Whitney Purvis— a girl who starred on the very first season of 16 and Pregnant back in 2009— is currently in jail after being arrested Monday for several very serious offenses, including felony involuntarily manslaughter after she allegedly distributed a dose of the street drug Tranq (a combination of Fentanyl and Xylazine) to a friend, who died after overdosing from it.
In addition to the involuntary manslaughter charge, Whitney is also being charged with “use of communication in commission of a felony involving controlled substances” and “manufacture/sell/distribute/posses with the intent to distribute controlled substances.” If convicted, Whitney is facing 10 years in prison or more.
Whitney is just the latest person from the “16 and Pregnant” series to get into serious trouble with the law after appearing on the MTV series. In fact, several other girls (and baby daddies) from the show have spent time in prison for very serious crimes, some of whom are still serving out their sentences as of press time.
Here, The Ashley takes a look back at the “16 and Pregnant” cast members who have gone to prison. (Just to note, The Ashley is only featuring people who went to prison and not jail here. Also, she is only focusing on people who appeared on “16 and Pregnant,” not ‘Teen Mom.’)
Lori Wickelhaus (Season 2): Released from Prison in 2023
Lori appeared during the second season of “16 and Pregnant” in 2010 and was notable because she chose adoption for her child. (She gave birth to a son, Aiden, who was adopted at birth and has lived a quiet life since.) Lori went on to have two more children before she was arrested in August 2020 for 20 counts of possessing or viewing matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor.
Lori’s arrest came after the Kentucky State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received a cyber tip stating that images depicting child sex abuse were uploaded to a Dropbox account in September 2019 and December 2019. The images were found on Lori’s iPhone, laptop and a USB thumb drive. In August 2021, Lori pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison.
She went on to serve two years and two months in prison before she was released in October 2023.
Lori has seemingly managed to stay out of legal trouble since her release. However, she is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. She is currently listed as being compliant with her registration requirements and is no longer under supervision. Lori’s children are being raised by her parents.
Joshua Rendon (Season 1): Currently in Prison
Josh— who starred on the very first season of the show in 2009 alongside his then-pregnant girlfriend Ebony Jackson— is currently in prison in Colorado after being convicted of a plethora of crimes stemming from a 2021 police chase in a stolen car. Although he was originally charged with 12 crimes– including attempted murder of a police officer– Josh took a plea deal and pleaded guilty to five charges (including vehicular eluding, aggravated motor vehicle theft and criminal mischief) and was able to have the attempted murder charge dropped.
Josh— who is now 33 years old– was sentenced in January 2023, getting five years in prison for the vehicular eluding conviction, and four years each for the theft and criminal mischief charges. The two misdemeanor charges resulted in sentences of 60 days each.
He will be eligible for parole in August 2026, but has a release date set for February 2033.
Jocelyn— the daughter born to Josh and Ebony on the show— reportedly lives with Josh’s parents, as does their other daughter Jayda who was born in 2012. Josh and Ebony divorced in 2012.
Josh Drummonds (Season 2): Currently in Prison
Josh Drummonds appeared on Season 2 of “16 and Pregnant” when his then-girlfriend Nikkole Paulun was pregnant with their son Lyle. Almost immediately after the episode aired, Josh began getting into trouble with the law, with arrests for everything from assaulting a family member, possession of meth, armed robbery and even assaulting a hospital security guard. Nikkole has stated numerous times that she fears for her life whenever Josh is not behind bars.
In 2019, Josh was arrested and accused of robbing a bank in Houston, Texas, with a gun and a CVS drugstore, crimes he committed on the same day.
In 2020, Josh was found guilty of three counts of bank robbery, and one count of robbery for his crime at the drugstore. He was sentenced to 96 months in jail for the crimes, and is being allowed to serve his sentences concurrently.
Josh is currently incarcerated at USP Coleman II, a high security prison located in Florida. His current release date is April 15, 2026. After his release, Josh will be on three years of supervised probation.
Amber Portwood (Season 1): Released from Prison in 2014
Amber– who appeared on Season 1 of “16 and Pregnant” and went on to appear on numerous ‘Teen Mom’ shows–served 17 months in an Indiana prison for violating her probation on several drug-related and domestic violence charges. After failing out of drug court, Amber chose to go to gel prison and was sentenced to five years in the slammer. She began serving her sentence in June 2012, and she was released in November 2014, with MTV cameras rolling for a ‘Teen Mom’ special called “Being Amber.”
After getting out of prison, Amber stayed out of trouble for several years before being arrested for domestic violence (again), this time against her second baby daddy, Andrew Glennon. By the time of her 2019 arrest, Amber was off probation for her previous offenses and managed to avoid going back to the Big House.
These days, Amber spends her days ranting on TikTok Live.
