The Teen Mom franchise began airing on MTV in 2009. Two years later, Teen Mom 2 launched and has captivated fans for almost a decade.
Despite its initial popularity, after ten seasons of Teen Mom 2, the show’s ratings are slowly on the decline. The low ratings sparked rumors amongst fans that the show may soon be canceled.
The Ashley reported that the last three episodes received the worst ratings the show has ever had.
The last three episodes have brought in less than 600,000 viewers. In comparison, back in 2011 when Teen Mom 2 first aired, the show brought in over 1 million viewers every week.
The most recent episode had the second-lowest ratings in Teen Mom history according to ShowBuzz Daily. The episode brought in a low of only 560,000 viewers.
Teen Mom 2 star Jade Cline agreed the show will more than likely be canceled.
When asked during an Instagram Q and A whether she thought the show would be canceled Jade said, “Eventually yes. Everything comes to an end one day lol.”
Why the drop in ratings?
Some fans have speculated that the drop in ratings is due to a higher amount of people who have chosen streaming services over cable television. Others speculate that the show has simply run its course.
Several fans took to Instagram to share their opinions.
One fan wondered if people have lost interest because the cast is no longer in their teens. She said, “Maybe because they are almost 30 and no longer teen moms.”
Another speculated that the franchise’s original fan base has grown out of it as many are older now and have families of their own.
She said, “As a Teen Mom franchise fan since the beginning, I hate to say it but it may be time to hang it up. I still watch faithfully, but most of their core fan base is older now with their own families and have grown out of it. That’s probably a large reason the viewership is so much lower now.”
Teen Mom 2 welcomes Ashley Jones
Amid the low ratings, Chelsea Houska announced the current season would be her final. MTV recently decided that Teen Mom: Young + Pregnant star Ashley Jones would take Chelsea’s place.
Ashley has filmed Young + Pregnant since 2018. When she posted the news to her Instagram account, she captioned a photo of herself with the words, “About to make teen mom 2 watchable again.”
Maybe the fresh face is the boost that Teen Mom 2 needs. Time will tell whether the franchise can maintain its viewership or whether Jade Cline’s prediction will come true sooner rather than later.
Teen Mom 2 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on MTV.