After a week of speculation, it's official: Jenelle Evans is returning to the Teen Mom franchise. Jenelle was famously fired from the show in 2019 after her then-husband David Eason shot and killed their dog, Nugget, after he bit their daughter Ensley. In March, Jenelle announced that she had filed for legal separation from David, which she must do before she can file for divorce. Now that their relationship is over, she was seen with Teen Mom: The Next Chapter star Briana DeJesus in Florida in early May, presumably filming for the show.
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Jenelle is making her triumphant return.
Page Six shared a sneak preview of Jenelle's return to Teen Mom: The Next Chapter in a trailer for the show's second season, which premieres on May 30. After showing the returning cast members, the "mom-umental" reveal is made as the camera pans up to reveal Jenelle walking outside.
"I think it’ll be good to have a fresh start," Jenelle says in a voiceover.
It's not permanent yet.
According to a press release from MTV shared by the outlet, Jenelle didn't film her appearances on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter as a full-time cast member. The network explained that she will instead be making a "special appearance" on this season, where she will unpack the beginning of her split from her estranged husband David and makes "life-changing" moves.
Fans have had a feeling this was coming.
Last week, Page Six exclusively reported that Jenelle was spotted in Florida with friend and Teen Mom star Briana DeJesus. While they were seen enjoying some down time, the show was in active production, which definitely raised eyebrows.
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter combines casts from both the original Teen Mom as well as Teen Mom 2 and beyond.
Jenelle has been featured on the show before.
Jenelle's friendship with Briana led to her being featured on a previous episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter in 2022. MTV reportedly asked her to rejoin the series then, but she said no. According to her manager, MTV wanted to sign her to an exclusive deal that "would have limited other career opportunities" for her, including a "new dynamic series in development," that doesn't seem to have happened.
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Jenelle seems to be making major life changes.
Of course, Jenelle is most well known for her time on 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom 2. She was fired from the show in 2019 thanks to David shooting and killing their family pet. David was let go from the show in 2018 because of homophobic and transphobic social media posts.
Earlier this year, Jenelle announced that she had filed for separation from David. The couple became embroiled in legal issues after David allegedly assaulted Jenelle's eldest son Jace, and the separation announcement came shortly after Jace was returned to her custody.
