Maci Bookout had a candid conversation with ex Ryan Edwards’ new girlfriend Amanda — who he met while in rehab — during Thursday’s new episode of MTV’s Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.
Bookout, 32, and Edwards, 36, previously starred together on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant after she fell pregnant with their now 15-year-old son Bentley in 2009.
They later appeared on the original Teen Mom series, and while they got engaged in 2009, they called it off in 2010.
Edwards is now sober after entering rehab for a serious drug addiction that nearly killed him in April 2023 and put intense strain on his and Maci’s co-parenting relationship.
And Maci told viewers in confessional that all the ‘work’ she and Ryan put into mending their bond as co-parents over the last year is what made her agree to sit-down with Amanda.
Maci told viewers in confessional that all the ‘work’ she and Ryan put into mending their bond as co-parents is what made her agree to sit-down with Amanda
‘Ryan and I have worked really hard over the last couple of years to have just a more stable co-parenting relationship,’ said Maci, as per TooFab’s transcription.
‘And therapy and Al-Anon has made me confident in creating new relationships. So, I’m going to lunch.’
Although Thursday’s episode marked her first real talk with Amanda, Maci revealed to husband Taylor McKinney that the two went to the same adult high school.
Amanda even made a cameo in Maci’s 16 And Pregnant episode back in 2009.
‘She was in my class. She was in the 16 and Pregnant episode,’ she told Kinney as she prepared to meet up with Amanda and Ryan’s mom Jen.
During lunch, Amanda was candid about her sobriety journey after meeting Ryan in rehab and Maci was determined not to judge her for past mistakes.
Maci first asked Amanda how she ended up in the same adult high school as her over a decade ago.
‘I got kicked out of public schools just from drugs, and fighting, and getting in trouble, getting arrested at a young age,’ she explained to Maci.
‘I don’t know why it took so long to learn, but I went through the ringer. I’m not going back out there.’
Although Thursday’s episode marked her first real talk with Amanda, Maci revealed to husband Taylor McKinney that the two previously crossed paths in high school
Amanda explained that she was successfully sober for nearly two years but relapsed after the death of her parents, prompting her most recent rehab stay where she met Ryan.
‘My mom was related to drugs. She was always in active addiction, and then she started using with me. I don’t want to make out like she was a bad parent. She was young,’ she explained.
‘And then shortly after, my father got bone cancer, Stage 4, and passed away,’ she shared. ‘Which is also not an excuse to go back out, but it was very hard.’
She confirmed that she’s currently a year and a half sober — something Maci was happy to hear.
‘I wouldn’t want somebody to judge me based off anything I’ve done on my past,’ And that’s been big for me the last few years — especially with me and Ryan, just like trying to co-parent and trying to get in a more healthy co-parenting relationship,’ Maci told Amanda.
Amanda explained that she was successfully sober for nearly two years but relapsed after the death of her parents, prompting her most recent rehab stay where she met Ryan
She added: ‘I can’t holding any of the bulls**t against anybody.’
Amanda admitted to Maci that she was ‘so nervous’ to meet up with her for lunch.
‘I know we’ve known each other since high school, and even reuniting with you, I was like, so nervous,’ she said.
‘I didn’t know how your energy was gonna be, but I was like, “She makes me feel so comfortable.”‘
Maci then revealed why she felt it was the right time for them to talk face-to-face.
‘For me, I don’t know, it was your energy, but I just feel like you can’t really move forward or start anywhere if you’re just thinking about listening to other people,’ she said.
Ryan’s mother Jen briefly chimed in mid-convo to confess to Amanda that she wasn’t initially thrilled about her and Ryan’s relationship — especially so soon after his OD.
‘I understand, if it was my son, I would be like, ‘Hold on.’ So I get it,’ Amanda told the pair
Maci also admitted that she also had her reservations about it.
‘I understand, if it was my son, I would be like, “Hold on.” So I get it,’ Amanda told the pair.
She then shared that her and Ryan had a ‘serious talk’ before entering their romance relating to their sobriety.
‘We had a serious talk about it and he has told me and I have told him, “If you relapse, you need to leave, and vice versa,” and we agreed upon that,’ Amanda said.
Elsewhere in the episode, Briana DeJesus cried to a producer after her sister Brittany and mother Roxanne argued during a therapy session.
The 30-year-old reality star during the season two episode titled A Toxic Triangle found herself caught between her older sister Brittany, 32, and her mom Roxanne who was in rehab for substance abuse issues.
Briana early in the episode was optimistic about Roxanne’s progress at a substance abuse treatment center.
She told the other moms on a group call that her mom had been at the treatment center for about three weeks and she could only talk to her once a week.
