The bitter divorce and custody battle between Teen Mom star Ryan Edwards and his soon-to-be-ex-wife Mackenzie Standifer has hit yet another major roadblock.
The Ashley can exclusively reveal that Ryan and Mackenzie will be heading to trial after the exes failed to come to an agreement about the custody agreement of their two shared children, Jagger and Stella, on Friday. The Ashley can confirm that Ryan and Mack attended a mediation session (after having it continued several times), where each party and their attorney tried to work out a custody plan for the kids. (Due to their joint restraining order, Ryan and Mackenzie likely couldn’t be in the same room together, even during mediation.)
“Unfortunately, the mediation didn’t work,” a source told The Ashley. “Ryan and Mackenzie agreed on everything…except how Ryan’s girlfriend Amanda [Conner] would be worked into the kids’ lives. That was the dealbreaker.”
As The Ashley has previously reported, Amanda is not currently allowed to be around Jagger and Stella during Ryan’s visits with them. (Currently, the kids stay overnight at Ryan’s parents’ house, where Ryan is allowed to visit and stay over with them, as long as Amanda is not present.) According to The Ashley’s source, Ryan and Mack were trying to work out a plan where Amanda could eventually be incorporated into the kids’ lives.
“Mackenzie and Ryan went back and forth a few times with offers, but Ryan refused any offer that didn’t immediately include Amanda being able to be around the kids,” the source said.
As The Ashley previously reported, Amanda just regained full legal custody of her 11-year-old son, after not having custody of him for the majority of his life, due to her addiction and legal issues. Amanda recently took to TikTok to show proof that her recent drug tests were clean, stating that Mack still thinks that she and Ryan are using drugs.
Amanda– who is allowed to be around Bentley, the teenage son Ryan shares with Maci Bookout– has insisted that, despite Mackenzie’s alleged concerns for Stella and Jagger’s safety, both she and Ryan are clean and sober.
“I’ve seen so many pages talk about why I specifically am not allowed to be around [Ryan’s youngest two] children,” Amanda said. “Take it, the other party does state that we are on [drugs] and that is not true at all.”
@amandaa_conner♬ original sound – AmandaaConner
According to Amanda’s recent TikTok video, Ryan is drug-tested at his probation meetings and regularly attends Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings and other classes and virtual meetings related to his sobriety.
Fans have been split in their opinions on whether or not Amanda should be allowed to be around Ryan and Mackenzie’s kids. While many have applauded Amanda (and Ryan) for being sober for over a year, others have expressed online that the couple getting regular, unsupervised visits with Jagger and Stella, shortly after having a new baby and getting custody of Amanda’s son, may be too much to handle for the couple.
View this post on Instagram
“Mackenzie suggested a slow transition into letting Amanda be around the kids and letting Ryan have them unsupervised,” the source told The Ashley. “It’s not really the drug thing that Mackenzie is worried about. She isn’t questioning their sobriety. She’s concerned about them getting all that added responsibility at once and her kids being involved.”
The Ashley can confirm that Ryan and Mack’s lawyers realized that the mediation would not work and that no agreement would be made, due to the Amanda situation.
“The lawyers pulled the plug on mediation and decided it would have to go to trial,” the source said. “That probably won’t happen for a few months, so the divorce and custody situation is going to be stretched out even longer, possibly even until after Amanda has the baby in February.”
As The Ashley previously reported, Amanda and Ryan are expecting a baby girl, whom they are apparently planning to name Presley.
RELATED STORY: ‘Teen Mom’ Dad Ryan Edwards Accuses Ex Mackenzie of Stalling Couple’s Divorce; Mackenzie Blames Ryan for Divorce Delay
(Photos: TikTok; MTV; Instagram)
49 Responses
I find it ironic that she’s concerned with her kids being around Amanda yet Mackenzie willingly got into a vehicle with Ryan knowing he was high as a kite while driving the two of them to their shotgun wedding. Mackenzie allowed her son to be around Ryan when he was on drugs. The fact that she could even go through with marrying someone while their high tells me that her judgement should be questioned as well. Amanda recently gained custody of her son so obviously the court seen a change in her. Mackenzie has no room to judge when she moved herself & her son into Ryans house just a couple months after they started dating. Mackenzie has been married and divorced twice so that should speak for itself.
She made bad choices, she obviously learned from them. And being married and divorced twice doesn’t call shit into question, if anything it shows she knows when to get TF out of a bad situation. It took Amanda how long to get and stay sober before she could get her kid back? She hasn’t had him since 2014, that’s TEN YEARS! Mack made her crappy choices years ago, Amanda is STILL making crappy choices. Mack has every right to want to ease her children into being around her. That’s called good parenting.
This was meant in response to HDAS.
Not Mimi.
I am sorry.
Amanda was also married twice.
