Courtney Stodden's mom, Krista Keller, is putting her maternal instincts to good use — but not for her daughter. The self-described "mumager," who stepped down as Stodden's manager in May, is mothering and mentoring someone new amid ongoing problems with her 20-year-old TV personality offspring.
"Courtney and I are estranged," Keller, 55, tells Us Weekly. "We're not speaking. It's not good."
In the wake of their rift, Keller is working with a man named John Kerwin, who has a talk show on JLTV. The two have developed a very special mother-son-like relationship, and Keller tells Us she'd like Kerwin, 42, to be her family for real. They're even "looking into legal adoption."
"John's mother passed away four years ago. I feel like he's my son, he feels like I'm his mother," she says. "I can't say 'momager' anymore because of Kris Jenner, so we're going to be using 'mumager.' He's going to be my son!"
Kerwin is apparently an only child, and — according to Keller — has "felt so alone" since his mom died. "I totally love this person, and he loves me as his mother," she tells Us. "I'm going to have the son I've never had before. I'm so excited. He's so funny."
Keller adds that she's had a "hole in [her] heart" since things soured between her and Stodden, and that she's "prayed" for someone like Kerwin to come into her life. "I've lost my daughter, basically," she tells Us of Stodden, who has appeared on Couples Therapy and Celebrity Big Brother but is perhaps best known for her marriage to actor Doug Hutchison when she was 16 and he was 51.
"She totally really got upset with me about the timing when I stepped [down]…" Keller tells Us, "and I feel with this particular situation I am going to be so much more appreciated and so much more loved."
UPDATE: A previous version of this post listed Kerwin's age as 43. He's 42.
