Maci Bookout and Ryan Edwards have a long and complicated relationship history that was first documented on MTV's 16 and Pregnant. Through the years, viewers have continued to follow their story on Teen Mom as Ryan struggled with substance abuse and faded in and out of their son Bentley's life. It's been a roller coaster ride, for sure.
Today, Maci and Ryan are in a much better place. Maci is married to Taylor McKinney, and they welcomed two children, Jayde and Maverick. Meanwhile, Ryan is sober and dating a woman named Amanda Conner. For the sake of Bentley, 14, Maci and Ryan are dedicated to peacefully co-parenting — and recently, Maci opened up about her friendship with Amanda.
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Maci Bookout revealed that she is friends with her ex, Ryan Edwards' girlfriend, Amanda Conner.
During a recent interview with Us Weekly, Maci opened up about her unlikely friendship with Amanda.
"We’re definitely friends. She’s really easy to be around,” she told the news outlet. “You know when you meet people and you can just feel the energy? She’s just got really good energy.”
In the interview, Maci praised her ex's girlfriend for supporting their co-parenting relationship.
Furthermore, Maci told Us Weekly that Amanda is "very supportive" not only of Ryan's relationship with Bentley but also of his co-parenting relationship with Maci.
“It was like effortless. There was no goal for us to be friends or put pressure on it, but it kind of just naturally happened," she explained. "We get along really well and just kind of clicked…It happened naturally.”
Maci, Taylor, Ryan, and Amanda even spent Easter together with Bentley.
Maci posted a group photo via Instagram on March 31 of herself, Taylor, Bentley, Ryan, and Amanda. "Benny has a lot of bada– people in his corner that’s for sure," she captioned the shot. "Thankful for all of us to be able to spend Easter together ❤ ."
Ryan has reconnected with Bentley after getting sober.
Ryan had a rocky start to 2023; he was sentenced to one year in jail that April after he pleaded guilty to harassing his ex, Mackenzie Edwards, per People. Ultimately, Ryan was released to rehab, followed by a halfway house. He shared he was five months sober during the Teen Mom: The Next Chapter reunion in October, the same month he posted a photo of himself and Bentley golfing.
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In April, Maci offered an update on co-parenting with Ryan.
"It's definitely been hard. But I think we have been able to maintain this mutual respect," Maci told E! Online in the interview.
Communication had been a huge issue for Maci and Ryan in the past, but things have improved markedly.
"If one of us has a question, we are not afraid to call each other and the other pick up the phone," she told the news outlet. "It's like, 'What do you want to do about that? How do you want to handle this?' The communication is just so much more respectful. And I would say it's just easier."
