Tyler Baltierra is used to sharing his life on TV, but the Teen Mom OG star recently opened up about how having his kids’ lives and milestones viewed by millions of viewers may affect his daughters as they get older.
In a new interview with the Awesome Dad show, Tyler opened up about how he feels about having his daughters, Nova and Vaeda, on TV. He also discussed the money the girls have made from appearing on ‘Teen Mom OG’ since their births.
Tyler said he and his wife Catelynn Lowell have considered their kids’ futures each time they are offered another season of the show.
“It’s a constant thing that runs through our brains,” Tyler told host Mark Savant in the episode that posted on March 30. “Every time [MTV] calls us and asks if we want to do another season, we sit down and talk about it. Our kids are getting older so, [we think about] what age are we going to be restricting filming.”
Tyler said they are already giving their five-year-old daughter, Nova, a choice about whether or not she wants to film for the show.
“We ask Nova, ‘Do you want to film today? Do you want cameras in your room?'” Tyler said. “We want to give her the option and freedom to determine, ‘No I don’t want to do this today’ or ‘I do.’
“I think that’s super-important because, at the end of the day, my kids were born into this,” Tyler added. “They didn’t really get to choose to be on TV or not. Me and Catelynn did that, as parents, and that’s what we do. I feel like it’s important to give them a little of that freedom to decide if they want to be filmed or not.”
Now that Nova’s old enough to go to school, Tyler said that he and Catelynn have already started to prepare her for the possibility that her classmates (or their parents) may watch the show.
“Our plan with Nova is to keep telling her every single year, ‘Hey, [MTV] is going to come here again, and kids at school may know who you are,'” Tyler said. “We’re just kind of explaining to them as they get older, at their age level.”
Tyler said that he and Catelynn have decided they will stop appearing on the show if it becomes detrimental to their kids.
“If it comes to the point where our children are coming to us and saying, ‘Listen, we’re getting bullied’ or ‘I wish you guys wouldn’t do the show anymore,’ then it’s done,” he said. “It’s very simple. I’m not going to sacrifice their lives, their well-being and [getting to] grow up in as normal a childhood as possible just so we can continue to do the show.”
There have been some major perks to having their kids on the show, however. The cast of ‘Teen Mom OG’ makes hundreds of thousands of dollars a season, and all of the kids are also paid for each appearance they make on the show. Tyler said that this income has been a blessing for his kids.
“As far as [the kids] getting compensated for the show, my kids are totally set, they’re totally set up for life,” Tyler said. “They’re great. College is paid for. That was mine and Catelynn’s main thing; that each of our children have trust funds that their [MTV] money goes into and they can’t touch.”
Tyler said that he and Catelynn have done their best to keep their kids down-to-earth and to raise them as normally as possible.
“I’m raising my children [so] that they’re going to be humble and they’re going to know the sacrifices that their parents made to be on TV and expose all these things [about themselves publicly],” he said.
“Me and Cate, though, we still live in the same county we grew up in, in Michigan,” Tyler added. “We live on a farm in the middle of nowhere. We don’t live outside our means. We’re not, like, buying big houses…We try to just keep it as humble and simple as possible, and also try to keep our TV life as separate as we can, realistically, from the kids.”
Listen to Tyler’s full interview with the Awesome Dad show below!
(Photos: MTV; Instagram)
45 Responses
If it weren’t for the fans and the ratings, they would not have crap. I don’t know how Tyler put up with Catelynns troubles last year. She should of stayed in rehab until she was completely better instead of going in and out. I would of said bye Felica
I love this family. They r the most real. They have some serious issues. Like the real world . god bless them. Make that money for you and your kids
Makes me so sad to see how neglected nova is. Parents, especially mother, ALWAYS gone. When she’s home, nova is just on her tablet, by herself
They have money in their kids collage fund, but not their own???? So nova says “No” to filming next season, their earnings from mtv will stop. What then? There’s only so long that people will be interested in their lives. They may have to actually get proper jobs!!! ???
Baby Vaseline is still young enough where she doesn’t get a say. They’ll ride that slippery gravy baby as long as they can.
This entire franchise needs to be cancelled. Then see what becomes of all of them. This series wasn’t supposed to be about them buying multiple homes and cars, and going on lavish vacations. It was supposed to bring awareness to the struggles of being a teen mom. And all they’re doing now is laying up and having more babies. The show has lost sight of what it was meant to be for. Cancel it.
This entire MTV franchise is nothing more than showing a bunch of inked up mental cases, losers and lazy people. Cancel all of the shows now……. TM, TM OG, etc.
he’s such a loser, he has to film because he and his wife are losers, they didn’t get their degrees, they have failed at everything they tried or said that they would try. They have no other income, those kids will be filmed until the trash is cancelled. The show hasn’t done anything for any of them. IT gave them all easy money to indulge their various vices with. They are so gross every single one of the, they are all trash, when this idiotic show is cancelled they will all be in financial trouble. Tyler has to come out of closet already, he’s so gay!!!
????? nailed it!!