Sooo….
.
You are in for a big surprise, because it turns out a lot of people did things at age 19 that they wouldn’t want to subject their minor children to.
Are we forgetting Maci had a restraining order against Ryan for threats to kill her family?
Nope but she sure did, I honestly could never be Beer Taylor.
There’s no way in hell I would let someone around my kids who very publicly hates me. Who’s to say she wouldn’t take that out on the kids?!? At least Mack is willing to do it slowly, cuz I wouldn’t do it at all. And I understand the courts can make you. That is 100% what would be required for me to allow my children around someone like Amanda. Literally nothing less.
I hope this isn’t a repeat of the Jordan Cashmyer situation from season 5. She was also a drug addict & did the same thing Ryan & Amanda did, got in a serious relationship with someone before she was supposed to very early in her sobriety, got pregnant by him, had their daughter. Then her daughter was only 2 months old when her fiance relapsed & ended up dying from an overdose. She relapsed in her grief & also ended up overdosing so their daughter became an orphan when she was only 6 months old. It would be a shame if they brought another child into this world when they’re not truly ready to be sober yet.
Ryan never taken care or been a father to any of his babies. Amanda, girl, hr isn’t about to suddenly change and start helping with a baby.
I know that’s right. He’s a textbook narcissist
“Mackenzie and Ryan went back and forth a few times with offers, but Ryan refused any offer that didn’t immediately include Amanda being able to be around the kids”.
That’s Ryan making excuses. He doesn’t want to take care of his kids by himself, he’d rather have Amanda kinda doing it (kinda because she doesn’t even have experience caring for her own kid).
Another day, another opportunity for Ryan to show what a deadbeat POS he still is
Sooo if Amanda and Rhine end up back on the gear, and Amanda’s parents are dead, does Mimi Jen get her baby girl finally?
I mean, Stella is a girl… so it’s her second granddaughter…. but if you mean like Rhine do-over baby like kin-ship adoption, probably.
Larry is like 65, and I think Mimi Jen is like 60, do they really want to raise more of Rhine’s children for him. Larry would be 83, when Amanda’s child turns 18, and Jen 78. Could they really be taking care of a child at that point, probably not.
I feel like maybe before when they were younger, it was like having a do-over when Bentley would come over. But I’m sure they are probably getting too old for this sh*t. I know my aunt watches my cousins occasionally and she’s about their age, and she’s exhausted afterwards and she’s in great physical shape.
Where will her son go? Back to the deceased father’s girlfriend?
If you mean the mom he has had his whole life, then yes. She raised him and the only reason she doesn’t still have custody of him is because the system sucks ass and nearly always prioritizes biology over quality of life.
She has a girl granddaughter already
Amanda hasn’t had custody of her son since dated May 2014. Just got back custody last month (Nov 2024). I’m all for parents getting back custody, reunification is the goal. But that’s 10+ years of his life. It took time for the courts to even let her work towards custody, and that’s her own kid.
Why would Mack and Rhine children been any different?? Since Mack and Rhine are still legally married, this isn’t his wife, this is some woman he knocked up while still married. The courts don’t need to make special circumstances for that.
Her rap sheet is extensive:
February 2009- theft (<$500)
June 2016 – theft of property
September 2016 – arrested for warrant out for her arrest, found to have meth
August 2017 – possession of controlled substance (meth)
April 2018 – possession of controlled substance. (meth)
November 2021 – simple possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia
June 2022 – possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and fraudulent use of credit/debit card.
June 2023- DUI
June 2023 – warrants for driving under the influence, and two counts of possession of a controlled substance
August 2023- drugs general category for resale, possession of controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and contraband in a penal institution.
She was also sued in civil court in March 2023, after allegedly causing a car accident that left two people “permanently injured.”
I'm glad she's sober, I'm glad for the sake of the child she's currently carrying, and hope for her children's sake she stays sober, because we know Rhine will not step up for sh*t if he needed too.
But I don't think that Mack is being overly cautious, wanting to slowly work towards her being in the kid's life. Not to mention, that Amanda has said and done some things against Mack on SM, remember that's their mom. I wouldn't allow someone who spoke about me that way around my children.
2 down votes?
Ryan and Amanda
Lol. There will always be a Rhine apologist. The man is an addict, cheater, deadbeat, habitual offender, and woman beater, but it’s Mack’s fault he drove high, it’s Mack fault for him being a sh*tty father. They put more of the blame on Mack than on Rhine for Rhine’s actions. Look, I’m not saying she’s innocent, but he’s 100% responsible for his actions, 100% of the time.
