Teen Mom star Briana DeJesus got candid about why she asked her sister, Brittany DeJesus, to adopt her 6-year-old daughter, Stella.
During the two-part Teen Mom: The Next Chapter reunion, which aired on Wednesday, October 11, Briana explained that the legal query was prompted by Stella’s father’s absence in her life. (Briana, 29, shares Stella with ex Luis Hernandez.)
“The last time he saw Stella was at the daddy/daughter dance. That was a long time ago,” Briana told hosts Dr. Drew Pinsky and Nessa. “There’s no, like, emotional love when it comes from him. So I was just like, ‘I need to protect Stella.’”
Brittany — who agreed to adopt Stella when her sister asked — explained that because Stella and Nova, Briana’s eldest daughter, “don’t have the same dad … if God forbid something were to happen to my sister, there’s a possibility that they would be separated.” (Briana shares Nova, 12, with ex Devoin Austin, who was also at the reunion.)
“So from the get, I always told her, ‘Put me on paper,’” Brittany, 31, added. “I would never let them be separated. I love them like my own.”
It’s the same sentiment Brittany shared earlier in the season, immediately after Briana brought up the topic of adoption.
“Obviously, you didn’t even have to ask me. I could’ve woken up tomorrow and you would’ve been like, ‘You’re a mother,’ and I would’ve been like, ‘OK,’” Brittany said on the September 27 episode. “That’s a f—king given.”
While Brittany was on board with the plan, Florida law provided some obstacles. Briana’s attorney explained to her earlier in the season that Luis’ parental rights could be terminated through “second parent adoption” — when another family member adopts the child — but noted ”the courts have put the brakes on that,” meaning it was “not a viable option” for Briana at the time.
When asked by Dr. Drew whether she intended to pursue the matter further, Briana echoed that it wasn’t “gonna happen” because of Florida law.
There is one caveat, however. “Unless I marry somebody. That person can adopt stella,” Briana explained.
Brittany, for her part, took the moment to stir up romance rumors. “I wonder who,” she teased, hinting at Devoin.
“If they both fix their s—t, I wouldn’t be mad at that,” she quipped. “If it’s God’s will, it’s God’s will.”
Briana and Devoin, meanwhile, are open to the possibility of rekindling their romance — but only after they’ve worked through their respective issues, Briana told the hosts.
“We’ll see what happens,” she said coyly, to which Devoin replied, “I got forever.”