These two will never stop filming as both are too lazy for a real job. Lets not forget how laziness was the reason they gave up their first kid.Laziness and excuses.Both wanted to go to college,have great careers.And they stayed together unlike most of the other couples who kept their kids.Filming doesn’t require a college degree.Doesn’t require to get up at 6am. Both have let themselves go,Cait especially.What an excuse of a lazy selfish parents.I find both boring and talking like they are smart yet are the opposite..They didn’t deserve their first kid,glad she has real parents.
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It fels like they make great decisions
As much shit as we can talk about them, Tyler is actually a really good father. He’s been taking care of the girls basically by himself cause Cate has her issues or whatever, all while dealing with her and her problems. I really do respect him for that and for sticking by Catelynn through her shit. That being said, they live in a farm (that they had major reconstruction work done on) and they have a whole herd of therapy horses and various farm animals, and go on trips without their kids every other episode, but we’re supposed to believe they’re “staying humble”? LMAO good one, buddy
I think you guys are such strong amazing people and it’s really good that you ask your kids about filming. Especially when they are old enough to Express how they fell and yes or no. Cameras or not I’m a huge fan and always will be!! I wish the best for your family and hope to see you guys around for at least a few more years ❤ stay safe
Love ash
We dont buy big houses…I’ll bet theres a cool million in that octagon house. ??
Not a single parent off of TM OG or TM 2 will leave before the show is cancelled by mtv. They’re ALL riding the money train ‘til the wheels fall off
Yep, I agree!
The common traits among them all is interesting. All are poorly educated except for Kailyn and Chelsea, only a few have pursued their education since the MTV money started rolling in. Heck, all but a couple of them barely have a high school diploma, many come from broken homes, they’ve experienced drug abuse or physical abuse personally or in their families, many have unhealthy family relationships, they all seem to lack motivation, most are uninvolved in their communities, they don’t volunteer, more than a couple have mental and/or emotional issues, and yet they’re rewarded verrry handsomely for being so dysfunctional. You don’t reward a puppy when it misbehaves or a child, yet that’s exactly what MTV has done with the cast members. Tyler says his children are “set for life”, but is the money and their trust funds ‘it’? Probably.
Heck, aside from Chelsea & Maci, all of their futures are pretty sad and dysfunctional looking. They contribute nothing to society, they’re raising children who will most likely face issues themselves because of the influences the show had on their parents’ lives and their own.
Many people say this isn’t MTV’s fault, but I disagree. They have seen the impact the show has had on the cast’s lives and other than the money (that most of them probably have not saved or invested well as seen with their expensive vacations, homes, cars), the show has not been good or kind to them. I think they should be held accountable for letting the show and the obscene money continue for so long and encouraging the cast to not move on and up.
The cast is not and has never been emotionally or socially mature enough to handle the excesses from the show. I think they’ve taken advantage of a group of people who simply have never been mature or emotionally healthy enough to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. It feels like the producers preyed on the most vulnerable and dysfunctional girls with the unhealthiest family lives they could find and exploited them. Yes, they paid them very, very well but was the money really in their best interests?
Sorry for the long winded diatribe. Once I started…
Now I wonder, in light of all of My 600# Life lawsuits how many lawsuits the moms and their children will eventually file against MTV for not intervening and stopping the show when they saw, and were a part of, the mental breaks, domestic violence, drug use/abuse, etc. I’ve no idea if they’d have a case, but when did that ever stop someone from suing for something they want someone else to be responsible for rather than accepting the accountability themselves. Plus, maybe they would have a case.
Your commenters suck! They are all so negative! They are all probably welfare recipients and that’s where the hate comes from. You all not getting hundreds of thousand to have your illegitimate kids. You mad ho?
It’s hard to see neglect and not be mad, that’s just me though. I do believe Cate has the potential to be a good mom, she just has to stop putting herself first.
And, we’re not all on welfare 😉 cute comment though.
As long as this show is airing there is now way they’re not filming.. they have no other skills. I’m glad to hear they set money aside for their kids though.
I think they set money aside for future vacations I mean Cates rehab stays.
stay lit
You forgot bailing various family members and acquaintances out of jail, and then paying for their rehab stay!
Don’t forget, Butch and Ambers next ones too!!
Ugh, to have a job where you just wander around the house and grocery store, stay at home caring for your kids, and get paid enough to support yourself five times over, AND your kids and their futures. I couldn’t even imagine. All for being pregnant. They’ve all hit the hillbilly lottery lol
I’m really glad that Cate got it together for her kids. But, what I couldn’t understand is, on this weeks episode, why would she even be considering getting off of her meds? It wasn’t that long ago that she couldn’t get out of bed to even be a mother to Nova. What maybe 2 years ago??? And, why would Tyler even be considering that??? He was forced to be mom and dad during that time and was on the verge of a mental breakdown himself from all her bullshit! Mental illness doesn’t go away and, from what I see, she’s doing much better now. I’m glad her therapist kind of set her straight. Who wants to go back to living like that?! And, now Tyler would be taking care of 2 kids alone.. not just one. Well, 3, if you count Cate!!
