Amber Portwood is fighting back against Teen Mom fans who are accusing her of traumatizing her teenage daughter.
Amber— who has been logging some serious hours on TikTok Live over the past few months— was on the social media platform earlier this week to defend herself against fans who blame her for the issues her 16-year-old daughter Leah has stated she’s experiencing. As The Ashley previously reported, during a recent episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Leah— who is currently estranged from Amber— stated that she has “abandonment issues” due to Amber coming in and out of her life. During the same episode, Leah’s stepmom Kristina Shirley stated that it had been more than four months since Amber had contacted them.
During the Live, Amber denied that her actions resulted in Leah having trauma. She also denied that she went no-contact with her daughter for four months.
“I didn’t go four months no-contact with my daughter!” Amber protested, before admitting that she did stay away, but that it wasn’t because she wanted to.
“No, I was told to stay away. Not to stay away… but all that stuff,” Amber said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I would never do that actually. I want to have my daughter with me. I would love to have my daughter with me. I would love to do mom and daughter things. It’s up to her. She doesn’t want to be around me at the moment, while she’s in therapy. I understand.
“My life is filmed, and everything that I’m saying is the truth,” she continued.
Amber got angry when someone on the Live told her that she has put Leah “through enough” already.
“I put her through enough!?” Amber repeated. “We’ve already talked about everything from the past. She doesn’t remember anything, guys. She said it on the show that she didn’t remember anything bad…she didn’t remember anything but she would watch clips [of the show] online. And she said that’s what she hated.”
Amber went on to state that Leah doesn’t actually even have trauma.
“So it’s not trauma. She doesn’t have trauma. Thank God,” she said. “She’s had a rough life, yeah. But guys, not everything is trauma. And it’s not denial. You can’t call that trauma.
“I didn’t beat her,” Amber continued. “She’s traumatized about what?! “No, she’s not traumatized because of me. I didn’t do anything to her like that.”
Amber did acknowledge that having Leah around so much yelling early on in her life was not good for her, but she argued that Leah was only around the yelling between her and Leah’s dad Gary Shirley for “less than three years.” (As fans will remember, the reason the “yelling around Leah” stopped when she was three was because Amber went to prison in June 2012.)
“It’s not trauma, Jesus Lord, guys!” Amber said. “It was a couple of years of me being gone [in prison], but ever since then I was in her life. What are you talking about? You guys keep forgetting I went to school for this.”
Amber began to get angry at anyone who even suggested that Leah may have issues from Amber being in and out of her life during her childhood.
“Just shut up and quit!” Amber yelled. “…you guys are talking about [me being in] denial and all this s**t. I’m not gonna listen to this stuff! I lived the life! Jesus! Who’s traumatized? Who’s a victim? WHO? Nobody ever said I was a victim, and nobody ever made excuses.”
Amber— who also shares son James with her ex Andrew Glennon— stated that she only cares how her kids feel about her, and not the show’s fans.
“Y’all are not my kids…like the day my son wants to tell me that I’m not there for him, that’s what my son will tell me,” she said. “The day my daughter wants to say she’s pissed off at me because of my past, and me being a drug addict and having mental illnesses and going to prison and things like that, then that’s what the f**k she’s saying right now! Like, get over it!”
Amber then compared the childhood she had herself to what Leah has experienced.
“Damn, I had a way worse life than she can imagine,” she said. “And [worse] than more than half of you guys did. You can’t sit there and do that with your kids. You can’t sit there and pamper to the point of, you apologize for years and the people are being pushed away from you and you’re still apologizing.”
Amber denied that karma will get her, as one fan predicted.
“Karma for what? You can’t have karma [get you] if you didn’t do anything, you stop doing the negative things,” Amber said.
As The Ashley previously reported, on this week’s episode of ‘Teen Mom: The Next Chapter,’ several of Amber’s co-stars— Jade Cline and Cheyenne Floyd— spoke out on-camera about how upset they get watching Amber’s treatment of Leah. Jade— whose relationship with her own mom, Christy Smith, has been estranged on-and-off for years, due to Christy’s issues— was particularly mad about Amber being more devastated about her fiancé, Gary Wayt, ditching her than the loss of her relationship with Leah.
“After all that energy put into a man instead of a child, to me, that’s what don’t sit right with me,” Jade said. “It was triggering for me because I have a mother who is, like, so in herself, and herself is what is Number 1. And it makes me sick to my f**king stomach!”
“It’s hard to watch the behavior towards Leah,” Cheyenne agreed. “And then it’s hard to see [Amber] blame…”
“The whole energy that was put into this dude— the crying, the meltdown— I’m like, that should be put into your family, because at the end of the day, you can always get a new man but you can never replace your children,” Jade said.
