If you were a fan of 16 & Pregnant, you no doubt will remember Jenelle Evans from season two, which aired in 2010. At the time, the high school senior was expecting her first child, son Jace Vahn, who is now 15 years old.
Jenelle, now 33, has recently been thrust back into the spotlight after addressing the controversy regarding her age gap with ex-partner Andrew Lewis.
Now, an almost-six-year age gap isn't really something to write home about when you're all consenting adults. But when a TikTok creator pointed out that Jenelle and Andrew are five years and nine months apart, and the reality star was 17 years old when she had their baby, it raised some questions.
"So, Jace was born on August 2, 2009, that makes Janelle 17 years seven months at his birth. Andrew, his father — the person who impregnated Janelle — was 23 years and four months at the birth," said creator Karolyn Cantafford in a TikTok video.
"That gives their age gap five years and nine months. When I tell y'all I stopped and stared at it, then I fact-checked it, then I stared at it again, and then I fact-checked it again before I posted it."
Evans caught wind of the video and quickly posted a response, addressing the age gap.
"I met Jason's dad on Facebook, and it recommended him to me as 'new people in the area', so I added him," she said in her own video.
"We talked for about two months, and then I ended up meeting him. He never lied about his age, and I basically didn't care. And I lied to my mum about his age.
"Once my mum found out, she was very mad, and she did try to press charges on him, but they never ended up following through."
The mum-of-three went on to say that, looking back now, she would "freak out if any of [her] kids put themselves in that situation".
She continued, "If my sons try to date anyone that was that young and they were in their 20s, I'd be like, 'What are you doing?' So yeah, I don't condone my behaviour."
Interestingly, she said nothing about the behaviour of the then-22-year-old having sex with an adolescent.
"My advice to people is, date people your own age or close to your own age, because let me tell you, it will work out in the long run. I've dated people that are always older than me, and we didn't connect on the same level. But kids, use my experience as your life lesson. Please, don't do it."
Jenelle Evans and her kids.
When Jace was born, he was primarily raised by Jenelle's mother, Barbara Evans. But Jenelle regained custody of her son in 2023, after more than a decade.
Evans also shares 10-year-old son Kaiser with her ex-fiancé Nathan Griffin, and eight-year-old daughter Ensley with her estranged husband, David Eason.
In May 2019, Jenelle temporarily lost custody of her two younger children after David allegedly shot and killed their family dog for biting their then-two-year-old daughter in the face. She regained custody in July that year.
Five years later, she filed for a permanent separation from Easton following allegations of abuse.
Speaking on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Jenelle said her kids were "doing a lot better" after the separation.
"Once CPS [Child Protective Services] got involved and Jace ended up at the hospital," she said.
"Jace was like, 'David strangled me.' And then Jace was allowed to come home, but there's criminal charges on David for strangulation and child abuse.
"So then I was like, 'David, he's coming home, and you've got to leave. I'm sorry.' This was all a blessing in disguise because it put a no-contact order between David and Jace."
Last year, David was indicted by a grand jury on child abuse charges stemming from the incident with Jace, which he has denied.
In May 2024, Jenelle obtained a restraining order against her estranged husband.
"I had to write a whole statement," she explained. "He would throw objects, put holes in walls, emotionally abusive, saying, 'Jenelle, go kill yourself, your mother doesn't even love you. Cry yourself to sleep, b**ch.'"
When approached for comment, David told E! News, "I can not elaborate on any of that at this time but I can tell you that those things did not happen. When the truth does come out you will all be very, very surprised!"
Jenelle Evans and the Ke$ha incident.
As for Jenelle, she has had her own struggles over the years, facing multiple arrests and jail time stemming from drug-related charges and assault, as well as driving without a license.
One of the most memorable moments occurred on Teen Mom 2 when she tried to negotiate with her probation officer to go to a Ke$ha concert.
The officer offered Jenelle the opportunity to serve just 16 days. But when the reality star found that it commenced three days before the gig, she attempted to bargain.
"I got second row seats [to Ke$ha]," she said. "You don't understand, she is my idol. I really can't miss that concert. That's why I got all these feathers in my hair. I bought clothes for the concert. I set up hotel rooms. It's not just a concert, it's Ke$ha."
But the negotiations came to an abrupt end when her probation officer ordered a random drug test. Jenelle failed, and was arrested on the spot.
Her mum then refused to bail her out saying, "Sit in jail and pay the price".
Jenelle recently took her three kids to Disneyland. Image: Instagram/@j_evans1219
Where is Jenelle Evans now?
Jenelle remained on Teen Mom 2 until she was fired by MTV due to the incident with their family dog. She made a brief appearance on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter in 2022, but left the show shortly after.
These days, she is a social media influencer and OnlyFans creator as she raises her three kids. She also released an autobiography in 2017 called Read Between the Lines: From the Diary of a Teenage Mom.
Recently, Janelle spoke about taking time off social media to focus on her kids, taking them on a trip to Disneyland.
"This is the first time in my life that I took the kids without any other man and just by myself. And let me tell you, it was the most non-stressful, anxiety-free trip that I think I've had in a while," she shared on TikTok.
She went on to say that her exes lacked patience, and didn't enjoy spending time with the children.
"They would just not want to be there. They would rather be partying and doing their own thing, and just be kid-free.
"I'm trying to create memories. I just want to say I'm happy right now. I'm just really proud that I did that."
