Teen Mom OG star Maci Bookout is finally speaking out about her frequent drinking, telling the show’s critical fans she will continue to fight for her right to guzzle Bud Light!
In her upcoming new book, I Wasn’t Born Bulletproof, Maci addresses her fondness for beer, something that has caused some fans of the show to worry about the well-being of Maci’s kids in the past. The 25-year-old and her husband, Taylor McKinney, are rarely shown on ‘Teen Mom OG’ without a beer in their hand, and Maci says that’s just fine by her.
“While obviously I don’t condone excessive drinking, having a beer– or even smoking the occasional cigarette–does not warrant a call to Child Services, and it does not make you a bad mother,” Maci writes in the book, which is due to be released on June 27.
Maci has always been somewhat open about her enjoyment of the alcoholic beverage.(‘member those Spring Break pics of a then-underage Maci beer-bonging her way onto TMZ to become part of one of the first big ‘Teen Mom’ scandals in the news?) In recent years, though, Maci has made no effort to hide the fact that she and Taylor frequently drink, with alcohol often appearing in her ‘Teen Mom OG’ scenes.
In her book, Maci writes of a time when Taylor posted a photo to Instagram of her drinking a beer while holding her then-newborn daughter Jayde. She says her followers attacked her.
“The reaction that followed was intense,” Maci writes, according to Radar Online. “People accused me of being a horrible, negligent mother; of drinking too much; of putting my newborn in mortal danger.”
“It’s one beer, folks, I am an adult, over the legal drinking age and just because I’m a mom doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a beer on a Sunday evening with my husband,” Maci writes. “Newsflash: Mothers are human beings. We are flawed, hard-working, well-intentioned, exhausted individuals; we do our best, we make mistakes, but above all we love our children.”
While most of the ‘Teen Mom’ cast members have been shown drinking at some point during the show, fans have argued that Maci and Taylor drink to an excessive level. The controversy surrounding Maci’s frequent imbibing increased significantly last year when it was discovered that Maci was photographed drinking throughout most of her third pregnancy. Although Maci claimed she didn’t know she was pregnant during some of that time, she is seen sporting a baby bump in some photos taken during the pregnancy.
An Instagram photo from Maci’s friend’s wedding on January 30, 2016 clearly shows Maci sitting with a glass of wine in front of her. By her own admission, Maci knew she was pregnant on that day. When that photo began to circulate the Internet, it added even more fuel to the fire, with fans pointing out that it was just one of several times that a pregnant Maci was photographed with a drink.
Around the same time, Taylor did a Facebook Q&A session with fans in which he was asked whether he and Maci have problems with alcohol.
“We love us some [Bud Lights],” Taylor responded. “We can [have fun without alcohol]…..but no good story started with a glass of milk.”
More recently, Debra Danielsen— the mother of Farrah Abraham— called Maci out for possibly drinking during her pregnancy.
“Maci, yeah, well I would recommend that if we’re gonna get pregnant anymore, we cut back on the beer consumption,” Debra said during a Facebook Live interview with Best Products last month.
Maci never publicly responded to Deb’s dig.
(Photo: Instagram)
44 Responses
It’s light beer. It’s not like she’s chugging liquor…and neither of them ever appear to be intoxicated.
My friend adopted a child last year who was born with fatal alcohol syndrome. She is 2 years old and in size 6 month clothing. I’m not even exaggerating! Drinking during your pregnancy is a real risk. How could any mother take that chance?
Maci is my favorite of the whole series. I think she’s a great mom and always had her head on straight even at such a young age. The drinking does bug me though. I try not to judge too much because we only see a sliver of their lives, so none of us really know how much and how often she is actually consuming. I have noticed that after she started getting judged on the drinking, she started using her TMM tumblers all the time which are probably filled with beer. And Taylor when he was driving to their wedding was drinking from a red plastic cup with all the kids in the back.
It doesn’t make you a fucking good mom either Maci budout.
To everyone saying she had to feel the kicks, my son is almost 2 and there’s zero chance I’m pregnant but still get phantom kicks. Sometimes they even move my stomach. However if there was even a chance I could be pregnant, I would be testing. She might have thought the kicks were phantom kicks. Especially since she got pregnant not long after Maverick.
I know what you mean! I have 3 kids…the baby is almost 4 and I still get twitches that feel like a baby kicking! Some so strong they made me uber paranoid lol. Idk what’s up with Maci but I can say the placenta placement can sometimes interfere with feeling movement too. Every pregnancy is different. Some you can feel the side effects almost immediately and some you feel normal…it’s impossible to say how you’ll feel ahead of time.
