You know you’re a major force in culture when Saturday Night Live makes a joke out of you.

Teen Mom is one of the latest shows to be featured in an SNL sketch. It’s a reality show that chronicles the lives of teenage mothers through the struggles of single-parenting. It’s not quite the “waiting for the train-wreck” drama that Jersey Shore is heralded for, yet can feature harsh situations for the characters. The show is one of MTV’s most successful with viewers exceeding 5.5 million.

While the show is a glorified reality, the state of teenage parents in our society is bleak. Regarding this article from ABC News, an average of one in six US teenage girls becomes pregnant. The highest rate of any western nation. One half of teen moms end up dropping out of high school.

These numbers are far from funny. Teen pregnancy is a reality for many and a major reality in our culture.