Amber Portwood‘s arrest for domestic battery on then-boyfriend Andrew Glennon will be a big topic in the new Teen Mom OG season. She ended up taking a plea deal to avoid jail time, and was ordered to have no contact with the father of her 22-month-old son James. In a season 11 preview clip from the show’s new season, the 29-year-old seen pouring her heart out to ex-husband Gary Shirley, 33, about the explosive incident that occurred in July 2019.
The clip begins with video of Amber leaving court and cuts to an Instagram live session where Amber said she was, “working on myself and my life to make sure that I will not slip up ever again.” Then Gary is seen entering Amber’s home as she says in a voiceover, “It’s been one of the hardest times of my life. But I’m proud of how I’ve handled it. I’m lucky that I have Gary and (his wife) Kristina and their support throughout this whole situation.”
“The number one regret that I have is that I did not walk out of that house that night,” she explains to Gary, as they’re seated on her sofa. “Now I look back and I’m so ashamed because all I keep thinking about is, ‘Amber, you should have walked out of the house.’” She continues, “There are limits to somebody with mental health disorders…there’s only so much somebody like me can handle. And people like me will understand that.”
Gary assures her, “You’ve learned a lot from your mistakes this time.” Amber covers her face and begins to cry. “I just have a lot of guilt of not being aware of myself more than I should have. I really do feel ashamed that I didn’t have that. Because I should, after all that the things that I’ve done to change.”
Later in the clip, one of Teen Mom OG‘s producers Larry calls up Andrew and asks him to set up a time where he can share what’s been going on so that it “wouldn’t be a one-way perspective.” Andrew tells him, “It’s giving me anxiety. It’s hard to sleep. It’s a total mess and it’s completely spiraled out of control. it’s really frustrating.” They set up a time to meet and talk and Andrew says, “I’m all for it.”
On July 5, 2019, Amber was arrested on a domestic battery charge and four days later was charged with three felonies — domestic battery, criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, and domestic battery in the presence of a child — after an explosive fight with Andrew while he was holding their son. In Oct. 2019, she agreed to a plea deal where she received one felony charge for the incident. But it would be dropped to a misdemeanor if she had no incidents or problems during the two and a half-year probation period she was given.