Ryan Edwards and Mackenzie Edwards (neé Standifer) will no longer be part of Teen Mom OG. The MTV stars were let go from the series, along with Edwards’ parents, Larry and Jen Edwards, Us Weekly confirms.
On Wednesday, March 24, Mackenzie, 24, claimed that Maci Bookout got the family fired from the show so that it could focus more on her. Bookout, 29, and Ryan, 33, were featured on the series premiere of 16 & Pregnant in 2009 and were briefly engaged. The pair share 12-year-old son Bentley but have both remarried — Mackenzie and Ryan tied the knot in 2017 and share son Jagger, 2, and daughter Stella, 14 months, while Bookout wed Taylor McKinney in 2016 and shares daughter Jayde, 5, and son Maverick, 4, with him.
“Nothing happened, literally, nothing. We just got a call yesterday from [producers] Morgan [J. Freeman] and Larry [Musnik] at MTV,” Mackenzie told Without a Crystal Ball on Wednesday. “Maci’s agent went above their heads and went to Viacom and said that they wanted to focus on all of Maci’s abilities and whatever she does and that we took up the time on the show that she could be using to show all that.”
The reality star explained that Ryan’s parents, Jen and Larry, were fired or “put on the side” first, then she and Ryan were cut as well.
“They said that when [Maci] didn’t fulfill her obligations or, like, basically didn’t have enough content that they call us back,” Mackenzie continued. “Ryan was just like, ‘Don’t. We’re gonna move on. We’re gonna live our lives. We’re gonna do our jobs and, you know, have a normal life. Like, don’t waste your time or your breath coming back.'”
The event planner also noted during the interview that the producers told them they could “read between the lines” and see that this may be out of “retaliation” on Bookout and McKinney’s side after McKinney got into an argument with Ryan’s parents.
“It’s just more of an angry, I’m gonna show you who’s boss-type of deal,” Mackenzie said. “The truth in the matter is, she calls the shots here. This is her show. It is what it is. It’s fine.”
She also stated that she’s a bit “relieved” to be done on the show. “It’s almost, like, a weight lifted off of my shoulders,” she shared. “I deserve to feel good about myself, I deserve to not be riddled with anxiety all the time.”
The Bulletproof author and her ex-fiancé have had many ups in downs since their 2010 split. In 2018, she, McKinney and their children took out a two-year restraining order against Ryan, which has now ended, after allegedly receiving threatening messages. They have since communicated through Ryan’s parents so that Bentley still spends time with his father.
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