Mackenzie Edwards is responding to Teen Mom OG fans who have criticized over the years for standing by her husband, Ryan, through his addiction, baby mama drama with Maci Bookout and more
In a new interview with The Sun, Mackenzie said she has received a lot of criticism for not leaving Ryan when he was struggling with a heroin addiction, in rehab, or locked up while she gave birth to their son, Jagger.
“People can say that it’s embarrassing and that I have no dignity and that I’m a horrible person, they can say everything they want to say, that’s fine,” Mackenzie told the website.
“But at the end of the day we are allowed to grow and we are allowed to change and we are allowed to evolve as human beings. I don’t know what else you could ask for other than someone trying to be better,” she added.
Mackenzie, Ryan and his family were all booted from ‘Teen Mom OG’ back in March at the request of Maci. Both have insisted, though, that they were ready to leave the show anyway.
Despite Maci and her husband, Taylor McKinney, questioning the status of Ryan’s sobriety, Ryan has insisted that he is clean and sober. (He stated that he celebrated his three-year sobriety anniversary last month.)
Mack admitted that appearing on ‘Teen Mom OG’ gave Ryan the resources (aka a big pile of money) to get help.
“Knowing what I know about addiction now, it’s so hard to get help. If you don’t have any money to do that it’s even harder,” she said. “I’ll always be a voice for addicts and recovery and I think the show has given me a platform to do that… [I’m] grateful for the experience and the opportunities [being on the show gave us.]”
Mackenzie insisted that, while she was rarely seen calling Ryan out on his bad behavior on the show, she did address his issues…in private.
“Just because you don’t see me berate my husband on television doesn’t mean that I don’t hold him accountable for his actions or that he doesn’t hold me accountable for my actions,” she said. “But I’m not going to sit there and yell at somebody on television when I didn’t really know what to do in the first place. If we’ve got a problem then we’ll take care of that at home. All you can ask for is to do better and be a better person and try harder.”
Ryan— who shares two kids with Mack— told The Sun that his marriage is doing well.
“My relationship with her is great, we’ve been married almost five years now,” he said.
“We are in a happy place at the moment,” she added. “Nobody is saying that we haven’t made mistakes, because we have. But I’m not going to harp over them or live in sadness or shame over the past five years.”
(Photos: MTV)
23 Responses
Regardless of what Mac and Rhine say about the situation or interviews they do or whatever. I still think Martyr Maci getting them booted was some BS.
Why did they have to go? The show is about co-parenting with someone you had a child with as a teen. Without Rhines deposit into her hoohah she wouldn’t even have Bentley to embarrass on tv.
They keep POS humans like Amber but sack The Edwards at Macis request. That some serious BS.
You sound like you like the Edward’s clan?
I will be glad to see them go, hes never done anything for Bentley from day one so where is the co-parenting?
The show is called Teen Mom OG, granted they aren’t teens anymore but they were once and they were the original teen moms. Its about that, not coparenting.
Now, if the show was called Coparenting 101 (or something) you’d have a point.
True Dat you’re an idiot.
The show is about being a teen mom. The choices made then and the flow on effect. That being dealing with Rhines shit. Whether she likes it or not.
I couldn’t give a shit about Mac’s choices. She has to live with them.
But people want to see how Maci deals with the ongoing issue with Rhine and his parents and Bentley. Not her stupid pocket t-shirts and how often she can crack a can of bud lite.
But do we have see Rhine’s ugly ass face, the trophy wife or his loser parents…no.
They’re irrelevant. What have they done other than collect a check while sitting on their asses and complaining about the person raising a kid that Rhine helped make? Not a damn thing.
No coparenting goes down with them so they need to go!!!
And don’t call me an idiot, you may not agree with what I gotta say but that was uncalled for.
Are you kidding? Maci used to leave children that weren’t even relevant to the Edwards with Mimi Jen! She used them till they were not useful to her anymore. She’s gets the good edit every episode.
If I remember correctly, Mimi Jen used to offer, “I’ll watch Jayde for you!!”
I remember this because Rhine used to pick on her about it.
But yet they wouldnt watch their own grandchild unless they had to and Rhine was always nowhere to be found.
The fact that Rhine was never around used to bother Jen and Larry but now thanks to Mack, they think Rhine hung the moon and that Maci is a “petty bitch” and is useless to them…they should be thanking their lucky stars for her. Its because of the upbringing Bentley has had that makes him the AMAZING young man that he is today.
They’re jealous plain and simple, because they cant take any credit for Bentley being decent.