She needed a story line!
You could have done anything to have a storyline instead of this: ridden her horse, started a new hobby, taken a class or course, volunteered…etc. I just think it spreads misinformation, that once you start feeling better you should get off your medication.
I agree… that’s probably the worst thing you can do when you start feeling better. Especially with symptoms as bad as hers!! If she was really having the kind of thoughts she said she was then that’s some scary shit and she should probably be on them for awhile… if not forever!
Tyler asking his 5 year old to make adult decisions about wanting to be on a tv show
she wants to get knocked up again trap him say what you want about him he is the reason those kids are being cared for so well
It’s great that the kids have college funds, but it’s sad that they have such poor influences in every area of their lifw (including Cait and Tyler). Any time Tyler and Cait want to get away, they dump their kids on April, who Cait credits with ruining her life… I dont buy that they will quit the show if their kids asked them to… they literally have no skills, and if Cait already can’t handle life when she is 100% pampered with nothing to do, she is not going to be able to handle some customer service job where middle aged women scream at her for not scanning their groceries quickly enough… they should be real examples for their children by working hard and actually becoming educated in some subject.
Hm…If they are respecting Nova’s wishes, why can’t they Carly’s and her parents’?! It’s not so hard to refrain from talking about her and posting pictures of her, apparently Teen Mom fans are talking to her and hugging her and saying to her her “real parents” will take her back soon…why not be mature about that too?! Because I have a feeling in just a few years you will go to media and say how pissed you are because she doesn’t want to talk to you anymore…which is hypocritical considering how safe you want your daughters to be.
Couldnt agree more. What would really bring the family full circle is if Tyler and Catelyn adopted a boy, then they realized how disrespect they’ve been to B&T all these years about Carly.
Tyler seems to be both father and mother to the kids. I’m sorry Cate has issues, but I feel her main issue is being a narcissist. Most mom’s would get the help they need locally. If I had mental illness, and needed professional help I wouldn’t want to go away for months. I would miss my kids and husband terribly. I guess everyone has different priorities. Sorry if I sound mean.
I went through some stuff a few years ago that made me very depressed, which mixed with my postpartum depression, and made me suicidal. It was a bad time for me. I sought help and they offered me inpatient treatment an hour away for my daughters, I’d have been gone for about a month. I did not do that, I couldn’t be away from them. So I did outpatient treatment with high dose medications and therapy twice a week.
I don’t understand how she leaves for months at a time and doesn’t seem to care.
Interesting interview. Happy the kids have a trust fund from their filming.
Would’ve been good if Cate & Tyler had stuck with their studies…what great role models would they be to their daughters if they were working a regular job? Nothing more humble than that.
As Social Workers wasn’t that their dream?
I had to wonder the other night how many of their associates are or have been addicted to drugs? And how many times does their family & friends run to them for money? Jennelle made over $400,000 a year so do they get double of that amount?
Do they have something set up for Carlee too?
I also think both their children are just beautiful. All in all there are worse Teen Mom :stars: then them & I give them credit for staying together all these years. They should get a bounus for that.
Why was this down voted? Because I was nice?
I see that’s not working for me lol
I think you guys are just really good parents I never had any doubts that you would not set up a college fund for you”er kid’s yes anyone can see that trying to keep up and live like the Jones. I think you are doing an excellent job but when the time comes what are you going to be doing after the show opening a business are something else’s I was just wondering both of you are smart so please don’t take it the wrong way. I wish you all the best may all your dreams come true may you have 2 boys
Was that a slight dig at Maci’s ridiculous mansion she lives in now? Every time I see their home, I can’t believe this show. It’s so far from what it originated as.
As cringy as C&T can be, I really like that they seem to be approaching things in a more kid-centered way than most couples. Giving Nova the choice/saying they’ll stop when it starts to affect the kids is sweet, though I’ll only really believe it once they do it.
Only skimmed the article, but that last picture of their family was beautiful. Lots of smiles, none of which look overly forced. I’ve followed the family via MTV for years, so to see a photo that is (hopefully) genuinely emotionally makes me happy.
I have to give them credit for letting Nova the choice and seemingly putting their girls first; however, only time will tell if they will stick to their convictions. They planned on going to college and we know how that turned out.
You gguy’s are my favorite along with Macy and her beautiful family. It’s been pure pleasure watching you grow and become older and wiser. You two are so strong and your family life growing up was sometimes pure hell. You should be so proud of your accomplishment’s. Your daughter’s are absolutely beautiful. I often wonder how Carly is and what she look’s like. You have been so strong and so brave and have overcome so many obstacles. Always there for your family and friends no matter what they manage to do to you. You should be so very proud of yourselve’s and I rue the day that your show will end. I have been a loyal fan since your inception on “16 and pregnant”. Love you all. By the way I’m 66 yrs. old and started watching the serie’s with my daughter Sophia. My oldest Grandson was born when Carly was. Good luck and God bless you all.
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They are honestly gross