Teen Mom’s Maci Bookout and Ryan Edwards’ ​Ups and Downs Over the Years: Coparenting, Restraining Order and More

A difficult relationship. Teen Mom fans have watched Maci Bookout and Ryan Edwards’ drama play out for more than a decade — and things have only gotten worse through the years. Bookout and Edwards were the first couple featured on 16 and Pregnant in 2009, which documented their rocky relationship as the Things That Matter cofounder got pregnant as a junior in high school and gave birth to their son Bentley in October 2008. After Bentley’s birth, tensions between the pair only grew, save for their brief engagement in 2009. (The then-couple soon called it quits for good.) While dating other people — Bookout dated Kyle King from 2010 to 2012, while Edwards was in a relationship with Dalis Paige at the same time — the Battle Upstairs author only grew more and more frustrated with her ex as she felt like she was coparenting more with his own parents than with him. After Bookout wed husband Taylor McKinney in 2016 and Ryan tied the knot with wife Mackenzie Edwards the following year, Bookout and Ryan’s relationship only became more strained, in no small part due to the mechanic’s perceived absence with Bentley, his multiple run-ins with the law and drug abuse. Things came to a head in 2018, when Bookout was granted a restraining order against her ex after Ryan allegedly threatened both her and McKinney. (In addition to Bookout and her husband, the order of protection also covered their children Jayde and Maverick for two years.) At this point, Ryan had been arrested twice: once for heroin possession, the second time for violating his probation stemming from the drug charge. [jwplayer dRx3Ggzb-zhNYySv2] Three years later, in March 2021, McKinney and Larry Edwards, Ryan’s father, nearly came to blows on-camera during a heated discussion about Ryan’s relationship with Bentley — or apparent lack thereof. That same month, the Edwards family, including Ryan’s mom, Jen, and Mackenzie, were fired from the show. (In addition to Bentley, Ryan is father of son Jagger and daughter Stella, whom he shares with Mackenzie; Mackenzie is also mom of son Hudson, whom she shares with ex Zachary Stephens.) One year later, Bookout exclusively told Us Weekly that Ryan and Bentley “don’t have a relationship at all.” In December 2022, the Tennessee native shared with Us that she was able to let go some of her “anger” toward Ryan while working with a life coach on Teen Mom: Family Reunion. However, things only got worse for Ryan in the following months. In February 2023, he slammed Mackenzie in a series of slut-shaming social media posts, claiming that she cheated on him. Though Bookout did not comment on the drama, she took to her Instagram Story amid the chaos to share a post about the trauma of “narcissistic abuse.” Amid his social media attacks, Ryan was arrested after violating Mackenzie’s order of protection against him and booked on multiple charges, including harassment, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance. Keep scrolling to see the biggest ups and downs in Bookout and Ryan’s relationship over the years:

The then-couple welcomed son Bentley. At the time, Bookout was 16 and a junior in high school, while Ryan was 20.

Bookout and Ryan kicked off the entire Teen Mom franchise with their inaugural episode of 16 and Pregnant. The episode featured their rocky relationship and Bentley’s birth, as well as Bookout’s struggles as a teen mom.

The pair were briefly engaged in 2009 but called it quits soon after, with Bookout famously taking off her wedding ring during the first season of Teen Mom.

Teen Mom fans will remember the Bulletproof author’s relationship with King, which began in 2010 and who Ryan infamously slammed during an episode of the MTV series. The BMX rider, for his part, was in a relationship with Paige. Both Bookout and Ryan ended their respective relationships in 2012, two years after they began dating their respective exes.

The next four years were a whirlwind for both Bookout and Ryan in terms of their respective dating lives. After splitting from King in 2012, Bookout started dating McKinney, whom she would go on to marry in 2016. The couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Jayde, in May 2015, followed by younger brother Maverick in May 2016.

Ryan, for his part, dated Shelby Woods from 2013 to 2014. He met Mackenzie in 2016 and the two married in two ceremonies the following year.

Ryan was in attendance as Bookout married McKinney.

Bookout returned the favor at Ryan and Mackenzie's second round of nuptials.

Bookout was granted a two-year restraining order against her ex after claiming he threatened her and her husband’s safety. The restraining order protected Bookout, McKinney and their two children; Ryan was still able to see Bentley.

After a series of social media attacks on Mackenzie, accusing her of infidelity, Ryan was arrested for violating an Order of Protection his wife sought against him. Hours before his arrest, Bookout shared a cryptic message via Instagram about "narcissistic abuse” and the trauma that stems from it.

Ryan was booked on multiple charges, including harassment, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

The Edwards family — including Ryan’s parents, Jen and Larry — were fired from Teen Mom after Larry and McKinney went head-to-head in a tense sit-down about Ryan and his relationship with Bentley.

Mackenzie claimed to Without a Crystal Ball that Bookout was behind their departure. “It’s just more of an angry, I’m-gonna-show-you-who’s-boss-type of deal,” she told the site. “The truth in the matter is, [Maci] calls the shots here. This is her show. It is what it is. It’s fine.”

Bookout exclusively told Us that Ryan and Bentley “don’t have a relationship at all.”

The Teen Mom: Family Reunion star exclusively shared with Us that while working with a life coach on the show, she was “able to work through some of the anger and pinpoint some of the things that I carry around because of how the past has gone down” in terms of her relationship with Ryan. “I felt like I was more prepared and in a healthy spot on my own to move forward and figure out how to transition things and be just a better parent that can deal with the emotions that come up in trying to put things back together.”

After a series of social media attacks on Mackenzie, accusing her of infidelity, Ryan was arrested for violating an Order of Protection his wife sought against him. Hours before his arrest, Bookout shared a cryptic message via Instagram about "narcissistic abuse” and the trauma that stems from it. Ryan was booked on multiple charges, including harassment, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

Despite being let go from the show, Ryan appeared on the Teen Mom Family Reunion: The Aftermath - Part 1 reunion in February 2023, presumably filmed before his drama with Mackenzie. When discussing his strained relationship with Bentley in the emotional sit-down, Ryan choked up. Ideally, he said, he'd like for Bookout “to be OK with just being able to see him," noting, “Hell, I haven’t got to spend any time with him just me in a long time.” (Bentley, for his part, has discussed on Teen Mom his discomfort with seeing his dad.)

The teen “isn’t necessarily comfortable” with spending time with Ryan, Bookout told Us in 2021.

Bookout shared a selfie with Bentley days after Ryan was arrested over Easter weekend for a DUI and simple possession of a controlled substance. Though she did not address her ex's legal woes in the post, she shared telling lyrics from Pink's "All I Know So Far" in the caption.

“I wish someone would have told me that this darkness comes and goes,” Bookout wrote, quoting the song that Pink wrote for her daughter, Willow. “People will pretend but my boy, nobody knows / And even I can't teach you how to fly / But I can show you how to live like your life is on the line” 🎶.”