‘But every time that I do talk to her, she just sounds more and more better. All the feedback has been really positive. So I’m glad that she’s taking this treatment center seriously and she’s getting the help that she needs,’ Briana said.
‘But every time that I do talk to her, she just sounds more and more better. All the feedback has been really positive. So I’m glad that she’s taking this treatment center seriously and she’s getting the help that she needs,’ Briana said about Roxanne on a group call
‘I have to tell you something. You’re not gonna believe it. Today, I ended the detox,’ Roxanne revealed.
Briana was surprised and Roxanne admitted she also was shocked because she thought she had two more weeks to go.
‘Do you feel better?,’ Briana asked.
‘I’m just exhausted because I haven’t slept all week. It’s ok. I’ll fall asleep eventually,’ Roxanne said.
Roxanne said she was feeling optimistic and told Briana that she loved her before ending their conversation.
Briana immediately called Brittany and told her that Roxanne ‘sounds absolutely amazing’.
They both agreed that Roxanne could not come back home without all of them doing a therapy session together.
Briana later revealed to her friends that she received a message from her mother’s therapist who planned to give her a call.
‘She’s basically telling me that my mom isn’t doing too well. And I’m a little confused, because I personally thought that everything has been going well. This is just stressing me out,’ Briana said.
The therapist called and shared that Roxanne was skipping group sessions and not doing anything.
Briana asked her sister if she was ready for the session.
‘Yeah. I don’t like her. She’s a liar and I don’t trust her, ’cause how she pretended she was doing good on the phone to you,’ Brittany said.
Briana said she wanted to ask Roxanne to explain what was really going on.
‘I’m gonna tell her, you bring me no peace,’ Brittany said.
The therapy session was not shown, but Brittany was seen 10 minutes later storming out.
‘I don’t give a f*** what you say, Roxanne. Because at the end of the day, you have never been a good parent. You’re just selfish, Mom,’ Brittany said while leaving the session.
A producer named Vicky caught up in the kitchen with Brittany who said she told Roxanne how she felt.
‘They were like, ”Oh, we’re working on her breathing exercises to get into her trauma.” And I said, ”Can I say something? I don’t give a f*** about her breathing exercises or her motherf***ing trauma. Don’t want you in my life if you’re going to keep up the bulls***.” So, yeah, that’s how I feel. Case closed,’ Brittany said before leaving.
Briana emerged 20 minutes later looking dejected.
‘My sister just went off on my mom. And then my mom is saying all these mean things to my sister like f*** you, shut the f*** up. Like, it was just a back and forth thing. We have, like, this, like, toxic triangle going on and it has to stop,’ Briana said.
‘My sister just went off on my mom. And then my mom is saying all these mean things to my sister like f*** you, shut the f*** up. Like, it was just a back and forth thing. We have, like, this, like, toxic triangle going on and it has to stop,’ Briana said
‘It’s unfortunate because there’s kids involved. It’s literally just me and the two girls and my mom and my sister. At the end of the day, we all have one goal. And that’s for everybody to be able to get along and come together as a big, happy family. And if we all have the same goal in mind, why are we all not working together to make that happen?,’ she said.
The episode also showed Leah Messer, 32, taking her twins Aliannah and Aleeah, 14, to their first gynecologist appointment.
‘Your health and wellness is always my priority,’ Leah told the twins.
Leah talked to the twins afterward about their experience.
Aleeah shared her disappointment with the lack of comprehensive sex education in schools, saying, ‘I don’t think that it’s fair that other parents don’t teach their kids this stuff.’
Leah in a confessional reflected on her experience as a teen mom.
‘If I would have had sex education in school, maybe I wouldn’t have been a teen mom. There were dreams I had that didn’t happen because I had an unplanned pregnancy,’ she said.
Tyler Baltierra went on his first daddy-daughter dance with his daughter Novalee.
He couldn’t help but think about his first daughter Carly who was given up for adoption by Tyler and his wife Catelynn.
Tyler Baltierra went on his first daddy-daughter dance with his daughter Novalee
‘What would it have been like to be able to take Carly on a daddy-daughter dance?” he wondered. “I didn’t get to do anything with Carly special, like, for her just being her. And so I need to make sure that I do it with Nova and do it with Veda and Rya as they get older, because it goes by so fast.
Tyler and Novalee went out to dinner before the dance and she promised that she has not yet kissed a boy.
They had a blast at the dance and Tyler afterward made an effort to praise her.
‘”I think you’re an awesome kid. You’re so smart. You’re wise. You think deep about things,’ Tyler said.
‘I think you’re an amazing father. I love you very much. And you always answer my questions when I get very curious. I’m very grateful for you taking me to the dance,’ Nova said.
