Amber Portwood fond fame after highlighting her trials and tribulations as a teenaged parent on MTV’s beloved reality franchise 16 and Pregnant in 2009. However, the struggles of parenthood didn’t disappear after the cameras stopped rolling, as Amber recently lost custody of one of the two children she shares with two different former beaus. Keep reading to find out all about the reality star’s daughter Leah and son Jack, below!
Leah
When fans first met Amber on the MTV show, she was pregnant with her boyfriend Gary Shirley’s child. On November 11, 2008, the young couple welcomed Leah. Amber and Gary were briefly engaged, but ultimately separated in 2011. Gary retained full custody of Leah after Amber was charged with three counts of domestic violence against Gary, following a physical dispute that aired on the MTV show in 2010.
Gary would go on to marry another woman and have another child. During this time, Amber had a strained relationship with Gary as they tried to co-parent, which led to a strained relationship with Leah too. At the finale of Teen Mom: Family Reunion in March, Amber said she’ll “never give up” on repairing her fractured status with Leah, who now lives with Gary and his wife. Months earlier, after storming off the Teen Mom OG reunion set during a fight with Gary over Leah seeking therapy, Amber insisted she is in a good place with her daughter.
The reality star also revealed she has been open about her mental health struggles and substance use disorder with Leah. “She’s been asking questions. I’ve always told her the truth, as much as I could for her age,” Amber explained on the reunion. “As she’s gotten older, she’s learned more. With her age right now, she’s kind of like, ‘Well, I don’t like that attitude or behavior. I’m not like that.’ I think she has every right to be mad at me for a lot of things. I let her feel her emotions and I understand that.”
Jack
In 2017, Amber struck up a romance with Andrew Glennon, a Southern California cinematographer. The two soon became pregnant and welcomed Jack on May 8, 2018. In July, Amber lost custody of Jack after a three-year court battle with Andrew, which began in 2019 after Amber was arrested for domestic battery against him. An Indiana judge granted the Teen Mom OG star’s ex sole legal and physical custody of their son and is allowing Jack to be moved to California from Indiana, where he will reside with Andrew at his family’s Malibu estate. Shortly after the news broke, Amber went on Instagram Live to tell her fans she is staying “positive” and will “fight this,” per Page Six.
In addition to the custody and relocation ruling, the judge requested that Andrew “seek out and consider the mother’s opinion before making any major decisions relating to the child’s medical treatment, education and religion,” per the outlet. The court battle, which began in 2019 after Amber was arrested for domestic battery against Andrew, concluded with Amber receiving overnight visitation rights that will be set in motion through phases to allow Jack to adjust to the new scheduling.