One day after Nathan Griffith called ex-girlfriend Jenelle Evans an unfit mother, and vowed to seek full custody of their son, his sister, Heather Griffith, is defending the former Teen Mom star. Heather spoke to HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY and praised Jenelle for the way that she parents 5-year-old Kaiser Griffith, and for how she coped with the devastation of temporarily losing custody of her three children. “I think a lot of things have been exaggerated and blown out of proportion. I don’t see Jenelle as an unfit parent or someone that doesn’t love her kids,” Heather said. “I watch her go though this process, and she’s tried to remain so positive but she was just so sad. After getting to know her over the past few months — we recently became closer when the kids were taken away — I don’t see her as this horrible, vindictive person that she’s constantly being played out to be. I think she is just constantly under attack and I don’t think that she’s unfit as a parent.”
Jenelle regained custody of Kaiser and his siblings on July 4 after weeks of pleading in front of a judge. CPS removed Kaiser, his two-year-old sister, Ensley Eason, and nine-year-old Jace Evans, from Jenelle’s home after her husband, David Eason, shot and killed the family’s dog. Nathan is fighting to get full custody of Kaiser, telling TMZ on July 9 that he hired a lawyer before the CPS incident even happened. “I think just with her situation I would be more fit as a parent,” Nathan told the outlet, stressing that he believed Kaiser isn’t receiving proper “love and affection.” He also accused Jenelle of spreading misinformation about himself, telling TMZ, “I found it absolutely hysterical because the moment I got Kaiser into my custody, I have never denied her one time of FaceTime. She has now already re-blocked my number, and is totally being outrageous in everything she has said about me.”
Heather said that over the years, she and Jenelle were never close because of the situation with Nathan. But that’s changed this summer. “I have talked to her pretty much ever since the kids were taken from her,” Heather said. “We check in with each other every day to make sure things are going well throughout the whole process. We’re building a friendship now. It’s hard because Nate’s my brother and I can never be in her corner, but I can referee and make sure she gets a fair fight. I see so much promise and potential in her. She’s a go-getter; she’s doing what she has to to support her family. One thing I can say about her is that she totally respects the rules of not saying anything bad about my brother. She has never bashed my brother to me or said one bad thing [about him].”
Nathan isn’t pleased that Heather’s forging a friendship with Jenelle, though. My brother right now, the last day and a half, he’s not been talking that much because he’s upset that I’m communicating with Jenelle,” Heather said. “Normally I’m in my brother’s corner 100 percent all the time [because] we’re very close. I’m very supportive of my brother. I love him very much; he’s a good guy.”