Its, like Dr. Drew, Rhine threatened to put a 🔫 in Taylor’s head. And Dr. Drew had the audaciously to be like Maci don’t you think you need to drop the restraining order, don’t you think that’s that not good for him. No she didn’t need to do sh*t for Rhine mental whatever, he threatened to k!ll the father of her child, her husband, she had every right to filled it, to hold strong to it. I just don’t know why now Maci has select amnesia and has now forgiven Rhine for all the terrible things he’s done to her, Bentley, and Taylor, but still holds this grudge against Mack forever.
Sobriety includes not drinking alcohol. Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean it’s not a drug. Ryan and Amanda should prove they are sober before getting unsupervised visits with the kids. Then maybe he can explain to them why he destroyed their toys and filled their home with feces while writing insults on their walls. It’s hard to believe someone would not want their children around him or a person who heard about that behavior and said, “That’s the man I want to spend my life with.”
I feel like it would be reasonable for the parenting plan to specifically say that Rhine cannot have any alcohol in his system while the kids are under his supervision. He can not control himself around addictive substances, he can’t just have one beer.
The comments on this article on The Ashley’s Facebook page were crazy. Everybody saying Mackenzie is in the wrong and Amanda is great. I knew the real the real Reality Roundup dwellers would have much more sense.
Mackenzie seems to be being completely reasonable and willing to work with them. She’s 100% right that it should be a slow transition because they’ve barely been sober, both have violent tendencies, Amanda just got her child back after ten years of not caring, and they’ve got a newborn on the way that I’m very much expecting the stress of which will push one or both back into using or there at least being the Law called over a fight. No sane person would want their kids unsupervised around those two, especially ones as young as Stella and Jagger.
Maybe Amanda’s bots, I mean fans were the ones commenting on Facebook.
They are doing the same on Tik Tok. Insane.
I’m not a big Mackenzie fan, but I don’t think she’s being unreasonable at all. A slow transition is not a bad thing.
Ryan and Amanda will have a new baby and full custody of her son. They haven’t been together that long either, along with working through “sobriety” (except alcohol…). Give it another year to transition.
Yes agree 1000% she isn’t saying it will never happen! She’s just saying take it slowly and make sure everything stays on track! I would absolutely do the same for my kids! But typical Ryan- I want it my way and I want it now. I know court typically sides with him, but I think (HOPE) in this instance the judge uses common sense!
Whoppi do amanda 4 hour parenting class, thats fk all to be proud of, anyone can do 4 hours at playing nice.
The kid is like 10/11 and she things a 4 hour class with a certiflicate is a great accomplishment, she has no shame, and i bet drippy mimi and angry grandpaw, let her (amanduhhh) be around macks kids, those two have no respect or boundries either
I don’t blame Mack because I wouldn’t want Amanda around my kids either. Ryan doesn’t actually care about his kids. This is simply a way for Ryan and Amanda to try to control Mack because they know that her kids are what will hurt her the most. I have no doubt they want to play “happy family” with Mack’s children just to send an eff you to her. These two have both done some heinous things and you don’t just get everything you want when you want because you want it. They both need to prove themselves.
100%. I can see Amanda’s posts now, with his kids. (speaking of, I wonder if Mack could make it part of the custody agreement, no pictures of the kids on SM, a lot of parenting plans have it now, and its a reasonable request, also given the fact that kids are a “famous” dad, oh that would piss off Amanda, added bonus).
Plus, Rhine refuses to release his financials to calculate CS, and I think he wants to try to get as much custody time so he doesn’t have to pay child support.
I was thinking that might be why Rhine and Amanda are pushing for some visitation / custody – to reduce child support payments. Rhine probably owes a lot in back child support. Amanda probably sees Rhine and his TM bucks are her ticket to easy street. Hopefully Mack can sue him for damage to the house too.
For the children involved hopefully Bonnie & Clyde can keep their $h1t together. but as someone else posted, considering both of their violent and erratic behavior over the years, odds are not overly promising. Mack is 100% right to be cautious. Until Rhine will own up to what he did to the home of his children, he’s no better than he was while using – pure trash with some money.
Yeah. The fact that Rhine was working a normal job again, when he was arrested last year, probably means he blew threw everything he earned on TM. I mean, know drugs are expensive, but damn dude.
I think Rhine is making about $35k/episode. They did 15 episodes in the last season, I don’t know how many episodes he’s in, but if he was in say 6, that’s 210k.
Yeah, Rhine and Amanda are still in their sober honeymoon phase. I hope it last for their kids’ sake, but normally addicts like the highs really high, but when the lows hit, they are really low. They are chasing that drug rush, that rehab relationship, the pregnancy. It’s a lot really quickly, and when reality hits. I hope they are ready.
I just see 3 am, baby hasn’t slept in days, Amanda has been up all for days, and Rhine just gets up and bounces. Three days no sleep with a newborn and Amanda’s kids she barely knows, plus raising Rhine. Yeah, they are going to be fighting.
