Teen Mother OG followers have watched Amber Portwood take care of quite a few custody battles all through the years. The MTV star — who shares daughter Leah, born in 2008, with ex Gary Shirley, and son James, born in 2018, with ex Andrew Glennon — has lengthy struggled with substance abuse and psychological well being points, which led her into authorized hassle and value her loads of parenting time together with her youngsters.
In July 2022, after a three-year battle with Glennon following her 2019 arrest for home battery, Portwood misplaced custody of James. Per The Solar, the choose additionally granted the cinematographer’s request to relocate with James from Portwood’s native Indiana to Glennon’s dwelling state of California.
“I’ve labored so exhausting to higher myself and enhance my relationships with my youngsters. Whereas I’ve all the time been candid about my previous substance abuse and struggles with psychological sickness, an individual ought to have the prospect to redeem themselves and never be tethered to their issues from the previous,” the 16 and Pregnant alum stated in a press release to Us Weekly after the ruling.
She added, “I’ve spent years rebuilding bridges and did every thing that was required of me, together with submitting 21 detrimental drug assessments and present process a number of psychological evaluations, in case your highway has not been excellent, however you’ve labored exhausting to turn out to be a greater, extra secure and caring particular person at the moment, maintain shifting ahead as I’ll. I’ll by no means cease preventing for my youngsters who I like greater than something.”
Portwood additional famous on Instagram that she was “devastated and heartbroken” by the choice, calling the scenario a “nightmare.”
Glennon used the identical metaphor when revealing his opposing response. “We endured the nightmare,” the videographer instructed E! Information after the case was resolved. “Now we get to stay the dream.”
The previous couple’s custody battle started after Portwood was arrested over the 2019 4th of July weekend for allegedly throwing a shoe at Glennon and wielding a machete at him whereas he was holding child James, who was 13 months previous on the time. The truth star was arrested and pleaded responsible to home battery and intimidation. She struck a plea deal within the case, per the Indy Star, and was sentenced to over 900 days of probation.
The incident not solely affected Portwood’s relationship with Glennon and James, but in addition significantly impacted her relationship with daughter Leah — which was already rocky because of the mother-daughter duo’s personal points, lots of which stemmed from Portwood’s earlier jail time. (She served 17 months in jail from 2012 to 2013 for violating probation in her prescription drug case.)
“[Leah] is aware of numerous what’s happening,” Kristina Shirley, Leah’s stepmom and Gary’s spouse, revealed on an August 2019 episode of TMOG. “I believe the one factor she’s stated to me is, ‘If Mommy goes again to jail, what occurs to James? Will James be taken away from me as nicely?’ I don’t have these solutions.”
Maintain scrolling to see Portwood’s custody preparations with Leah and James:
