Earlier this week, new broke that Teen Mom 2 star Leah Messer has reportedly lost primary custody of her twin daughters, Ali and Aleeah, to their father, Corey Simms. Leah has remained silent regarding the custody case but Dr. Drew Pinsky has spoken out about Leah losing custody and the status of “whatever her condition is.”
When asked to comment on Leah’s situation during a backstage interview at the Rachael Ray Show, Dr. Drew stated that while he couldn’t confirm that Leah had, indeed, lost custody, he did discuss the effect that losing the kids could have on Leah.
“I know it’s gonna be devastating for Leah,” Dr. Drew, who moderates the ‘Teen Mom 2’ reunion specials, said. “Leah loves her children, she’s a dedicated mother…She is working very hard and this has been a terribly painful and stressful time for her. So, let’s all wish her the best.”
Leah’s ‘Teen Mom 2’ co-star Kail Lowry also commented on Leah’s situation.
“To be honest, I don’t really know the details of what’s happening with Leah’s custody case, but I feel for her,” Kail told The Ashley on the red carpet of Star Magazine’s “Scene Stealers” Party in Hollywood last night. “I hope for the best for her and the kids, though.”
Dr. Drew also discussed the “condition” that sent Leah to a rehab facility last spring. (Leah has repeatedly denied that she has a drug problem, and Dr. Drew seemed to purposely avoid talking about the topic during the Season 6 reunion special, which was filmed in July.)
“I was expecting progress,” Dr. Drew said. “If you saw the last reunion show — which is the last time I had contact with her — I believed she was making some progress.”
Dr. Drew stated that the fact that Leah’s ex-husband Corey and his wife Miranda came down hard on Leah during the taping is actually a good sign.
“One of the signs I noticed was that the people around her — like her ex-husband and his new wife — people around her were starting to really come down on her,” he said. “When that starts to happen, that’s a sign to me that the identified patient is getting better. I told Leah that I thought that was a good sign, and that she should just learn to tolerate it. This is when they’re really going to come down on her, but to just focus on her treatment. Which she was willing to do.”
According to In Touch, a judge ordered the twins to be placed with Corey and Miranda effective October 13 because, as the magazine stated, “Leah’s really been screwing up [lately].”
“The judge looked at the girls’ school records, which show that they’ve been late for school, and made the change in custody… Leah only gets the girls on the weekends now,” the magazine’s source stated.
Dr. Drew, who is an addiction specialist, was unable to ask Leah questions regarding her alleged drug problem and several other topics, due to Leah using her safe word (“Monkey!”) during the filming.
Although he feels like she may have been making progress when he saw her in July, Dr. Drew stated that this recent setback could cause a downward spiral in Leah’s recovery.
“I don’t know if this recent issue with the child custody is going to set her back, but I certainly wish her the best,” he said.
To read The Ashley’s recap of Leah’s segment on the Season 6 reunion, click here!
(Photos: Instagram, MTV)
42 Responses
I wonder if MTV have been protecting Leah because they need her to have custody of the girls to keep the show going. Corey seems to be losing interest in all the drama and now that he has full custody he might decide he doesn’t want the twins on future seasons of the show. If Jeremy does the same and Leah has no kids to film with, I think it would be a big blow to ratings. Maci’s sections of Teen Mom OG were rubbish after she stopped letting Bentley film.
There are rumors going around that leah is pregnant again based on recent pics that show her face and belly fuller.
Hopefully she just packed on weight in rehab and is not expecting another child.
Who knows when it comes to leah though…ugh
Dr. Drew is either the worst “addiction specialist” that ever lived, or he’s so completely owned by MTV that he won’t dare speak the truth about Leah. Please somebody call Dr. Phil so he can rip a strip off this girl and her mother. I’d pay good money to see Leah try to “argue with a fence post” or use her ugly cry face like Farrah did with Dr. Phil. I’m so sick of people blaming Corey and Miranda for all of Leah’s issues. Her addiction issues have nothing to do with her girls or Corey and Miranda, so there’s no reason why any of them should have to suffer for her mistakes. This girl has major issues that she needs to deal with before she can be a good mom. She should just be grateful that the judge granted her weekend access. I am certain that if she wasn’t a tv personality, those girls would have been completely taken from her or at the very least, she would have been granted supervised visitation. If Corey had done the things that she has, he’d have been cut out of his girl’s lives long ago. It’s time to stop coddling the girl and make her take responsibility for her own actions. I don’t buy her sweet as pie act for one minute. Her true colours showed through on the reunion show when she brought up her affair with Corey. There was no reason for her to raise something so painful on TV, especially when Corey and Miranda had already made the decision to move beyond it. Then she had the nerve to call “Monkey” so Corey and Miranda couldn’t bring up the skeletons in her closet?!