I went to a class once about drugs and alcohol…they taught (idk how factual it is) that the most damage from drinking is done on the 19th day after conception. I’m assuming important things are being formed then. I’m sure it can have effects if you drink regularly anyway but that lil detail stuck with me.
Damn it Maci! Why do you have to be so controversial? Why can’t you just live your life perfectly like all of these other commenters obviously do??
All this don’t do this, don’t do that is questionable to say the least. Most of my friends smoked, drank and self medicated before, during and after their pregnancies. All of them had perfectly healthy babies. Although it’s evidence of an anecdotal nature, it does speak to the issue that I hold to be my truth. Statistics are mostly damned lies.
your friends sound like losers who would do that to their unborn babies..disgusting
They didn’t do anything to their unborn babies. That’s the point.
Then your friends are selfish fucking morons
Aren’t you the same troll that was going to welt Farrah’s face for calling her dad Michael? Ugh there’s the only cookie I’ll feed you, now go back under your bridge Troll.
My husband has a beer or 2 most nights with dinner. It never affects him, it’s like a Pepsi in his mind. So if she isn’t even getting a buzz from a beer or two, fine. But the drinking while pregnant, not great. And the getting drunk a lot still, no cool. The parents I personally know who had children young, they seem to try to maintain their youth and still party, and their kids end up being unruly because they didn’t have mature parents.
This is what happens when you have kids as a teenager and don’t go off to college like normal people do. They both should stop drinking based on how bad their acne is.
Eh the only issue Maci has to worry about is how her kids will view alcohol. I get it, my cousin drank beer all the time – not drinking to get drunk. His kids are now grown and it hasn’t affected them adversely. They are in college and haven’t turned into girls gone wild.
All Maci’s kids are healthy, well taken care of, and Bentley is a nice smart normal kid. Who cares how much they drink if they are not out of control, they are aware of the health issues that may arise – but it is their choice.
I’m ok with moms having a beer at night, it’s no different than drinking a glass of wine. The thing that made me judge Maci, was the fact that she was photographed countless times drinking while pregnant. It was her 3rd pregnancy, so don’t try to say you didn’t know. What did she think the baby kicking was?! Come on.
If you can’t stop drinking while you’re pregnant, you deserve the judgment you’re going to receive, therefore I don’t feel sorry for her at all. I don’t think people would make a big deal about having a beer at night, if she didn’t drink while pregnant.
I think she mistake her morning sickness for hangovers. Stupid but it could be that.
It could, but when you find out you are pregnant halfway through your pregnancy, the baby is already kicking you… the scene of her having an ultrasound, you could see her stomach moving. If someone can see it though a tv, she damn well could feel it. You can feel your baby kicking earlier each pregnancy because you already know what it feels like. She lied so that it could excuse all the drinking she did. That’s why people are giving her such a hassle. No other mom gets this from drinking. If she had put down the beer while pregnant, I highly doubt anyone would care about her having one at night now.
We’ve all seen the other cast member of teen mom have alcohol at some point. The difference is with maci it seems every segment they have beer. They know when mtv is filming and still don’t put the booze away for appearances sake. Drinking doesn’t make you a bad mother drinking to the extent she drinks does. It’s always both of them drinking, they don’t alternate for DD or to remain sober just incase something happens. No one would care if it was occasionally drinking but by the looks of the cans/bottles in their home and garbage cans it’s an everyday thing. It will effect their children Bently has already shown interest in drinking “I need a beer” comment even if it was a joke it was a very casual thing for him to say. Its time to grow up and stop the frat party lifestyle for your children’s sake. You’re approaching 30, get jobs, get sober, there’s more to life than bud light and making miracle babies.
No, drinking doesn’t make you a bad parent, drinking to excess does. I hate judging people but maybe, because I had an alcoholic parent, Maci just sounds like super defensive cause she knows she had an issue. It may not seem like it but I think alcohol dependency sneaks up on you before you even realize it.
She might not be an alcoholic but she has dependency issues.
Umm no one said mothers could not drink. She drank and smoked while obviously pregnant. She’s a disgusting excuse of a human being I hope Maverick does not have lasting effects because of her excessive smoking and alcohol consumption while pregnant. She is selfish and lazy and a pathetic excuse of a mother!
Big deal, they like a drink. My hubby and I share a bottle of wine most evenings. It’s a habit, we love a drink. But we don’t get drunk. And we are both active, involved and loving parents. Having young kids is stressful, when they’re older and you have to go pick them up at night all the time, you stop drinking!
