It’s the end of an era! After Chelsea Houska announced that she’s leaving Teen Mom 2 after a decade on MTV, her fellow OG co-star, Kailyn Lowry, opened up about what her absence will mean on the show. “I do think it’s going to be a bit of a weird dynamic without her because we’ve been doing this together for 10 years,” Kailyn said on the January 5 reunion special. “But I’m really excited to see what opportunities she has once she moves on from this.”
Chelsea announced that she would be departing Teen Mom 2 in November, and explained why on the December 29 season finale. During a conversation with husband Cole DeBoer, Chelsea explained that it was a tough decision, but she felt that with COVID-19 cases on the rise in South Dakota, and her kids getting older, it was time to shut the door on her teen mom years. Chelsea is also pregnant with her fourth child, and debated if she wanted them on the show.
Her daughter, Aubree, who is now 11, was the biggest factor in her decision. “I feel like a lot of [the show] has always revolved around her personal life the most, and as she’s getting older, in her teen years, I just feel like that’s not something that needs to necessarily be out there for everyone to have their opinion on,” Chelsea told her dad, Randy Houska, in the episode. It’s a hard decision for Chelsea, who has been on the show since she was 17 — but ultimately, the right now.
“I want to be a close-knit family. I’m having this fourth baby, and we’re moving into our new house — [it’s kind of a] next chapter all around. I want to kick ass, and be a good mom and a good wife, and that’s all I’ve really ever wanted, and it’s still all I want,” she said in a confessional. Chelsea reiterated this on the January 5 reunion special while explaining to her co-stars why she was departing.
“I feel like this season I had a bad feeling in my stomach,” she said. “I think it’s time to close this chapter — I’m almost 30, I’m having my fourth baby. It just feels like the right time.” While she’s still grappling with leaving Teen Mom 2 behind, Cole, 32, posted a beautiful tribute to his wife on Instagram. “I am wanting to just congratulate my sweet perfect wife for being apart of a show about her life for such a long time and being able to have control and know what she truly wanted in life,” he wrote in a December 30 post.
“If you always watched from the beginning you will know how much sh*t Chelsea has made it through, she is tough as nails, such a badass. Birthed our last child without even having a Tylenol. I look up to her,” he continued. “She has came full circle on the show and I can’t even put into words how proud I am of her and how lucky and grateful I am to have her as my wife!”
Part one of the Teen Mom 2 reunion special airs January 5 at 8:00pm ET on MTV.