to New York for college, leaving Ricky and John behind. In the final moments, Ricky reads John a story that appears to mirror Amy’s departure and her search for happiness. He ends it with, “And she lived happily ever after,” followed by, “And so will we.”
And that’s the canon ending of The Secret Life of the American Teenager, at least when it comes to Ricky and Amy. As far as the show itself is concerned, they don’t get their happily ever after.
But creator Brenda Hampton later revealed the ending she imagined happening off-screen. In her version of events, Ricky and John eventually move to New York to join Amy, and the two ultimately get married.
What happened between Amy & Ben?
Despite getting freaky with Ricky, it is Ben (Ken Baumann) who steals Amy’s heart from the start! Ben asks Amy out, and Amy briefly considers sleeping with him so they can pretend the baby is his. He’s also a little oblivious — even his father, the infamous “sausage king,” figures out that Amy is pregnant before he does.
Once Ben discovers that the baby is Ricky’s, he suggests they pretend it’s his and get married. They attempt to tie the knot, only to discover that the marriage isn’t legally binding. Later, Ben invites Amy to Italy, but she can’t go because of John. When he returns, Ben’s jealousy over Ricky’s constant presence eventually leads to their breakup. Also, we discover Ben was naughty while away… what happens in Italy does not stay in Italy.
But Hampton did reveal that, in her imagined off-screen future, Amy and Ben did hook up before she ultimately settled down with Ricky. Apparently, the pair then realized they were better off as friends.
“They loved the idea of being in love with the first person they loved in high school, but just didn’t connect physically. If they had stayed together in high school, she probably would have realized this much sooner and he would have, too. He just kind of lost himself in trying to obtain the unobtainable Amy,” Hampton told MTV News.
But don’t worry, Ben gets his own happy ending of sorts. He ends up writing his first book about Amy, and it becomes a huge bestseller.
What happened between Ricky & Adrian?
At the start of the show, Adrian (Francia Raisa) and Ricky are seeing each other on and off. They’re either arguing or hooking up — there’s very little middle ground. By Season 2, despite Ricky becoming a new father, the pair decide to give their relationship a proper try. Unfortunately, Ricky still can’t stay faithful.
Meanwhile, Ricky and Amy’s romantic tension keeps building until they finally kiss. When Adrian finds out about the kiss, she retaliates by cheating on Ricky with Ben. Ricky subsequently breaks up with Adrian and refuses to forgive Ben, adding yet another layer of chaos to this already incredibly messy love triangle. He also runs away for a little bit like a drama queen. There’s one more kiss later, but it’s allowed by Ricky’s girlfriend Amy and not romantic at all.
Did Ben & Adrian end up together?
Vengeful hookups can lead to pregnancy — be warned! Adrian and Ben sleep together as revenge against their respective partners, Ricky and Amy, and things quickly get much more complicated.
In Season 3, Adrian discovers she’s pregnant with Ben’s baby, which ultimately leads to Ben and Amy breaking up. Adrian and Ben then get married and move into a condo together, attempting to build a life as a family.
But their happiness is short-lived. Adrian becomes concerned that something might be wrong with the baby, and after calling their doctor, they’re told to meet her at the hospital. Adrian gives birth to their stillborn daughter, whom they name Mercy.
The loss puts enormous strain on their marriage. Adrian and Ben struggle to cope with the grief, while Ben begins considering divorce. Adrian tries to hold their marriage together, but ultimately, the two separate and eventually divorce.
Did Adrian & Omar end up together?
Adrian meets Omar (DeVaughn Nixon) in Season 4, as he’s the brother of one of Daniel’s friends. Despite having previously been involved with his brother, Dante, Adrian is immediately interested. The pair shares a fantastic kiss, but then Adrian has to compare it to kissing Ricky to make sure she’s finally over him. Girl! Omar, unsurprisingly, is not thrilled about this.
Despite the rocky start, Adrian and Omar date and soon move in together, and there’s a genuinely beautiful moment when Adrian opens up to him about Mercy. Later, Omar proposes and Adrian accepts. But their relationship hits another bump when Omar asks her to move to New York, leaving Adrian furious.
Then comes the final episode. Adrian is alone in her apartment, eating tacos and seemingly perfectly content with her life on her own. And honestly? Good for her. Until Omar arrives, wanting her back. She’s into it.
While the series leaves their future somewhat open, Hampton has revealed what she imagined happened next. In her version of events, Adrian and Omar head to the Big Apple together, where they eventually build a family and have two children of their own.
Did Grace & Jack end up together?
Grace (Megan Park) is our devoted Christian girlie — every 2000s TV show had one — complete with a promise ring and head cheerleader status. She’s initially presented as having the seemingly perfect relationship with Jack (Greg Finley), except for one tiny problem: He doesn’t want to wait until marriage.
Then Grace’s brother catches Jack sharing a kiss with Adrian. Grace struggles with whether or not to forgive him, only to later discover that he also slept with Adrian. Yikes. Luckily, Grace gets a little revenge of her own by making Jack jealous while hanging out with Ricky.
