For years, Teen Mom star Amber Portwood has shared the highs and lows of her relationship with daughter Leah, both on and off shows in the franchise. After Leah expressed interest in her stepmom adopting her, and disappointment in her relationship with Amber, everything came to a head. It resulted in Amber claiming that she quit Teen Mom. And now, fellow OG Maci Bookout has shared her support for Amber.
In the April 3, 2025, episode of former Teen Mom star Kailyn Lowry’s podcast Barely Famous, Maci opened up about her friendship with Amber. She explained that, for her, there are things that only she, Catelynn Baltierra, Amber, and even Kailyn can understand. All four women began the original Teen Mom series together, and they have been friends since its inception. Despite heavy fan criticism, Maci has remained by Amber’s side.
Maci is ride-or-die for Amber.
During the April 3 episode of Kailyn’s podcast, Maci opened up about supporting other moms in the franchise. In a way, Maci, Kailyn, and the other moms grew up together. And, now especially, Maci remains close with Catelynn and Amber. Maci told Kailyn on the podcast, “I’m not going to stop caring and showing up for anyone that I love because you disagree with it.”
She also said that, despite Amber’s issues with her daughter and the fractured relationship Amber also has with her ex, Gary Shirley, and his wife, Kristina Shirley, she is going to show support for Amber. Maci also shared that, to her, support is important, especially when a friend as close to her as Amber is, is going through something difficult.
“Sometimes support looks like checking someone and showing them a different point of view or maybe how they can alter their behavior a little bit without judgment or being hateful,” she told Kailyn. “It’s very possible for all of those things to simultaneously exist and all be true.”
Amber has received fan criticism for years, due to her behavior with Gary and toward Leah. At one point during a Teen Mom episode, Amber was extremely late to her daughter’s birthday dinner, and then became defensive about it. Leah also revealed once on the show that it had been months since she spoke to her mom. And, according to what Gary said on the show, it doesn’t help that Amber often goes live on social media to share her side of things and trash-talk Gary or his wife.
Amber claims she quit ‘Teen Mom.’
On March 15, during one of Amber’s frequent TikTok livestreams, she claimed that she had quit Teen Mom. She said during the stream that she approached one of the long-standing producers and told him her mental health was too important to her, and that the emotional toll the show had been taking on her was too much.
It’s entirely possible, however, that Amber could return to Teen Mom for another season. Or, at the least, that she could return at some point down the line. For now, though, she appears to have full support from her friends and costars no matter what she decides to do next.