If the court orders child support backpay, and Rhine just has his bank accounts wiped out. Its got to be at least 50k at this point. If Mack has relied on state programs to cover things because of Rhine, like health insurance, he has to pay the state back if they can prove he had the funds to pay for it. Rhine might end up in jail, and if he violates any court order like paying cs arrears, well that might get his probation revoked.
Or his parents will come up with the money so once again he skates by.
My EX husband tried that.
I believe fully that Mack only has the best interest of her children at heart. Amanda on the other hand.. waited 10 years, hitting the teen mom lottery, and another pregnancy later, to mother her own kid. I’m a mother and it would be hard enough to have Ryan around them, let alone Amanda. I hope Mack wins all around in the whole entire issue. It’s not about a hatred of Amanda for me. It’s about how, on a scale of 1-10 on maturity/motherhood, Mack is a 10 and Amanda is a -20 in my eyes.
What’s the unhealthy obsession with these kids?
Ryan doesn’t even want to see them.
So why is this drug addict so obsessed?
Don’t she have her own to worry about?
I think Amanda’s obsession is not about the kids or even Ryan, but only about Mack. I have always thought Mack was the only woman Ryan had ever truly loved. And I personally think Amanda sees that too.
Because he thinks if he has more physical custody he won’t have to pay child support. A lot of narcissists do this, it isn’t about the kids or spending meaningful time with them it’s about screwing over their mother and having something to manipulate them against/with. And because he has his parents support and money and they are dummies they will keep pumping all that into this fight. I have had two different sets of aunts and uncles try to strip the rights of the mothers of their grandchildren, people can be so consumed they don’t see how wrong they are.
Besides People like Rhine need an enemy to fight and prove their love against, if their love cannot be triangulated how can it be real!!!!
i’m sorry i’m not a ryan fan but mack is doing too much for someone who’s already had guys around the two kids. like ryan is not only marrying amanda but the kids are also having a new sibling and amanda hasn’t even done anything violent or drug related to still be doing all this
Too much?
Dummy…
Amanda has absolutely zero experience being a parent. Ryan has very little experience parenting these two children (his own choice of course). Mack has every right to be concerned about these two *choosing* to put more on their plate than either one can reasonably deal with. Not only are both of them still dealing with sobriety (that is a lifetime goal, btw, you don’t just get clean and stay clean without putting in the work necessary to do so, permanently) both they just added a child to their household who isn’t used to being around either one of them. They are also adding a new baby to the mix in February. They haven’t even been together all that long and most of that was while they were both still active addicts struggling with using, rehab, etc.. They have spent more time together not sober than they have sober (yes, despite the work both have put in, this is a fact).
Any reasonable human being would, and should, question the capability of these two. Both of them fold under pressure like they’re the fastest origami artist in the world. Neither one handles stress very well. This is common for lots of people, especially addicts, but these two have made their inability to handle it pretty damn public. Amanda DOES have a history of violence in her past, not just drug use, as does Ryan. It’s the perfect storm for disaster. Personally I don’t even think Ryan should be allowed near the kids, not for a good long damn while, after the shit he pulled. Addiction didn’t make him an angry person, he’s been like that his whole life-even his parents who defend everything he does and says have said this about him.
nobody’s reading all that lmao
Yeah we can tell you don’t like to read.
You poor dear, words are hard, I know.
Have a snack, you’ll feel better.
Exactly – Rhine is not suddenly a swell and caring guy just because he stopped using. He was a spoiled shithead his entire life with a psychotic streak (torturing cats among other things). If he’s no longer a spoiled shithead addict, he’s just back to being a spoiled shithead.
Ryan isn’t marrying Amanda. He’s still married to Mack. By the time they’re legally divorced, Ryan and/or Amanda will have relapsed and ended up back in jail. Having an infant is stressful enough if you’re not an addict. This is not going to end in a happy marriage.
No one to blame but Ryan and Amanda. I don’t think it can be forgotten what Ryan did to not only Mack but to his own children with no regard for their emotional well being at all. Amanda can’t stop running her mouth about Mack. I wouldn’t want either around my kids. I wouldn’t trust Ryan or Amanda. As far as them sleeping at Jen & Larry’s with only Ryan being allowed to visit, I don’t buy it. I doubt seriously that Larry and Jen would tell the truth if Amanda came to the visits as well.
Part of the reason that people still thinks Ryan is on drugs is because he is a liar. HE admitted himself on camera that every time he said he was sober that he really wasn’t. He has been forced to go to court ordered rehab how many times now? He didn’t go because he longed for sobriety. He went because rehab looked much better than prison.
I wouldn’t want Amanda around my kid either. She might be sober, but she still seems unhinged.
Yes. She dressed up as Mack for Halloween. I mean WTF.