Gary Shirley of Teen Mom OG fame shared a sweet appreciation post in honor of his wife, Kristina, for Mother’s Day and said she’s “more than a stepmom,” but some other comments Gary made about mothers had some fans thinking he was shading his ex, Amber Portwood.
The 34-year-old father of two thanked Kristina for her role as a mother in his daughters’ lives, and also talked about moms having more important jobs than just “popping out a kid.”
Gary shared a series of pics with his 257k followers showing Kristina with his daughter, Leah and their daughter, Emilee.
Gary said Kristina is ‘more than a step mom’ and being a mother ‘is so much more than popping out a kid’
He captioned the post, “Happy Mother’s Day to the ONE best MOM’s I know. You’re an amazing mother & step mother. Know that you are way more than a step mom! I couldn’t imagine doing this without you. Thanks for always being a great role model for our kiddos.”
“Your [sic] my #mvp #happymothersday @kristina_shirley3 I also wanna take a moment and wish my sister in law a happy mother’s say [sic]. @bmccance1 your [sic] a great one as well. :)”
“Last but not least, I wanna wish all the mom’s out there a happy Mother’s Day, they’re [sic] lots of you out there that sacrifice so much [for your] children. You are not forgotten. Being a mom takes a lot.”
“Long hours at work, coming home and teaching your kids, being a nurse, and the chef haha. Point is a mother is so much more than popping out a kid. So my hats off to all you mothers out there again Happy Mother’s Day.”
“Ps I hate grammar and typing so my apologies for any grammar issues. Ha,” he concluded the post.
Was Gary lowkey throwing shade at his ex, Amber, for not being a good mother?
Amber has caught plenty of flak for being absent in their daughter, Leah’s life.
Due to her struggles with addiction, a history of assault, jail time, loss of custody, and not spending as much time as she could with Leah, Amber has often been labeled a bad mother.
Some of Gary’s followers took his comments as a jab at his ex baby mama, Amber Portwood, and pointed it out in the comments.
One of Gary’s fans wrote, “Ohhhhhh Gary throwing SHADE! I’m here for it ALL! you’ve earned the right! Happy Mothers Day Kristina!!!????”
“Such a subtle way of throwing shade at old what’s her name ? happy mother’s day Kristina, you’re a great mom to all 3 of your daughters,” another follower of Gary’s commented.
Gary’s fans praised him and Kristina for their parenting
As much as some fans thought Gary was indirectly shading Amber, others took the time to comment instead about the great job Gary and Kristina have done in raising Leah and their daughter, Emilee.
Kristina and Gary have been steady parents in Leah’s life
Although Amber hasn’t been a steady presence in Leah’s life, Gary has been, and so has Kristina since she entered their lives when Leah was just four years old.
Gary and Kristina have also tried to help Amber be closer to her daughter, and even offered for her to move onto their property, but she declined.
This season on the show, Leah expressed that she didn’t feel like Amber was a good mother and that Kristina took over the role instead. Leah echoed her dad’s sentiments when she told him this season, “Being a mom isn’t just ‘I gave birth to this child, I’m a mom.'”
Most would agree that Kristina and Gary both have stepped up as parents in Leah’s life and filled any voids she may have felt that Amber left with her absence.
Teen Mom OG is currently on hiatus on MTV.