‘Teen Mom’ Amber Portwood Reveals Why She Can’t Relocate to California to Be Near Her Son: “There’s No Way”

On one of Amber Portwood latest TikTok Live gems, the Teen Mom star revealed why she cannot relocate from Indiana to California to be closer to her son James, while also doubling down on her previous decision to decline an offer from ex Gary Shirley to move into a trailer on his property. 

As fans know, Amber shares 16-year-old daughter Leah with Gary and seven-year-old James with ex Andrew Glennon, though neither of her children live with her. Back in 2022, Andrew moved back to his home state of California with James after being granted sole custody of the then-four-year-old, while Amber remained living in Indiana. (Amber is allowed to fly to California every other month to visit her son, while Andrew was ordered at the time to bring James to Indiana on the alternating months for visits, too.)  

While ‘Teen Mom’ fans know that Amber does not currently have a relationship with her daughter, she frequently touts her close bond with James– so much in fact, that a fan asked the self-proclaimed “damn good mom” on Friday why she hasn’t moved to California in order to be geographically closer to her son.  

“You guys think that I can afford to live in freaking California?!” Amber shouted at her streaming pal, as well as those viewing the Live. “Hold on, we’re having an issue here. I cannot afford to live in California, first of all. 

“Second of all, my son lives in Santa Barbara and Malibu,” she continued. “I damn sure cannot afford to live there! What the f**k?!” 

Amber– who revealed in March (and confirmed again on Friday) that she has quit Teen Mom: The Next Chapter– went on to claim that, due to the high cost of living in the state of California, she wouldn’t even be able to purchase a home in “the slums of Los Angeles.” 

“ … do you know how much money that is, you guys?” Amber asked, adding, “And who the hell wants to live there?”

The queen of all things maxin’ and relaxin’ insisted that while she makes money and is “good” financially speaking, moving from Indiana to California would require her to “spend it all” and would leave her unable to pay for other necessities. 

“ … I cannot move to California,” she reiterated. “There’s no way … I could do that right now.

“ … I’m sorry, but it’s just so the truth,” she added. 

Amber was also asked earlier in the Live about the offer that Gary made her years ago to live on a trailer (that Amber would purchase) on his property, which would have allowed her to live much closer to Leah. Fans watched this storyline play out back in 2021 on Teen Mom OG, prior to Amber and Leah’s relationship tanking to where it is currently. 

After being asked about the chance she had to “live next door to Leah”– which the fan said Amber had “refused”– Amber claimed the statement was “not true whatsoever,” before seemingly admitting that it was true. 

“ … Are you talking about the trailer that Gary wanted to put on his five-acre land so I lived on his land?” Amber asked. “Oh my gosh! Yeah, of course I said no to that. What the crap? You don’t move on your ex’s land in a [trailer]. What are you talking about?!”

As The Ashley previously reported, Amber lashed out on TikTok Live in May after being accused of “abandoning” Leah and questioned about her children’s living situation. While firing back at an internet stranger, Amber insisted that she sees “all of [her] children” and that they have “an amazing relationship.” 

Amber went on to claim that things between her and Leah are “going to be OK,” and that the teen is simply “going through her 16 phase” at the moment. She also noted that she maintains “joint custody” of Leah. As for James, Amber told fans that it was “another situation” in which her child lives with their father. 

“I am here, but we are not together,” she said. “But I see my son all the time and I talk to my son all the time … I know the truth; [the fans are] just going off of MTV.”