thank you, i can’t believe she was allowed to smirk and say, where were you your first months of marriage, hit me up, and then corey and miranda are cut off and attacked as being hard on her!!! i was like wtf! she will never get better as long as she thinks everyone is buying her lies, it only allows her to lie to herself. if i was corey and miranda, i’d be done with the show for sure. absolutely, if corey had done any one of the things she’s done, not only would he be cut off, he’d be bashed on social media! some girl was saying how it’s all miranda that got the judge to change custody LMAO! i was like, the judge told leah get the girls to school regularly and on time or i’ll reconsider. literally, he gave her ONE thing to do, and she didn’t do it. if she had, no amount of influence from miranda would’ve changed it! people saying miranda just wants her kids cuz she’s jealous lol. i’m sure the last thing she ever thought was that she’d be taking in twins who have had an unstable first 5 years. it’s going to be very hard and the only reason she’s doing it is for the kids, cuz she’s a good person, unlike some people smh
Very good comment…”…she will never get better as long as she thinks everyone is buying her lies, it only allows her to lie to herself. “
Too bad it’s devastating for Leah, she brought it on herself. Dr. Drew is delusional if he thinks Corey and Miranda are coming down on her because she’s doing better. I expect Dawn to say that s*** but not Dr. Drew. Usually it’s the enablers and bad influence friends that come down on the person recovering not the ones who want you to get better like C & M do! So “Dr. Drew thinks that the stable home, stable relationship and stable routine is not a good decision because it will make Leah spiral? The custody switched from Corey for just the weekend to Leah on just the weekend which IS the best for those girls who didn’t do anything wrong. They deserve to live with Corey. Leah isn’t a dedicated mother, she’s only dedicated to d***, pills and money!!!
On the off chance that there are other Warren Zevon [best known for ‘Werewolves of London’] fans on here, “d*ck, pills, and money” would make an excellent “lawyers, guns, and money” parody.
Thanks Dr. Drew for those words of wisdom. As usual none of it made a damn bit of sense- just the usual hand patting doublespeak.
I don’t think she has a drug problem to drugs on the streets but l do think she is addicted to her prescription medication for her anxiety and mental health issues.she needs help not to be condemmed by Corey and Miranda.Abit of understanding goes along way.I think if Corey and Miranda handled things differently things wouldn’t had got so bad for Leah.But at the end of the day the children are most important and l think for now they are where they will get 100 percent of there needs meet while Leah heals.I hope this makes her turn the corner for good and this doesn’t drive her deeper down.Leah is a great mom and really wish her the best.
You realize that she WAS/IS buying her drugs on the street right? Blaming Corey and Miranda for Leah’s addiction issues is like blaming those innocent girls for being born. Leah has deep rooted issues that have nothing to do with any of the people she is hurting with her addiction. Funny how people are so quick to judge Corey and Miranda for wanting to protect those girls but no one has said a bad word about Jeremy’s lack of involvement in Addie’s life up to this point or his lack of desire to protect his daughter. God forbid something bad were to happen to any of those babies on Leah’s watch. Heck, even then I’m sure all of the Leah lovers out there would find a way to blame Corey and Miranda for not fighting harder to protect those girls.
Dr. Drew really has some ding dang nerveses now claiming it’s a good thing that Corey and Miranda were hard on Leah, when on the show they were muzzled while trying to confront her!
Your name though >.< hahahah
Is there any truth to the rumors on the teen mom tumble pages saying that leah is a on a bender and staying in a hotel rm? I assumed she must have left today to get her girlses. I think it was also a blind item. They were saying he mtv crew couldn’t get a hold of her. And locals were saying it was true.
From the pics she just posted on facebook, she looks gross.
I am DYING to know more details about the custody case. And I am DYINNNNG to find out more details about Addie’s grand day out. I legit would buy every rag mag that had any info in it.
Am I the only one that has noticed Kail and Leah aren’t really friends anymore?! They used to tweet each other and visit all the time. Their husbands were friends and everything. I think Kail staying away from Leah is the biggest confirmation that the addiction stories are true. If ANYONE is going to stay away from an addict, it’s Kail.
