It’s not everyday that The Ashley gets to write a story about a Teen Mom cast member getting a job, but, thanks to Teen Mom OG dad Gary Shirley, here we are!
On Tuesday, Gary’s wife, Kristina Shirley, announced on social media that Gary has been officially sworn into duty as a police officer. It appears that Gary had been going through the program under the radar.
“Words cannot describe how proud I am to be his wife,” Kristina wrote in the caption of photos that showed Gary being sworn in. “His dream, hard work, and dedication became a reality. Tonight, this handsome man was sworn into duty as a police officer. Thank you to ALL our friends and family who supported him, kept this a secret and most of all believed in him.”
In the photos, Gary appears slimmer, and is carrying his firearm in a holster on his hip.
Kristina and Gary kept things vague in terms of where Gary was working, but Kristina did tell a fan on Instagram that Gary will be “patroling roads.”
Gary– who is the father of Amber Portwood‘s daughter Leah– has never discussed his desire to become a police officer on the show. During the early years of ‘Teen Mom,’ Gary held down a job as a Certified Nursing Assistant and worked with developmentally disabled patients. (He was seen wearing his work scrubs in very early episodes.) However, he has never mentioned that he was going through the police academy in more-recent episodes.
Some fans were wondering if Gary would be able to continue appearing on ‘Teen Mom OG’ now that he’s an officer. From what The Ashley hears, nothing has changed in terms of Gary being allowed to be on the show.
(Photos: MTV; Instagram)
89 Responses
I never liked Amber. But her baby daddies are pure sweethearts!!!! They gotta be to put up with what they do when it comes to her!!!
Idk why every comment I post shows up twice!!!!
Just saw Amber was arrested in Indianapolis this am fir domestic battery. Hmmmm
I never liked Amber. But her baby daddies are pure sweethearts!!!! They gotta be to put up with what they do when it comes to her!!!
Grwat job Gary!!!! Congratulations!!! Sooo happy for all of you!!????????????!!???????
Yes ignorant people on this site. Until someone close to them commits suicide or attempts it they don’t get it. Sorry for your loss
Aww I’m so happy for Gary. I always liked him!
No offense but he’s too fat to run after someone
This is perhaps the best news ever to come from one of these shows. I know that other TM Dads (still not sure how Leah got lucky enough to find two hardworking men to procreate with) also have real jobs, but this is huge! Gary didn’t just rest on his celebrity to get a job or depend on his MTV money to survive, he legitimately had to work hard for this accomplishment. He is a stellar man through and through!!
Good for him! Gary is a great Dad and husband.
This is off topic a little, but did anyone see Monday’s episode of TMOG? Did you see the look on Leah’s face when Amber said that she may be pregnant again? And did you notice how Leah was crying when she left her mom’s house? I mean, I know (and respect) that Leah is a good big sis, but Amber doesn’t need a third child. She can barely take care of two she has!!! Gary has Leah almost full time and Andrew does more for James than she does (and probably ever will)!!!!
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Congratulations Officer Gary Shirley
Hi Gary. Congratulations!
This is hilarious. How did he pass a PT course? How did he pass the physical? He couldn’t even catch a hood with his pants down around his knees. I’ve got one leg, & I could out run his fat ass. Jesus God.
It doesn’t matter “how he did it”….all that matters is HE DID. Clearly, he’s lost weight and has been working on himself. That’s not an easy feat! I constantly hear people complaining “Why don’t they have any goals in life?!” “Why don’t they get a job” about the cast members. Well, one of them went after his dreams and got an actual lifelong career and there’s still complaining and nastiness.
Good for him! I respect the fathers on this show that have jobs outside of the Teen Mom money.
Congratulations Garry, good for you, well done.
?
Congratulations Gary. He is one of the few Teen Mom dads with a good head on his shoulders. He is a good father, he lives modestly, he is smart with his money, and he still has goals and ambitions. And I must say he is looking much slimmer and healthier.
Congratulations Gary!! You stay safe. Ignore the shaming. They are ignorant.
I’m sarcastic af and love the snark as much as the next reader but.. The body shaming comments here are super annoying.. everyone knows Gary has a weight issue but clearly he’s trying to better himself ffs.. damned if ya do, damned if ya don’t. Good for you, Gary! TM checks aren’t gunna last forever..
