Between two shows and more than 10 years worth of episodes, it goes without saying that there's been a lot of room for controversy in the Teen Mom franchises. Don't get us wrong — of course, there have been many sweet, triumphant moments we've gotten to witness after seeing these ladies become moms for the first time at just 16 years old, but sometimes they've slipped up and made a bad choice or two (and sometimes, that bad choice was simply the person they chose to date or reproduce with).
Between multiple stars' arrest histories, Jenelle Evans' turbulent relationship with David Eason, and Farrah Abraham's storied past in the adult entertainment industry, there have been more scandalous moments for the ladies of Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 than we could ever count on one hand — and there's no doubt that there are even more to come in the future.
Read on for all of the most scandalous moments that have happened in this franchise, both on- and off-screen. At this point, the MTV producers pretty much just have to sit back and keep the cameras rolling.
Leah's Big Cheating Scandal
After they'd already tied the knot, it came out that Leah Messer had cheated on Corey Simms (a week before they got married, no less) with her ex, Robbie Kidd — uh-oh. Obviously, Corey was heartbroken when he got the news, and this ultimately led to the downfall of their marriage.
Leah's Drug Issues
After giving birth to her third child, Addie, Leah was prescribed opioid painkillers, which she later said led her down a dark road. In her memoir, Hope, Grace, and Faith, Leah revealed that she became addicted to the medication, which only led to more substance abuse.
Ryan's Arrest
Though Maci Bookout's ex, Ryan Edwards, has found himself behind bars on more than one occasion, perhaps the time that made the most headlines was when he spent three months in jail after being caught with drugs, only to return in handcuffs again after running out on a bar tab in 2019.
Amber's Wildest Relationship
Anyone remember Amber Portwood's relationship with Matt Baier? Though at first, they seemed to make each other happy, more and more shady details started coming out about him — from the number of kids he'd actually fathered to what his true intentions with Amber might be (spoiler: he was totally with her for the fame). Fortunately, Amber eventually sent him packing, but not before he'd done plenty of damage to her and her personal life.
Jenelle Does Jail Time
This is a major throwback, but it's definitely worth mentioning. Anyone remember when Jenelle Evans went to jail because she tested positive for marijuana while on probation — all because she didn't want to skip a Kesha concert to avoid going behind bars?
Yes, she made it to the concert, and yes, she did get arrested.
Kailyn's Baby Surprise
Kailyn Lowry shocked fans when, after her divorce from Javi Marroquin, she announced that she was pregnant — she wasn't even dating anyone at the time! Months later, she gave birth to her third child, a baby boy named Lux, and now it's hard to imagine her family without him.
Javi's Cheating Scandal
Speaking of Javi, his relationship after Kailyn wasn't exactly drama-free, either. Not long after he and his then-girlfriend Lauren Comeau became engaged, word got out that he'd cheated on her, and they made just about every detail about their breakup very public. Their fight eventually came to an end and they got back together, but ultimately they couldn't make it work.
Leah's Custody Battle
A few years ago, Leah was locked in a major custody battle with Corey over their twins, Ali and Aleeah. Though they still had their girls 50% of the time, Leah told Us Weekly in 2018 that it was an incredibly difficult time for her.
"I wasn’t in the greatest place mentally and then it was affecting me physically — like it almost cost me my children," she said. "I became suicidal. It was a struggle. I think that would be the lowest point.”
Ryan Driving Under the Influence
In an episode of Teen Mom OG where Ryan and Mackenzie Edwards tied the knot, Ryan could be seen driving under the influence of something — whether it be alcohol or drugs — on the way to their celebration with Mackenzie in the passenger seat. It was a terrifying clip to watch, and finding out more disturbing details about his addiction wasn't far behind.
Amber's Domestic Violence Arrest
In 2019, Amber was arrested for domestic violence against boyfriend (and father of her son) Andrew Glennon after she allegedly attacked him with a machete. Now, it seems that Andrew still has primary custody of their child, James, and Amber is mostly doing her own thing these days.
Farrah Got Fired
After years of stirring up drama on MTV, Farrah Abraham finally got the axe in 2017. After continuing to pursue her career in adult entertainment, the network gave her an ultimatum: She could either continue on that path, or keep filming for Teen Mom. She decided that the porn industry would be a better financial choice, so she was off the show for good.
Farrah's Sex Tape
While we're still on the subject, another scandal for Farrah was her sex tape. At first, she acted like it was a leaked tape, but later she admitted that she'd hired adult entertainment star James Deen to appear in it with her as she sold it to Vivid for distribution.
David Killing Jenelle's Pet
In 2019, Jenelle took to Instagram to share that her dog, Nugget, had died — only for it to come out later that husband David Eason had allegedly shot him because he nipped at their daughter, Ensley. Understandably, fans were outraged, but Jenelle still stuck by him.
Adam's Multiple Arrests
Add Adam Lind to the list of former Teen Mom stars with history behind bars. Chelsea Houska's ex (and Aubree's dad) has had multiple stints in jail, and as recently as March 2021, there was a warrant out for his arrest due to unpaid child support.
Jenelle's Scary Driving Incident
In 2018, Jenelle got caught up in a scary road rage incident with Jace in the car, following a man to his home after he cut her off on the highway. She even pulled a gun on him as she drove, leading plenty of people to wonder if Jenelle should have custody of any of her kids in the first place.