When MTV announced their new show 16 and Pregnant it was unlike any other reality show of its time. The show featured shocking fights, heartbreak, and life changing decisions of pregnant 16-year-old girls and their partners. There have been plenty of teens on the show but nobody could forget the original underage mamas that started it all.
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While fame has changed some of the original cast member’s lives for the worst, other have pulled through humble and responsible. While some of the women turned into full blown D-list celebrities making national headlines for trips to rehab and adventures in the porn industry, others have settled down with newfound loves…and more children.
Let’s take a look at the cast of Teen Mom OG—who they were and how their lives have changed.
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Mav & Jayde watching big bro do his thang! #BSBLU #mrmaverick #missjaydecarter #thingsthatmatter
Who They Were: Maci Bookout had high hopes for herself when she was on 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom OG and was confident that she could go to college and still be a great mother. Unfortunately she had to put her dreams on hold and was struggling to juggle both school and motherhood with little help from her ex-boyfriend and baby daddy Ryan Edwards. Once Bookout dumped Edwards her life got better. She started dating Taylor Mckinney in 2015 and they had two children together and were married in 2016. Bookout kept her dreams alive and ended up graduating from Chattanooga State Community College. She went on to pen two books: in 2016 she released her first book Bulletproof, followed by I Wasn’t Born Bulletproof: Lessons I’ve Learned (So You Don’t Have To), in June 2017.
Persona: “I’m Not A Regular Teen Mom, I’m a Mature Teen Mom.” Despite the chaotic situations around her, Bookout has always been a fan favorite because of her maturity and strength. She was consistently the most responsible out of all her cast mates and hasn’t had any trips to rehab or starred in any foot fetish videos. She is relatively drama-free except for the annoying fights she got into with Edwards and his girlfriends.
Where Are They Now: While Bookout has shined as a mother, reality star, and overall good person she has been dealing with Edwards drama and drug abuse. In March 2018 she filed a restraining order against Edwards and claimed that he was threatening her and her husband. She went on to explain that Edwards showed up to Bentley’s baseball game “under the influence of heroin and got in my face, yelling and threatening to hurt me.” Edwards also allegedly threatened to put a bullet in her husband Taylor’s head. Radar reported that the restraining order was granted to Bookout and McKinney’s family in May 2018 and Edwards, is restrained from coming within a distance of 100 feet. The restraining order gave Bookout an opportunity to breathe and focus on her life and career again. Bookout lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee with her family and does motivational speaking. She has expressed in the past that she will likely leave Teen Mom OG and doesn’t plan on dragging on her reality fame like the other moms. She explained in an interview, “There will come a time when the kids are just too old and not really into being on TV because they want to have a normal life.” But that doesn’t mean its the end for Bookout’s reality show career! In a surprising twist, Bookout starred in Naked and Afraid XL: All Stars.
!). They’re the perfect thing for reducing those late-night cravings and keeping me on track, so I’ll definitely be ordering more during the 25% off sale! You should too, because my tummy hasn’t looked this good in awhile! #lickitWho They Were: Farrah Abraham has changed in more ways than one since she was on 16 and Pregnant. The teen mom always had a dramatic story line that started when it was revealed her daughter’s father died in a car accident. She was notorious for her on-air fights with her poor mother Debra and quickly became the easiest Teen Mom OG to hate. Abraham started making headlines in 2010 after getting a boob job on Teen Mom, and in 2012 she had rhinoplasty and a chin implant. This was only the beginning for her plastic surgery story. She removed the chin implant a year later and got another boob job and lip injections in 2013. That same year was when Abraham’s porn star career started and a video of her and porn star James Deen had everyone running to their laptops. She released another sex tape a year later and admitted that she sold the tape to Vivid entertainment for more than a million dollars.
Persona: “The MILF” Abraham continued to do porn and her new career was a part of her storyline on Teen Mom OG. Abraham always had an opinion that often lead to Twitter fights with other cast mates. Season 7 was filled with Abraham’s outbursts and she was fired by Viacom after getting in fights with producers on camera. Abraham insisted that she was fired from the show because she returned to porn and sued the network for 5 million dollars, settling out of court.
Where They Are Now: Abraham has continued to provoke public backlash with actions like having her daughter Sophia film her getting butt injections and live streaming her designer vagina surgery. In May 2018 she went commando to the Cannes Film Festival and flashed her newly rejuvenated vagina on the red carpet and innocent bystanders. But regardless of the scandals, Abraham is unapologetic. Abraham’s latest scandal was on June 13th when she was arrested for allegedly punching an employee at the same hotel she was staying at with her daughter at 1AM. An eyewitness reportedly called police and they arrested Abraham who appeared to be intoxicated, Abraham allegedly got into an argument with another patron and then struck a security guard in the face, grabbed his ear and pushed him at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge. Abraham’s charges were dropped and she was released from jail. She started doing interviews claiming that she was harassed and did absolutely nothing wrong. She also filled up on Botox just in case the stress of being bullied in jail affected her wrinkle-free face. Abraham makes appearances wherever she is invited like the MTV Movie and TV Awards and does advertisements on social media. As for what’s to come for Abraham, it probably involves more plastic surgery, scandals, and foot fetish videos.
Who They Were: Amber Portwood had a roller coaster of a story line and was even arrested for domestic violence because of her behavior on 16 and Pregnant. She is known for her loud and some times violent outbursts on the show and has been criticized for her crazy antics and absence from her daughter’s life. Portwood has sadly been in and out of both jail and rehab and been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. Her love life has been the focus of her story as she has found herself in one dramatic relationship after another.
Persona: “Jail House Mama.” After Portwood was arrested for domestic violence in 2010 she went back to prison in 2012 for violating her probation with drug use. Stories of Portwood’s addiction and arrest were all over the press and she was attacked online for her behavior. Teen Mom OG stopped filming temporarily while she was in prison and after she was released a year later she returned to the show. She struggled with drugs over the next five years, even admitting that she was using them while filming. Portwood and her baby daddy, Gary Shirley, were constantly bickering and because of her drug-riddled past. Portwood started dating Matt Baier in 2014 and their mess of a relationship was the focus on Teen Mom OG. The couple got engaged but Portwood continued her loud and angry ways and even punched an elevator door in a furious rage. Baier was not innocent either, and the 46-year-old man was far from grown. From cheating scandals and failed polygraphs, to late child support payments he was truly a recipe for a disaster and everyone was over their relationship.
Where Are They Now: Portwood starred on Marriage Boot Camp with Baier and went back to her old ways picking fights with everyone on the show. After an episode aired in March 2018 fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns that she was on drugs again after she had a meltdown and flipped out on all of the cast members. Portwood went on social media after the episode aired and admitted that she was on drugs while filming the show a year before in 2017. She tweeted, “I was heavily drinking on top of my bipolar and borderline medication. Obviously something you shouldn’t do with medications like that” but insisted that she was now sober. Which was important to clarify considering Portwood was pregnant when the episode aired!! Portwood met her new boyfriend and baby daddy Andrew Glennon while she was filming Marriage Boot Camp. She didn’t think she would have any children because she was on medication for bipolar and borderline personality disorder but she was able to wean herself off the drugs and believes that her troubles were actually situational. Portwood struggled with gestational diabetes during her pregnancy but gave birth to a healthy son on May 8th, 2018. Portwood is spending time with her new family in Indiana and uploads super cute selfies of her and her new baby boy on her Instagram. Her bio on her headline says “sober and healthy” and she often posts about her new found look on life. Glennon has a job in California so Portwood might move to be with him but it is doubtful that Shirley will allow her to move Leah so far away.
Who They Were: Catelynn Lowell has always been one of the teen moms who struggled the most. Lowell got pregnant when she was 16 but she and partner Tyler Baltierra decided to give up their daughter for adoption. Lowell and Baltierra tried to overcome the trauma the best way they could and move forward.
Persona: “The Odd Mom Out.” Lowell was struggling with her decision to give up her daughter and her decision to be on the show. The couple had yearly visits with their daughter and would receive texts and pictures but as she got older her new parents wanted to protect her. They wanted Lowell to stop appearing on Teen Mom OG and eventually asked her not to talk about adoption on the show. The couple was able to get pregnant for the second time and gave birth to Novalee Reign in 2015. Sadly, Lowell struggled with postpartum depression after the birth of their daughter and in 2016 she spent time in a treatment facility. Lowell and Baltierra are the only couple still together on the show but were both struggling mentally and emotionally in their own ways. Lowell tried to pick herself and the couple got pregnant for the third time in hopes that this is what they needed to feel whole again. Tragically, Lowell continued to face heartbreak and suffered a miscarriage followed by a stint in rehab in November for suicidal thoughts. She went back to rehab for the third time in January 2018 to deal with her trauma then left the facility early to be with her family.
