Barbara Evans may be the grandmother of Jenelle Evans’ children Jace, 9, and Ensley, 2, but fellow Teen Mom 2 star Leah Messer, 27, didn’t see that as enough reason for her to be the kids’ temporary caregiver. Barbara confirmed that she currently has custody of Jace and Ensley after a North Carolina judge reportedly refused to return Jenelle and David Eason’s children home on May 28, and a day later, Leah went on the Life Reboot podcast to give her two cents about this custody drama.
“I just hope that, no matter what, Ensley and all the other kids are in great homes,” Leah began, as Jenelle’s other child, Kaiser, 4, is reportedly with his paternal grandmother and father Nathan Griffith — for now. Meanwhile, David’s daughter Maryssa has been reported to be under the care of mother Whitney Johnson. Leah then took aim at Barbara, adding, “In my opinion, I don’t mean this— I like Barbara, she’s funny and she’s great for TV; however, I also feel like it was a familial cycle that Jenelle got washed up in, and just like I had been. And I don’t feel like it’s great for any of the kids to be with Barbara either.”
Leah didn’t elaborate on her point, as she bluntly added, “That’s my opinion, take it or leave it.” To be fair, Leah didn’t think co-stars Kailyn Lowry and Chelsea Housk should take on the role of Ensley’s caregiver, either. “I think that would just be a lot of controversy if either of them got Ensley at the end of the day, being another talent on the show that [Jenelle] was previously on,” Leah explained on Wednesday’s podcast.
More Teen Mom cast members, past and present, have chimed in after Jenelle and David couldn’t regain custody of their kids. “After losing their kids — and now, they need to take parenting classes, drug tests and therapist – I would say all the moms on Teen Mom need to take parenting courses and all of the above. It’s sad for Jenelle — she chooses fame and attention before her kids,” Farrah Abraham EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife, adding, “No more crying police calls, recording a man treating you bad — she needs to learn to value herself. I feel bad for how broken she is.”
Meanwhile, Kailyn and Coffee Convos co-host Lindsie Chrisley believed it “is in the best interest of the children to remain outside of Jenelle and David Eason’s care,” which they wrote in a joint statement to People. Despite her former co-stars’ opinions, Jenelle revealed in a public statement that she “will do anything necessary to get [her children] back,” as she gears up for her and David’s next court date that is reportedly scheduled for June 4.