The drama continues — even when the cameras stop. Former Teen Mom OG stars Ryan Edwards and Mackenzie Edwards may have been fired from the show in 2021, but controversy has continued to follow the pair ever since.
Ryan joined the franchise in 2009 during the inaugural season of 16 and Pregnant, as the father of Maci Bookout’s son, Bentley. After the Tennessee natives’ romance quickly fizzled, the Things That Matter cofounder struggled to find a way to coparent with her ex — a difficult situation that played out for years on MTV and only grew worse when Ryan began to suffer from substance abuse issues.
Ryan’s addiction problems didn’t just affect his relationship with Bentley and Maci, however — it also deeply impacted his romance with Mackenzie, whom he met in 2016 and married one year later.
Avid Teen Mom viewers recall the harrowing season 7 finale, during which Ryan — who repeatedly nods off and can barely keep his eyes on the road — drives himself and Mackenzie to their first round of nuptials. Ryan’s mom, Jen, meanwhile, is sobbing because Bentley isn’t in attendance, as Ryan and Mackenzie want to keep the news of their nuptials as hush-hush as possible. While the two go through with the wedding, both Ryan and Mackenzie later recognized the errors of their ways.
“I was young, confused, nervous and made a very bad decision,” Mackenzie replied to a fan in March 2022 when asked how she could still go through with marrying Ryan when he was driving under the influence. “I’m so thankful no one was hurt.”
The influencer added: “We made peace with it a long time ago together.”
Ryan, for his part, exclusively told Us Weekly after the June 2017 airing of the episode that he “made the decision to check myself into a rehabilitation facility. I am back home now [and] doing well, and life could not be better. Without the support of my wife and parents I would not have been able to do this. Thank you all for your well wishes.”
Amid the turmoil — and Ryan’s addiction issues — the pair went on to have a second reception and soon after expanded their brood. Mackenzie, who shares son Hudson with ex-husband Zachary Stephens, welcomed son Jagger in October 2018 with Ryan, followed by the couple’s daughter, Stella, in January 2020.
One year later, the two were fired from Teen Mom OG not long Ryan’s dad, Larry, and Maci’s husband, Taylor McKinley, nearly came to blows over Ryan’s (apparent lack of) relationship with Bentley. Mackenzie claimed to Without A Crystal Ball in March 2021 that Maci was the mastermind behind the Edwards getting the boot.
“Maci’s agent went above [the Teen Mom OG producers’] heads and went to [parent company] Viacom and said that they wanted to focus on all of Maci’s abilities and whatever she does and that we took up the time on the show that she could be using to show all that,” Mackenzie said.
She added: “It’s just more of an angry, I’m gonna show you who’s boss-type of deal. The truth in the matter is, she calls the shots here,” Mackenzie said about Maci. “This is her show. It is what it is. It’s fine.”
While the Edwards family has been quick to point fingers at Maci once drama gets stirred up, Ryan stunned fans in January 2023 when he appeared to accuse his wife of cheating on him — by leaving her scathing comments on a photo of the two grinning happily at a concert.
“Take wife down off this I’m not proud of being married to someone that stays out in bars and goes home with others [sic] guys … tomorrow can’t get here fast enough!” the former reality star wrote in the comments on Mackenzie’s July 2022 Instagram post, which depicted her and Ryan smiling and cuddling up. “Don [sic] you know what happens when u lay with dogs? … wait look at who I’m talking to. And then blaming it on my addiction yea divorce is the right thing.”
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Keep scrolling to see all of Mackenzie and Ryan’s ups and downs through the years:
Michelle McGahan
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