MTV Fans Have This Sad Theory About Amber Portwood's Time On Teen Mom
MTV earned a lot of criticism when it recruited pregnant teens to star on a show called 16 and Pregnant more than a decade ago. But over time, viewers got roped into the teens' stories, and were invested in seeing how their futures played out.
Teen Mom alum Amber Portwood has appeared on the series and its spinoffs over the years, but it's safe to say she wasn't a fan favorite.
Amber was almost fired at one point, but then things worked out. She continued to appear on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, even though her storyline is very different from everyone else's. Fans think there's a reason for why Amber is still on the show, and why MTV is keeping her close.
Amber Portwood Doesn't Parent As Much As The Other Teen Moms
Based on the franchise's name, viewers tend to assume that MTV wants to focus on the teenage mothers they recruit. Often, the teen dads are part of the equation (and cast), but not always.
Yet in Amber's case, she isn't featured as heavily on Teen Mom as her ex. Gary Shirley seems to have custody of their daughter Leah, and the show's footage tends to focus on them as a group, versus Amber on her own.
At various points, Amber has gone months without seeing her daughter Leah, which means there's not much for producers to work with.
For a while, Amber was front and center as MTV followed her journey with her ex Andrew and their son James.
But in 2022, Amber's ex moved out of state with their son after a court hearing, which means the former teen mom doesn't have primary custody.
The MTV series has, however, highlighted her visits with little James, though they don't seem to be permitted to film them.
The lack of actual storylines in Amber's "story" on the show spurred fans to theorize about why she's sticking with the franchise — or, more accurately, why MTV is sticking by her.
Why Is Amber Portwood Still Appearing On Teen Mom?
Years ago, Amber Portwood got physical with her ex Gary while MTV's film crew was present. That led to drama for the ex couple, and seemed to be the turning point for Amber to seek professional help for substance issues.
That was also around the time when Gary appeared to step up and take a more active, primary caregiver role in parenting Leah.
Given Amber's seemingly minimal involvement with her two children, fans were confused. One viewer shared what they called a "half-baked theory" about Amber's continued role in the Teen Mom franchise, and it's not exactly pretty.
They suggested that MTV keeps Amber because, "1. Gary's still a very willing participant who is still very willingly involved in Amber's life, and 2. the production team is her actual primary support system and fear for her life and safety if they left."
While number one is evident in MTV's footage — Gary is a very supportive ex, and his wife appears to get along well with Amber, too — number two is the painful part of the theory.
The fan continued, "The cast and crew are so insistent with their unwavering support for her even though she has done things that have gotten other people kicked off. It doesn't seem like they rally around other cast members half as hard as they do for her endless list of issues."
Another pointed out that "Gary is shown to be a really good parent (which he should be anyways) but part of his motivation is to make Amber look bad."
After Amber's history of violence with Gary, then accusations that she attacked her ex Andrew Glennon (while he held their toddler), some viewers were surprised that Amber wasn't immediately nixed from the show.
For his part, Glennon reportedly had multiple restraining orders filed against him by ex-girlfriends. His disappearance from the show was swift, though viewers can assume it's because he didn't have a binding contract with MTV.
With Amber, another commenter agreed that, "She's that one old-timer who drinks too much and can't work half as well as she used to, but they keep on the payroll because they know she needs the money and would never get hired anywhere else in her condition."
Andrew, in contrast, apparently works for a living outside any paychecks from MTV.
Is Amber Getting The Help She Needs?
Replying to the original "theory," one Redditor wrote, "I totally agree with this. I also feel this is why cast members don’t cut her off. They’re worried she will spiral harder if she has zero support."
Given her background, it's not unreasonable to assume that Amber finds a lot of support in the MTV crew. And since she's not generating the kind of content MTV's Teen Mom franchise is known for, viewers could be correct in thinking there's more than production value at play.
They can only hope that behind the scenes, Amber's getting the help they suspect she needs.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuobFdnsBurcybnKtloKS%2FtcPOqJtmq6Seua15zqdkrZ2Vo3quu8xo