THIS. it speaks volumes, cause. Kailyn does not approve of drugs. Remember how she stuck to her guns about Vee being absolutely awful because she smoked pot??
Yup. Kail will not tolerate it because she sees first hand what addiction does/will do to you because of her mother.
I noticed that too and it’s super hypocritical because she’s still friendly with Jenelle.
Jenelle admitted she had a drug problem though, and that’s what she went to rehab for. Not saying it exactly helped her ALL THE WAY, but at least she was honest about it.
Dr. Drew is a joke. If she really was doing better, people wouldn’t be “coming down on her” so hard. He really makes no damn sense.
Exactly. I used to kind of like Dr. Drew, but now that I’m older realize he’s a completely bogus side stepper. Heck, if we’re talking about TV “doctors”, I’d LOVE to see Dr. Phil host a reunion. As much as I despise him and some of the tactics he’s used (ie; clinging onto celeb psych cases for ratings), he’d actually lay down the law and not put up with BS answers, like sweet as sugar Dr. Drew The Coddler just loves to do. I’d love to see him take a stab at Leah and Jenelle. He seems to really value kids and coming from a psych background, doesn’t put up with bad parenting excuses.
Before I became an addict & then a Recovering Addict I loved Dr. Drew, and didn’t understand all the hate. Now, he deserves to be stripped of his license. I was dumbfounded when I read his statement. My boyfriend & I have both been clean for years, he had no idea what TM2 even is, I read him that state & we were both like wtf?!
When the status quo changes it causes strain on a relationship dynamic. Therefore, it is actually when an addict begins to turn the corner that those s/he affects most show the most distress. It is a well known phenomenon that when an alcoholic husband (for example) goes into treatment, the wife who has wished for that day for years will begin to sabotage his success. You can also see this with obese individuals who begin to suddenly lose weight, get healthy, and look fabulous. All of the sudden, sabotage is rampant. “Have a cookie, come on, it’s just a cookie!” Friends and family will say. It sounds strange but it is an odd fact of life, we struggle to stand still in the face of progress. We fight the growth we see. Leah began to turn the corner and those around her fought her ever harder. Hopefully, though losing primary custody is a major blow, she can use this time to continue to build her strength and rebuild her relationship with her children.
Okay, but what makes you think Leah was turning the corner? Just curious.
Thank you for actually explaining what the hell he meant. You articulated it much better than he did. Not sure I can say I believe it–but still.
While you’re definitely right, I just don’t see this applying to Leah’s case…at all. To begin with, the phenomenon you described doesn’t happen in every case. Is it known to happen? Yes. But for every wife who tries to sabotage her husband’s sobriety, there’s 10 wives that are crying tears of joy at the sign the husband they once knew and loved is starting to come back. Those who practice this type of sabotage have psychological issues themselves, primarily traits of narcissism, as deep down they enjoyed being able to play the victim, caretaker, and saint role. I don’t see Corey as having these traits.
In this case (in my opinion), Corey and Miranda stepping in so heavily is a result of being DEVOTED parents, who want the best for the kids and to keep them out of danger and give them stability. Corey was fighting for full custody LONG before Leah entered rehab. He didn’t just start fighting for the girls after she got out, so Dr. Drew’s comments are null and void. This started a year ago. And let’s be real… I HIGHLY doubt she’s doing much better. For goodness sake, a couple days ago the police were at the house returning Addy because Leah wasn’t watching her and she was able to execute her long awaited Escape from Clothes Pile Mountain plan. You think losing a child for an hour and a half and not even noticing they are gone is indicative of successful recovery? No..something is still up.
Leah will never recover or live a normal life until she *acknowledges* SHE HAS A PROBLEM— there could be a picture on the front page of The New York Times of her snorting her pillses, and she’d still find a way to say it wasn’t true. Someone was out to get her! Admitting your problem is the first step in every recovery program I’ve ever heard of. How can you treat and heal from something you don’t admit you have?
Leah having just completed recovery and apparently living a new, wonderful, heathy, happy and “sober” lifestyle would look AWESOME in the eyes of the judge….yet she had her custody completely stripped (despite having a supposed negative dr*g test). That right there tells you there is a whole heck of a lot we do not know, but the judge does. And he felt the girls were in a position that, for their safety, they needed to be placed with Corey full time during the week…not tomorrow, not next week….but *immediately*. They left the courtroom, and Corey took them. During changes of custody, the norm is for the judge to change the custody, but set it to change at a later date (ie; 2 days from date of hearing / decision) to loose ends can be tied up, possessions packed if needed, etc. Another major red flag.