And yeah, I’ve seen how unhappy Bentley is but that has to do with his father. When they show clips of the cast members at the end and Bentley is at the table with his FAMILY hes all smiles and laughing.
I’m like Maci, I’m just waiting for the day when Bentley says, “That’s it, I’m done I’m out!!!”
He’ll be better off!!!
Mimi and grandpa absolutely, 100% had a HUGE hand in raising Bentley…they watched him ALL the time and even Maci’s younger children. I don’t agree with how they’ve coddled Rhine throughout the years, but to pretend they are irrelevant just because Maci is no longer friends with them…? That’s a bit of a reach. Maci definitely gets a good edit…if I was Jen I’d be pissed too that all those years of being there for my grandchild and suddenly you’re the enemy? Not fair.
I agree they used to watch Bentley until she and Taylor started having kids and Maci officially saw Rhine for the true POS he is then unless they HAD to they dont have anything to do with him. They dont call him or text him and neither does HIS OWN FATHER!!!
HE calls THEM.
They watched Jayde ONCE when she was a newborn so that Maci and Taylor could go on a Mud Run (I believe Rhine was even supposed to participate in it) but never showed…TYPICAL!!!!
But they never watched Maverick, I’m assuming it’s because they officially “knocked some sense” into their own brains and realized their deadbeat of a son wasn’t gonna get Maci back!!!
They are ABSOLUTELY irrelevant now, for the most of the last 6 or 7 years they’ve basically been nonexistent when it comes to their own grandchild
And Jen never used to use her tears as manipulation but she TOTALLY does now!!!
I get why she’s not divorcing him now. It’s not like the addiction and scary behavior like nodding out at the wheel—and all the consequences that come with that like being arrested and spending time in either jail or rehab when your baby is being born—is all brand new information that only came out after the wedding. She married him WHILE he was high. Twice. At the quickie wedding and at the “real” wedding. She knew he was a dead beat dad. She knew he was a man child who still lived (lives?) with and relies on his parents for everything.
What I don’t get is why she didn’t leave him before they got married and had kids. How is it that she didn’t walk away after the first date? And I’m imagining the answer to that is: Teen Mom money and camera time. So even if the using and being a dead beat dad were problems for her that she was just dealing with so she could get herself on tv, if she left him now, it would look like she really was just with him for the money and opportunity to be a Teen Mom social media influencer type of person. She’s kind of stuck now.
People with addiction have an illness and even though they often make it difficult, they do need and deserve love and care. As someone with a relative with addiction, I know how hard it can be to find the balance between loving the person and accountability. She went through this process at such a young age and SO publicly with so much cruel judgement. She hasn’t gotten everything right but she’s trying to do better everyday. Sending love, Mack.
I agree but there’s a difference between showing love/care and enabling.
Mack is enabling by ignoring the problem and probably doing it with him!!! NOBODY can be that skinny after 3 babies and come by it in a healthy manner.
I dont call what shes doing loving or caring.
Now, if she (and Jen and Larry) would step back and let him lose what means most to him he might see the error of his ways and change…something some people refer to as tough love!!!
I have a sister and 2 best friends that I love more than life itself but I chose after years of disappointment and hurt to step back. I’m here for them if/when they decide the drugs aren’t as important as having me in their lives. But the balls are in their courts!!!
Who calls the woman who’s raised YOUR MAN’S son with literally NO HELP (other than Taylor) a petty bitch??? ???
I’ll tell ya who…a HORRIBLE person Mack!!!
You are what you are…be a woman…grow up and admit it!!!
For a woman who claimed last year that Maci getting them fired was the best thing to happen and she wants to get away from the spotlight, she sure does a lot of interviews.
Also, people don’t think Mack is a bad person because she wouldn’t leave Rhine, its because of how she treats people.
And I like how she says you don’t bad mouth people on camera you take care of that privately, so what was calling Maci petty b*tch, then?
Tell me you are a determined gold digger without telling me you’re a determined gold digger.
I wonder how much Mac got paid for this interview. They like to give interviews to the Sun at the end of every month, probably to help pay bills.
What a media whore.
Here we go again. She has been babbling on about this for years now. YAWWNNNNNNN
Don’t get mad and leave, just leave.
As long as she has a husband she doesn’t care if that husband is a deadbeat jobless junkie that cheats on her. Some people just can’t fathom what dignity is
For a family that claims they don’t want the attention they sure give a LOT of interviews…
Mackenzie who? Has been.