You’re absolutely correct. I feel the same way.
I’m curious on why she made that comment about child services. Does that mean that someone has called them on her?
I’m glad you said that I saw that comment and thought the very same thing that just seems like an extreme to jump to if it hasn’t already been brought to her attention
They claim to be such avid beer lovers yet they only drink bud light which tastes like water…
Yupppp!! Thats prob why its OK, cuz its light..
I have an ex that was big time into Coors light & claimed he only had 2 beers a day. Yea…He STARTED the process every day with 2..More followed of course. But people never took it seriously BC it was Coors light
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with drinking a beer or two on a Sunday. There is, however, a problem with starting your day drinking champagne and drinking alcohol while pregnant. They behave like college students who drink a lot and have fun all the time, but come on, you are parents of 3… Remember when Maci told on the show when she and Taylor first met Maci was puking because she was so full of beer and Taylor helped her. Jayde and Maverick will be so proud one day to learn how mature and romantic their parents were.
I was thinking the same when I read “… doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a beer on a Sunday evening with my husband.” I don’t know about your Sunday evenings, Maci, but I don’t think they last for 7 days!
Maybe she’ll reconsider her attitude once Bentley starts drinking. I get that Maci and Taylor are by far better role models for him than Ryan, still, given the fact that he’s exposed to Maci and Taylor drinking (beer) daily, I highly doubt that he’ll wait until he’s legal to give it a try.
There was an episode where Bentley tried Baby food or something that he didn’t like and he made a comment saying he needed a beer to get the taste out of his mouth.
I remember that or how when he said that it didn’t even phase Maci or Taylor. If I said that my mother would of said, “um NO you need a water or some milk”.
Yeah, i think he said “I need a beer or something” Prob because he saw them in the fridge but I’m sure he hears them say that A LOT of times.
None of them will care if Bentley drinks underage. They will probably teach beer Bentley and all his 16 year old friends how to play beer pong.
Fuck people there is more horrible things going on in the world than Maci having a drink or two or 10
Im a mother of 2, I work full time, I am a volunteer paramedic plus everything else I do for my kids in my spare time, so having a drink or 5 at the end of the hard week is my release just because you have seen a beer in her hand doesn’t make her a bad mum nor an alcoholic!!
Lighten up people, leave the woman alone focus on the real world problems!!!
“The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which conducts the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), defines binge drinking as 5 or more alcoholic drinks for males or 4 or more alcoholic drinks for females on the same occasion (i.e., at the same time or within a couple of hours of each other) on at least 1 day in the past month.”
Binge drinking is not necessarily indicative of alcoholism, true, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
ohhhh so your judging me now, im obviously a binge drinker too!
Lucky I don’t live in your country, so your stats don’t mean shit to me
She wasn’t passing judgement, she was passing along information and advising that people use caution to ensure their health and safety. If you feel comfortable with your life choices, are not endangering you children then there is really no need to become so defensive. Wish you the best, as a former medic myself I understand the daily hardships and sights you see with that profession.
ill pass judgement..most people with a booze problems wont/dont admit that they have one. Also ppl drink to escape their problems which it seems like you, maci & Taylor are doing..daily..cause thats what people with drinking problems..they drink daily with an excuse why
Amelia, Amelia Amelia.
That’s such a huge judgement to make about me, Drinking to escape my problems really?, Darling I have no problems to escape, clearly you don’t know me and for those who do are the ones that I actually take heed of their opinions not someone sitting behind their computer screen writing aggressive statements that you actually don’t know anything about.
Best you go back to your cot and get into the real world and learn to look outside the glass house you live in sweetheart.
No one would care if it was the occasional drink. I can’t even count the number of times that there are pictures posted of her drinking, including while she was obviously pregnant. Taylor said he knew they would be a great couple because while they were at a party he held her head back while she puked and she said she did that so she could continue drinking. I don’t begrudge any parent of having drinks sometimes but all their activities revolve around it and that’s when it’s a problem.
I believe she has a problem but doesn’t admit it. There are high functioning alcoholics. But it hasn’t harmed her parenting (or his)……yet.
She, absolutely, is an alcoholic. Talking about wanting to be drunk at her wedding, drinking while pregnant, all the beer related signs in her house and in her engagement photos. People who have a couple beers on Sunday don’t act like that.
By the time her kids are teens, she’ll be lucky if she’s not a raging alcoholic.