@TwittaFame: Thank you. I was about to write out a reply, but you essentially took every word out of my mouth. I can tell just by reading that you work in the mental health field. I do as well.
I have been following Leah, as I treat several ‘Leah’s’ daily. She’s at a place in her life where she needs to work on herself, as cliche’ as that may sound. To be honest, deep down I believe she wants to do that. How could you not? She’s so overstressed with three tiny kiddos and has an addiction to top it off. I get the impression that her fighting to keep the girl’s full-time has more to do with pride and not wanting to be viewed as how she really is (a woman going through a very hard time, mainly from bad decision after bad decision). Loss of custody would make her look bad, and would mean Corie has won. For people with her issues and personalities, she see’s Corie as the enemy, and the enemy “winning” is much worse than the actual custodial loss.
I, too hope she makes use of her new time. I, too hope she makes strides and progress. She has a battle ahead of her, and the road can fork one of two ways. I hope she chooses the right road, because it’s all too easy to slip down the old, easy one in times of stress.
I completely agree with you on most of this. My one issue is we have no clue if she has admitted to her issues to those closer to her. Honestly, I don’t think I would admit to the world that I had a drug issue if I were in her position. Recovery is difficult enough, then you add the opinions (negative and positive) of thousands of strangers…sounds like a recipe for disaster. I highly doubt Leah has come to terms with her issues, but there is a chance she has with those that matter to her. I hope that is the case, for her sake and those 3 girls, but the outlook is grim!
That can be true but in this case it doesn’t fit. If he used Jeremy as an example it would have. But he used Corey & Miranda & they didn’t just start coming down on her. They’ve been coming down in her publicly for at least a year now, so it doesn’t fit. Dr. Drew should know that.
Corey’s not a prize but hopefully they will have a more stable life with him and Miranda. I really do hope Leah gets her life together for her children’s sake. I agree that maybe this will be the kick she needs to really put her problems behind her. No more “I have anxiety” bullshit. Time to admit you have a problem and deal with it.
“people around her were starting to really come down on her,” he said. “When that starts to happen, that’s a sign to me that the identified patient is getting better”……Am I reading that wrong? Usually when people come down on you for being a pill popper its because you’re pretty bad off….I don’t think Miranda and Corey wish any ill will on Leah, they want those 2 girleses to be happy and healthy and they can’t do that without a happy and healthy mother. Did I read what he said wrong?
No, no you didn’t. He really should retire.
she will just be busy with whatever man is using her for fame and money. She would have to stay off of TV and get a real trade she can fall back on and get away from her dysfunctional family. Doubtful she will do any of that.
I wonder how Leah managed to make it so that literally nobody is allowed to call her a drug addict on TV. Like, it’s apparent even to people who don’t read websites that something is off with her, and yet they still dance around it and act like everyone else is being too hard on her when she has a huge issue and was left in charge of 3 young children and could not handle it at all.
I thought that was how they got her to sign on for the season. By not acknowledging the elephant in the room.
I was just about to say that….because before she seemed a little adamant about not doing this most recent season, but I think the money and the rules SHE probably had set were the only way that she would go back on the show. The show would be a pretty big bore without her and Jenelle’s antics, so they needed her….
So we’re still not talking about the pink monkey err I mean elephant in the room. Dr Drew mentioned the word recovery. Really? From what, anxiety? Bullshit. Leah was (is?) a drug addict just like Jenelle was but at least she gave custody of Jace to Barbara. Unlike Leah who has an ex that is a dedicated father and is willing to help anytime. But no, little miss perfect redneck Kim Kardashian wanted her kids along with the huge child support.
I don’t think that she really was having any “recovery” before this – the judge wouldn’t have seen poor attendance records and other problems if there was actual “recovery”. At best there was probably just a “it isn’t getting too much worse”.
For her sake, maybe this will be the kick in the behind she needs to actually get to better and actually recover.
I love how now Dr. Drew’s tune is all “It’s good that Corey and Miranda are hard on her – shows signs of improvement” (which by the way, what?) when at the reunion it was all, “Why are you so hard on her? You shouldn’t be so hard on her. Leah, you gonna say ‘Monkey!!’ yet”.
That made no sense to me. People are hard on people who are in a safe place in life, not so much, and as they recover.
It’s sad that it had to come to this. Hopefully she’ll spend her newfound free time on getting help.