Jenelle Evans, formerly of Teen Mom 2, said that she agrees with MTV’s decision to fire another Teen Mom star, Ryan Edwards.
Jenelle said in a new interview that she fully supports MTV for cutting ties with Ryan and his wife, Mackenzie, after fans of the show have long suspected that he’s abusing drugs.
Jenelle doesn’t think it’s healthy for teens to be watching Ryan on the show
“I don’t think it’s healthy for teens to be watching other people on drugs, especially young teens who are watching Teen Mom,” Jenelle said in the interview with The Sun.
“You can tell he is in and out of drugs a lot, no matter what Mackenzie says, and I just think it doesn’t need to be aired,” the 29-year-old former MTV star revealed.
She was insinuating that she doesn’t believe Mackenzie’s claims of Ryan’s sobriety. The former reality star knows a thing or two about drug abuse, admitting to her own addiction struggles in the past.
Ryan blamed his firing on his ex, Maci
Though Jenelle supports MTV’s choice to let Ryan and his family go from the network, MTV has yet to confirm a reason for the Edwards family being fired. But Ryan seemed to think his ex, Maci Bookout, deserved the blame.
Ryan’s issues with drug abuse turned serious in 2017 when he was issued a citation for simple possession of heroin.
While being filmed for Teen Mom OG, in a now-infamous scene, Ryan was nodding off and slurring his words while driving himself and his wife, Mackenzie, to their wedding.
After the episode aired, Ryan checked himself into rehab for the second time. His problems with addiction continued, however, and he was arrested again in 2018 for a probation violation and returned to rehab for the third time.
Jenelle talked about her time on the show
Jenelle claimed that she isn’t upset about not being asked to return to Teen Mom 2 after Chelsea Houska’s departure from the series.
“I am kind of happy that I am a free bird now. My contract officially expires May 21st. I had to wait two years for my contract to officially expire so I am the first free bird here. I’m excited to see what the future has in store for me,” she said.
Even though Jenelle said recently that she would be open to working for MTV again, she has expressed the “trauma” being on the network has caused her, and says the reunions caused her anxiety.
“The drama, and the reunions, it’s been traumatic for me to look back on. Whenever they would schedule the reunion shows to go to, I would have really bad anxiety before going, during and after, and I don’t think any of that was noticed,” the 29-year-old mom of three revealed.
Jenelle felt she was treated unfairly by MTV and other castmates got preferential treatment
“When it was Chelsea or Kail or someone else, if they felt really anxious, they would change their story lines or whatever. I just felt that I was always looked down upon,” Jenelle told The Sun exclusively.
“Don’t get me wrong the crew was amazing, but we never got to meet the editors, and we never had a say so in the way we wanted it, and we never got to see the episodes until they aired,” she added.
Jenelle admitted on The Candace Owens Show recently that if she did return to work for MTV, she would want more of a say in the production aspect of the show, and how she would be portrayed.
Although Jenelle has admitted she would work for MTV again, it’s not something she’s necessarily looking to jump back into. “It’s not like I’m really eager about it, but it’s not like I’m hesitant, it’s like I’m 50/50 on going back on TV,” she said.
Earlier this year, Jenelle claimed that MTV sent her to rehab multiple times, prompting fans to call her out after sharing a TikTok compilation video of herself drinking. Fans also called her hypocritical for drinking amid her alleged esophageal issues.
Jenelle seems to have trouble securing and keeping job offers since her departure from MTV. Her most recent business venture, the GirlS**t podcast, didn’t last long after it was revealed she was fired from her own gig, though she denied it.
Teen Mom 2 airs on Tuesdays at 8/7c on MTV.