Where Are They Now: While Lowell was in rehab there were rumors that Baltierra was cheating on her but she stayed by his side and they laughed it off together. Lowell changed her last name from Baltierra to her maiden name Lowell which sparked rumors that they are divorcing but neither one of them have confirmed it. Lowell and Baltierra live in Port Huron, Michigan and renovated a beautiful home together. Lowell revealed that she will appear on ABC’s What Would You Do? and was very excited about her trip on social media, but it seems like she went on the trip alone.
Who They Were: Gary Shirley is a big harmless giant. He was constantly yelled at and hit by Portwood and the poor guy couldn’t do anything right in her eyes. If there is one thing Shirley is, it’s devoted and he tried and tried again to make things work with Portwood. He also stepped up when he needed to and is one of the best fathers on the show.
Persona: “Poor Gary.” Shirley’s priorities in life were always Portwood and their daughter Leah. When she was in prison he took care of Leah and was basically a single father. While Portwood was struggling with drugs he had to put his foot down and enforce boundaries between her and Leah but always wanted the best for Portwood. They broke up and got back together plenty of times and he even proposed to her on Season 2. Thankfully they broke up for good and Shirley was able to find some independence and sense of self. He started dating again and found love with Kristina Anderson and the couple got married and had a child together in 2015.
Where They Are Now: Shirley was born in Indiana and still lives there with his wife. Shirley has always been one of the more respected and liked fathers and has more than 500,000 followers on Twitter where he often tweets proudly about Leah. Just when it seemed Shirley’s life was finally at peace he decided to take a paternity test which revealed his dad was not his biological father. The devastating results left Shirley at square one in his attempt to find out who he really is. Despite the news, Shirley still has his happy family of four with Anderson, and the two stepsisters love each other. As for what Shirley does outside of Teen Mom he is an “entrepreneur” and started his own condom line in 2015.
Who They Were: Ryan Edwards was a straight up lazy father throughout the seasons and once he and Bookout broke up the struggle to co-parent began. Edwards was always able to find other girlfriends which only added to the unnecessary drama.
Persona: “The Drug Daddy.” Edwards was relatively unapologetic about his behavior while on the show and outside of it. Including the time he bragged about killing cats with an air rifle on social media like a psychopath. He started abusing drugs and displaying erratic behavior. He was arrested in March 2017 for possession of heroin after police found 14 syringes in his car. He even drove high to his wedding and was swerving through lanes on camera. falling asleep, and slurring his words. During this time Edwards looked like he was aging prematurely with grey hair and a sunken face.
Where They Are Now: After the episode aired of Edwards driving under the influence he took himself to a 30 day rehabilitation program and admitted that he was on heroin. After he left rehab early his wife uploaded photos of the happy family and tried to convince the world he was sober but it is likely not the case. On March 27th the couple revealed that they were having a baby and he was arrested the very next day for breaking probation. Radar exclusively revealed that he failed a drug test in January and tested positive for opiates and morphine which led to his arrest. Up until his arrest, Bookout has refused to let him see Bentley until he passes a drug test and it looks like maybe she was right all along about his non sobriety.
#CrushingThesePersonalGoals #ItFeelsGreatWho They Were: Tyler Baltierra was one of the most supportive men on 16 and Pregnant and helped Lowell get through the adoption. Baltierra wanted the best for their daughter and even wanted her future new dad to have a college degree. The couple released a memoir in 2015 called Conquering Chaos that revealed he attempted suicide when he was 12-years-old in his back yard, and was sexually molested when he was 9. Depression has been an ongoing struggle for Baltierra, who has been very open about his sadness with posts on social media about how alone he felt despite being right next to his wife.
Persona: “The Sad Dad.” Baltierra has dealt with more tragedy and heartbreak then the other men on the show but has continuously been the most supportive. His father struggled with drug addiction and Baltierra always had to be the rock for those around him. While Lowell was in rehab she would tell him that she understood if her wanted to divorce her but Baltierra was adamant that she was beautiful, strong, could get healthy, and was what he wanted in his life. Baltierra has shown regret for his and Lowell’s decision to stay on the show but stepped up to the plate when he need to while she was in rehab.
Where They Are Now: Baltierra revealed that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder on the reunion but is doing his best to stay healthy. He decided not to take medication for the disorder because he doesn’t want to get hooked on the drugs and has been finding holistic approaches. He even changed his eating habits and lost 40 pounds!! Baltierra seems to be getting healthy and happy but there are rumors that the couple is struggling. He hasn’t addressed rumors that the couple is divorcing but he didn’t post anything on Mother’s Day for Lowell which added fuel to the fire.
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