After Mary Kay Letourneau got impregnated by her 12-year-old student Vili Fualaau, a wave of backlash from the public took over the media spotlight for years – and it seems the drama isn’t over.
In Reelz’s latest Scandal me Famous episode, Mary Kay Letourneau, interviews from media professionals tell all on the controversial affair that shocked the nation in 1996.
“Her name is known to everyone, and has been for 20 years. People are still riveted by this story,” says Rebecca Morris, author of Bad Apples, in the clip.
“This case shocked people,” adds Linda Byron Lippingcott, former reporter at KING-TV. “It was bizarre.”
As readers know, the relationship between Letourneau– who was then married to her first husband – and Fualaau was one of the must publicized student-teacher sex scandals in history.
“The media has a field day when there’s a pretty teacher who’s been arrested for sex with a student, “ continues Morris.
“So many crazy things kept happening,” says Lippingcott, that no one knew how to handle it!
The crime triggered a national conversation about sexual predators and double standards, as Latourneau claimed she still had feeling for underage Fualaau, and he claimed he wanted to raise his child with his former school teacher.
“I think she was portrayed by the media as the girl next door, used her first name rather than you know ‘Miss. Latourneau’ or ‘the defendant,’” says King County Deputy Prosecutor, Lisa Johnson.
As Star previously reported, Letourneau was put behind bars after admitting to having had sex with her 6th-grade student Vili Fualaau back in 1996. She was 34 and he was just 12. In an interview with Barbara Walters, the former teacher revealed that Fualaau “wasn’t faithful” while she was stuck in prison for seven years. Regardless, the two remained married for twelve years before filing for separation this May.
They have two daughters together, while Letourneau has four other children from her first marriage to Steven Letourneau.
Scandal Made Me Famous: Mary Kay Letourneau airs Saturday, August 19 at 9 ET/PT on REELZ.