Facts not feelings. He is obese. He could very well put the public or other officers in harm’s way because he cant function like a person of normal weight.
Facts not feelings. He is obese. He could very well put the public or other officers in harm’s way because he cant function like a person of normal weight.
I’m pretty sure a police Dept would not hire an unqualified person.
A police department would not hire someone they felt would put other officer’s lives in danger, ever. You’re making up hypothetical situations in your head just to try to drag him down….why? What are you getting out of that?
I’m thinking Crusty may have a problem w/ people of size.
Facts not feelings: you’re an asshole
Clearly you’ve never seen a group of cops or deputies together. Looking the way he looks in that picture, he will be far from the biggest guy on the force.
Me thinks that Crusty was outrun by a “fat” cop and spent some time in the ol’ gel house. Bitter much?
Great slapdown. Yeah Crusty def has probs w/ cops,people of size, women, and anybody that doesn’t share his opinion. At least he’s somewhat amusing when I’m buzzed
He wouldn’t have gotten the job if he wasn’t qualified – I’m sure the police department isn’t interested in Teen Mom fame in any way. I thought it was great that he was a nursing assistant when many of the fathers lived at home and did nothing, and this continues to be a good stable job. We don’t really seem any drama about Gary.. proud of him!
Awesome to see how far Gary has come as a dedicated dad and now in this new position as an Indiana police officer. Another TM cast member who realizes that the MTV money train won’t last forever.
Kudos, Gary.
Hope he never has to chase down a suspect, cause…….
Then best you stay out of trouble then EH!!!!
Congratulations! Great to see someone thinking past Teen Mom
Gary has come such a long way. He is the SINGLE example of a person on this show who is not relying on hitting the sperm lottery for his life. He has always appeared to live modestly, takes amazing care of his family, and is now trying to have an admirable career and future. So glad he got away form Amber’s insanity soon enough and found someone supportive like Kristina. Kudos.
I don’t kn9w what’s going on with this site lately but its all ads and pop ups I can barely read what’s been written.Is anyone else having this problem?
No, but I have a free ad blocker on my phone.
Good for Gary and his family! And, thank you for serving your community!
There are several TM dads that have worked & planned for the future…Cory, Cole, Jeremy…I hope more are inspired by Gary’s success! Who knows…maybe some TM mom’s might even be moved (off the couch >cough< Amber)!
good for Gary! Securing a pension and retirement that MTV doesn’t offer.
Very cool, Congrats Gary!
Good for him! Congratulations Gary!
Wow! Congratulations Gary, and be safe!
Gary has been one of the good examples of how teen moms participants should plan for the future. Maybe it is because the dads get paid less. Seems to have accumulated real estate, lives a nice but not super fancy life and now has a job that doesn’t depend on teen mom. Not sure who buys the teen mom t-shirts now but can’t imagine they will keep buying t-shirts from Taylor and Maci.
Good for him! I love their little family. Great work Gary, I hope you love your new line of work. Be safe!
He clearly lost a ton of weight, takes care of his wife and kids and has landed himself a good job… I’m so proud of him, well done, Gary!
Congratulations Gary
My brain doesn’t know how to process this.
Good for him and his family. It’s a hard and often times thankless job. I wish him the best.
Wow. i do believe he sat in a chair/couch much longer than Amber. Still will never understand why he had two cute ladies by his side! He looks like his mom and so does Leah. I will believe it when I see it. And see him in action.
Hmmm. Maybe bcuz he’s a nice guy & treats women w/ respect?? It’s not all about looks
Nobody could lie in a bed or sit on the couch more than Amber! Every time I get on this site, I’m greeted with a video of a half asleep/high looking amber doing an Instagram live video, looking like she’s in bed. (shocking I know) Bitch probably has elbow indents on her mattress from propping herself up to play on her phone.
Haha that cracked me up. ( Elbow indents)
But seriously obviously depressed, bi polar borderline personality or whatever. Y hasn’t she received the right meds to help w/ that? I kinda suspect shes not compliant w/ h er meds. Major prob fir people suffering from those mental illnesses.
Lol@elbow indents on her mattress ???
Good for Gary – it’s nice to read positive TM news about someone being a responsible adult and making good choices for a change. He has enough of a brain to know that the TM gravy train wasn’t going to last forever so he got himself into shape and now has a job that support his family for years to come.
