‘Teen Mom’ Stars Maci Bookout & Taylor McKinney Reveal the Reason They Aren’t Leaving Reality TV Any Time Soon

“Getting paid to go on vacation? Um…yeah, we’re not giving up that sweet deal any time soon, thanks.” 

Maci Bookout has been on Teen Mom for nearly 15 years, but she says she has no plans to leave the world of reality television anytime soon, and for a very good reason.

And, no, surprisingly, that reason is not her big fat MTV paycheck.

In a new interview with In Touch Weekly, Maci and her husband Taylor McKinney admitted that they do consider it “all the time.”

“We’ve talk about, and sometimes, with filming the days get long and it can get overwhelming at times….we try to make the best of it but there’s been times where we’ve had those conversations,” Taylor said.

Maci said that dealing with the lack of privacy is the main reason she’d consider retiring from reality TV.

“I’ve had a camera on me since a baby was about to come out of my underage hooter. It’s a lot, y’all!” 

“For me, it’s not just what you see on the show. Like, every move that we make is just so public,” Maci said.  And everything with our kids is just so public. And you can’t really go out in public and be left alone…”

Maci said that, even if she and her family stop appearing on the ‘Teen Mom’ shows now, the damage to their privacy has already been done and will continue to be done.

“But at this point, even if we left reality TV, everything would still be so public,” she said. “…The tabloids or magazines or blogs– they’re not just going to forget that we exist and not care. So if we expect to leave [TV] and then be left alone, that’s never going to happen.”

“…but, hey, it’s a paycheck.”

Taylor said he has a more-altruistic reason for staying on reality TV.

“But I think, too,— and you kind of lose sight of this—when someone comes up in public and says ‘Your guys’ story helps me a lot. I appreciate what you’re doing’ and I forget that sometimes,” he said. “Because we’re just going through our everyday life, and you forget that people watch and relate to it. You know, it’s helps them.”

“We are also teaching other people how to twerk badly, so there’s that!”

“So, it’s like, we might as well keep trying to help people, you know?” Maci agreed. “We keep trying to put real life stuff out there, for people to see, to laugh at, or to judge, whatever. But hopefully it can help one person or one family, then that sounds good to me.”

RELATED STORY: Maci Bookout Reveals Why She Invited Her Ex Ryan Edwards & His Girlfriend to Easter Dinner

23 Responses


  1. Anyone else remember when she was getting ready for naked and afraid and saying how she’d make it to the end, only losers tap out etc…..how long did she manage to last……. Not even 24 hours. I’ve considered her a pathetic joke since then.


  2. Whoever is telling the truth I wouldn’t bet on either. Nothing more frustrating than a parent blowing off their kid or choosing to finally attempt to communicate at terrible times. I’m sure there’s other ways he could communicate and obviously requesting it to be done with mediation is what needs to be done. I never saw either as a doting parent though. As problematic as Jenelle is, David is a massive worldwide wreck if not obvious by his behavior and actions but at least treatment and murder of animals.

    I just hope for sanity reasons this seriously is the end.


  3. you think they’d ever leave reality tv and get real jobs? lol they’re gonna ride it til the wheels fall off.


  4. These two look like bloated fish. Alcohol addiction can be just as bad as any drug addiction. Especially, once you’ve been drinking for 10+ years. At least, Ryan and his girlfriend look better than these two. Too bad this new show allows them to drink. I would of loved to see them without booze. They would be sweating, shaking and be miserable.


  5. Two untalented/ no career people who got rich by being on tv shows that don’t require any kind of intelligence. Can you two afford your lifestyle without the tv paycheck? NO.
    She is so full of shit

    As far as being “too famous to be forgotten.” Lmao. Maci, what have you done so special that is worth so much attention? I’m pretty sure that outside your ego no one cares to be updated on your life.


  6. Beer Taylor is still cute but he’s only got like 5 good summers left. Meanwhile Baby Jane Maci is still cute but they look miserable together.


  7. I also don’t understand who they think they are helping at this point. Cuz Bentley has shown loud and clear that he doesn’t like his whole life plastered for views now that he is a teen. Do you care? Not really, he’s your first cash cow. I hope she won’t make him go on dates with camera focused on his face, that will be embarassing.


  8. She does have a point. Jenelle hasn’t been on teen mom in forever and like every other article is about her.


  9. Who do they think they’re trying to fool? They don’t want to work and like the paycheck. Privacy be damned.


  10. They’re barely relevant now, so they will absolutely be forgotten eventually if they leave the spotlight. They just love the money. No one believes that they really just want to help people.


  11. I know the answer to this question before skimming the “answer”.

    The answer is money; the order of relevance is beer, mortgage, and wrestling. If their TTM business was profitable, they would have left awhile ago. We all know they don’t GAF about Bentleys privacy, or the privacy any of the other kids.

    Team #let Bentley poop in peace ?


  12. I don’t need to read this.

    I can answer this….

    They liked money and no working hard.

    And I don’t blamed them. You think Taylor or Maci could find a job right now that pays them this much for this little effort. Of course not. I mean at this point Bentley’s whole life is been exposed there nothing they haven’t shared. And now at least Bentley, and the rest of the little ones will get some money when they turn 18. Bentley could probably change his name when he finish hs, go off to college and nobody will know who he is, he’ll look so different.


  13. WTF are they doing? How are they “helping” anyone? Money is absolutely the one and only factor. God forbid Maci passes up that paycheck and instead chooses to protect her children’s personal lives because the kids don’t give consent to be filmed. They are told to film not asked.


  14. No. No. No one is telling you your story helps anyone.

    You have a loveless marriage. Wife is in love with ex. Husband is in love with beer. So that’s inspiring to no one.

    The main character of y’all’s story is junkie.

    Just admit you’re lazy and unemployable and call it a day.


  15. Lol how are they still helping people? Got rich off of getting pregnant as a teen which makes them not relatable at this point. I️ get the whole help aspect when they were teens showing their struggles but let’s be real – they’re not leaving tv because it’s easy income.


  16. OMG, seriously??!! ? You will be forgotten and, my goodness, you are not helping anyone. The delusion is strong!

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