Eventually, Grace and Jack reunite and sleep together. But the timing is, to put it mildly, terrible. That night, Grace’s father dies in a plane crash, and she blames herself for his untimely death. The trauma puts a strain on their relationship, and the two split, with Jack later dating Madison (Renee Olstead).
Eventually, Grace and Jack find their way back to each other, and Grace supports him through his recovery after an accident. They even get engaged, although both seem uncertain about what they actually want.
In the final episode, Grace and Jack sit at her house reminiscing about their high school memories. Ultimately, they decide to stay friends. When Jack leaves, Grace turns on the radio and happily dances around her room. Truly, just a girl who is gonna be okay!
And according to the show’s creator, Grace goes on to attend medical school. Woman in STEM!
Did Jack & Madison end up together?
At the start of the show, we only really know Madison as one of Amy’s best friends. Along with Lauren, she supports Amy through her pregnancy and helps her keep the whole thing a secret.
Madison and Jack start dating in Season 2, after Grace’s father’s death causes Grace and Jack to split. Grace even gives the new couple her blessing — although, as we know by now, things rarely stay that simple in this show.
The pair breaks up at the start of Season 3 when Madison loses interest in Jack and starts seeing an older coworker from her summer job at the food court. She quickly regrets the decision, and Madison and Jack briefly get back together. But their relationship ultimately falls apart again because Jack is still deeply in love with Grace.
And then things get even messier. Jack eventually breaks up with Grace, partly because of his lingering feelings for Madison, but we’re not told if that goes anywhere. Still, show creator Brenda Hampton has her own idea of how it all ends. In her imagined future, Jack and Madison definitely get married.
Did Anne & George end up together?
Now for Amy’s parents, and honestly, their relationship is a whole teen drama in itself.
Anne (Molly Ringwald) and George (Mark Derwin) are clearly unhappily married from the very beginning. Anne married George when she was just 18, after his first marriage had ended, and she sometimes wonders whether she rushed into it. The reason for the quick marriage? She was pregnant with Amy at the time.
The pair argues constantly, and George has a habit of coming home late. And, yep, you guessed it: He’s having an affair. Not only that, but with Adrian’s mother. In Season 1, George ultimately leaves his family for her because, apparently, this show isn’t complicated enough.
In Season 2, Anne starts dating her boss, David (Ben Weber), but discovers she’s pregnant. David has fertility issues so she thinks it must be George’s baby. But then George reveals he lied about having a vasectomy, leading Anne and David to separate. A paternity test ultimately confirms that David is the biological father of the baby, Robert. After his relationship with Anne ended, David got his assistant pregnant with twins and married her. Definitely not infertile then!
Anne and George officially divorce in Season 3. Then, in Season 5, Anne comes out as a lesbian, and unsurprisingly, Amy is selfish about the entire thing. Meanwhile, George starts dating Kathleen (Josie Bissett) after accepting that he and Anne aren’t getting back together.
As for what comes next, Anne is off traveling the world, while George has moved into the same apartment building as Ricky and Amy.
Did Henry & Alice end up together?
An OG couple! Henry (Allen Evangelista) and Alice (Amy Rider) are best friends with Ben and have been dating since the third grade. They’re incredibly comfortable with each other, often discussing relationships and sex and giving Ben plenty of advice along the way.
But in Season 4, Henry decides he wants to date other women, and the pair splits. They struggle to navigate sharing custody of Ben, while Alice becomes jealous when Henry attends Amy and Ben’s wedding with Ashley.
Then things get even messier. After a graduation party, Alice walks into a bedroom and finds Henry in bed with Adrian. She tells Ben, who promptly informs Henry that he’s no longer welcome in his home. Then Ben and Alice sleep together because this show believes every friendship needs a romantic complication.
Towards the end of the series, Henry comes to Ben’s house and announces that he’s joining the Army. Alice finally admits that she still loves him, and the two sleep together. By the series finale, they’ve officially reconciled and announce that they’re back together.
After all that? Somehow, Henry and Alice make it back to where they started.
Did Tom & Tammy end up together?
Grace’s protective and hilarious brother, Tom (Luke Zimmerman), gets up to plenty throughout the show. In Season 1, he hires an escort, played by Jennifer Coolidge, but they end up simply talking. He later meets Tammy (Michelle Marks), and the two hit it off, even getting so close that they almost get married, before Grace steps in and stops him.
Following their split, Tom unsuccessfully proposes to Adrian, while Tammy later marries a man named Richard.
Did Ashley & Toby end up together?
Now for Amy’s grumpy younger sister. In Season 4, Ashley (India Eisley) graduates high school early and decides to leave Los Angeles, embarking on a cross-country road trip with her homeschooled friend, Toby (Jared Kusnitz).
In Season 5, Ashley and Toby break up, and she moves in with her mother before eventually heading to Italy to attend culinary school. Honestly? She’s living the dream.
