Molly Ringwald Rates Secret Life of the American Teenager Worst Job

Molly Ringwald Rates The Secret Life of the American Teenager a One Out of 10

When the conversation turned to The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Ringwald did not hesitate to place the series at the very bottom of her professional experiences. After confirming with Cohen that a score of one represented the worst possible rating, she delivered her assessment plainly.

“That was it. The worst.”

Molly Ringwald, via USA Today

The confession drew an audible reaction of surprise from both Cohen and the live studio audience in attendance, prompting the actress to clarify that her grievance was not with the ensemble as a whole.

Cast Affection Overpowered by One Difficult Colleague

While Ringwald assigned the ABC Family series the lowest possible score, she was quick to emphasize that her frustration stemmed from a single individual rather than the production or the actors around her. On the series, which ran for five seasons from 2008 to 2013, Ringwald portrayed Anne Juergens, the mother of the show’s protagonist, Amy Juergens, played by Shailene Woodley.

Ringwald appeared in 96 episodes across the show’s run, remaining a series regular for the first four seasons before returning as a special guest star for the fifth and final season. Throughout that time, she developed a deep appreciation for her on-screen daughter and the rest of the call sheet.

“It was a hard. 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 and I’m not going to say who that person is.”

Molly Ringwald, via Deadline

When Cohen asked if that specific individual was the sole reason the project dropped to the bottom of her ranking, Ringwald confirmed that the behavior of that unnamed colleague brought it down to a one. The series creator, Brenda Hampton, assembled a large ensemble cast alongside Woodley that included Ken Baumann, Mark Derwin, India Eisley, Greg Finley, Daren Kagasoff, Megan Park, Francia Raisa, and Steven Schirripa, none of whom Ringwald faulted for the difficult work environment.

Contrasting Rankings Across a Decades-Long Career

During the same television segment, Ringwald offered ratings and reflections on several other prominent film and television titles spanning her career. Her memories of the classic 1986 teen romance Pretty in Pink stood in stark contrast to her experience on Secret Life, earning a perfect 10 out of 10 from the actress.

She noted that director John Hughes specifically wrote the project for her, adding a personal layer to her memories alongside keeping a self-made collage of the film in her bedroom. Beyond those two projects, Ringwald also touched on other notable turning points in her filmography, including a major career regret regarding a blockbuster 1990 hit.

The conversation highlighted how vastly different her experiences on teen-focused projects have been over the decades, ranging from the defining John Hughes collaborations of her youth to later television runs that included stints on CW’s Riverdale and Netflix’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, leading right up to her appearance in the theatrical romantic comedy One Night Only.