Unlike many of the teen Mom dads
Congratulations Gary. May God bless you & protect you.
Congratulations, but can he be an officer at his current weight? I thought there was a weight restriction likethe military. He does look thinner and I’m glad to see him getting out of his chair and making a good life for himself and his family.
Congratulations Gary!!
Working as a CNA is hard hard work. I wasnt aware of that in the earlier episodes but I can totally see him doing that. He has a lit of compassion which is needed for that type of work.
He is fantastic w/ his children.
On the other hand Amber was horrible to him. So sick if her using her bi polarism as an excuse.
She uses her borderline personality disorder as her new excuse now! lol
Wow!!! Amazing example for leah and emilee to look up to. Not only does he now have a fulfilling and secure career, it is one outside of TV (which leah has surely never seen before, lol). Congrats to Gary, and also to Kristina for being an amazing mom and wife to those girls.
Gary, so proud for you. You are a wonderful person. God bless you, and keep you safe
CONGRATULATIONS GARY!!! GOOD LUCK AND BE SAFE OUT THERE!!!
he does look like he’s lost a lot of weight in that picture, good for him!
Good for Gary. I wish Leah was always with him. I hate when Amber calls her things like butt hole. She used to say booger butt which was bad too. What trash.
Congrats Gary! And all y’all commenting on his weight obviously haven’t laid eyes on 99% of the cops in the US. Their standards were NEVER high.
Wow, I’m actually impressed. Gary is carving out an actual career for himself outside of “Teen Mom”, and an honorable one at that. Go Gary!
Such Good news!
I’m really happy for him and his family.
So your telling us he has actually been through the academy already? I’m sorry I really find that hard to believe, I know what it requires physically to pass and to pass most police exams for employment. On the other hand some very small department may hire him.
How many people live in this “town”
I’m not knocking him js.
On the other hand congratulations Gary I’m proud of you everyone has got to start somewhere!! Blue Lives Matter!!
I’m in law enforcement and married to a officer.
Being overweight does not mean you can’t pass a fitness test or health test.
God you’re abhorrent
I like Gary, but boy oh boy, the POST (peace officers standards and training) standards must be very low in Indiana. How could he even make it through any type of police academy being morbidly obese?
This is what Gary was able to do:
Jump vertically at least 13.5 inches
Complete 24 sit-ups in one minute
Run 300 meters in 82 seconds
Complete 21 push-ups
Run 1.5 miles within 18 minutes and 56 seconds
What about bench press?
And the written test and the physic test?
All before the academy.
He would get his age factored into his test requirements on the physical part.
Congratulations Gary!
ENOUGH WITH BODY SHAMING!!! THE REASON SUICIDE STATISTICS ARE ASTRONOMICAL IS BECAUSE OF DUMBASSES LIKE YOU!!!!!
He IS a fat fuck. Telling the TRUTH is NOT body shaming YOU dumb fuck ?
Tell that to my cousin who hung himself because he couldn’t face the teasing and taunting from his classmates because he was overweight!!!! So put that in your pipe and smoke it bitch!!!!
Sorry for the kids of your cousin. This is a very real.problem & I’m just flabbergasted thatthst horrible post was actually posted. Wondering what s this person would actually day to Gary’s face what he posted. Think not
My cousin unfortunately didn’t get the chance to blessed with children because he was only 14 years old.
Sorry Hannah I meant to say sorry for the kids if your cousin. Benn doing some July 4th celebrating
It’s cool Liz. Thanks for the condolences.
The better part of you, ran down your fathers leg.
Who the fuck asked you?!!! Oh yeah, someone that got the guts/nuts to use their real names!!!! ?????. Get a life morons!!!!!
Oh yeah, please grow a pair!!!!!
Whats a penny made out of…..copper
Another thing, most police academy’s around the country are 5 to 6 months. How could this be kept secret from the MTV film crew?
maybe they asked the crew not to talk about it, and they didn’t it’s not that big of a deal. The wife wouldn’t post that if it were a lie. So he did it and good for him. At least he has a real job. What does Andrew do, besides sponge off of Amber?
Andrew is worthless. She sure knows how to pick um. But what decent guy would want to get hooked up with her? She had a decent guy in Gary and she abused him. Worthless people attract the same.
That is awesome!! Congrats gary!!! Hes probably my favorite dad on this show.