Amber has not yet addressed what Jade and Cheyenne said about her on this week’s episode.
(Photos: MTV)
32 Responses
“Trauma refers to a deeply distressing or overwhelming experience that can have lasting negative effects on a person’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being.”
It’s incredible that she spends so much time online but I guess she forgot that google is free. Amber doesn’t get to decide if Leah is traumatized. You don’t have to beat your kid for them to be traumatized. Not having her mom in her life absolutely could’ve caused Leah to experience trauma. Realizing what a piece of trash Amber is could’ve caused Leah trauma. It’s LEAH’S experience. I’m so sick of Amber and her couch dwelling shit. Amber might’ve gone to school for… something? But where’s the degree? Or JOB??
Who is she to speak for her daughter’s feelings? Nobody knows the source to Leah’s trauma except for Leah herself.
amber Must’ve not gotten to the part in school where you have to be licensed before practicing psychology…
I’ll say this, I’ve never had any doubt that what Gary has had to say about Amber in front of Leah has played some role in how she look at her bio mom, we all seen him do it on camera and we’ve seen Gary deny Amber time with Leah when she was younger (sorry again, I don’t think Gary has been anywhere near perfect as some want to paint him as). BUT for Amber to completely dismiss what Leah is feeling as not being trauma or that she had ANY role to play in her feeling that way is so disturbing and just sad. Even Amber’s own beloved brother has tried talking to her about how Leah feels.
Not to mention “Dr.Amber” ought to know from the amount of therapy she has had alone that you can’t tel someone what they’re feelings are. It’s called emotional invalidation.
Ok haters, enough! Amber is a damn good mom! Remember that one time…when…umm…shit, hang on…..she did…I’m at a loss.
Amber is fucking delusional. MTV / Viacom / whoever: fire her lazy ass! Quit enabling her!
“My life is filmed, and everything that I’m saying is the truth,” she continued.” Everything that you’re saying is the truth because your life is filmed so you’ve never lied? What about that time you made your producers buy you a pregnancy test because you didn’t want to film and then admitted that you lied about needing it. That was filmed and that was a lie YOU admitted to, Amber. Get over yourself and admit that YOU are responsible for the damage that you have done to your daughter that she has talked about while being filmed. Or wait, are you the only one who tells the truth because your “life is filmed?” You are truly disgusting. Get an ADULT psychiatrist and take some responsibility for what ALL of your past behavior has done to your daughter (not just the parts of your past that you want to own up to. ALL of it)! If you actually love Leah you will do this, but I highly doubt it. Unbelievable!
Newsflash to Amber: Yes, being a useless pig and a psycho is damaging to your offspring. You’re welcome!
Ya know you’d almost wonder if she is trying to take over Jenelle’s place of biggest pos. Even Farrah is a better mother by and large at this rate.
“I studied this at Perdew, so you totally don’t have trauma, Bew Bew. Especially not from me.”
~Amber Portwood, Egg Donor
😂😂
Could not have said this any better!!!!!!
I know people like Amber and they will never change. Amber will be in her 80’s telling anyone who will listen what a great mother she was and never ever take any responsibility for the ridiculously awful (filmed for the world to see on repeat) abuses she’s committed. It is so sad that Leah at 16 will have to learn to navigate this and I sincerely wish her the best in doing so. When you have a parent who is abusive an toxic the earlier you realize they won’t change, the better
People throw around “Way to guarantee your kids ghost you once they’re 18/Never visit you in the nursing home” way too casually on the internet, but warranted here.
I work in nursing homes and don’t give much thought to people who never have visitors. Some people outlive everyone, never really had anyone to begin with, live across the country from everyone, or are the ones choosing not to communicate with anyone else.
Amber is peak “dissociate to maintain a neutral facial expression while they scream at about their ‘ungrateful’ children who don’t call her while thinking ‘Good for them!'”.
We’re talking “random relative gives provide number of rarely used emergency cell phone to for voicemails so you can document ‘family notified’ on paperwork and one of their otherwise no contact children’s number ‘for end of life and funeral concerns only-DO NOT TELL [name] WE HAVE NUMBER ON FILE’ because they felt it was immoral to inflict her on someone court-appointed” bad.
I remember watching this hospice nurse on tiktok, explain that she had a client who was days from passing and asked her to call her daughter and tell her to come see her before she passed.
The nurse said she will call, but promised nothing else.
The nurse called the daughter and the daughter said, “please inform me when she passes, but no I want no contact with her, and I will not see her before she passes.” The nurse said, “she understood, and will honor her wishes.” When she told the client this, she started to scream at her, telling her to demand, guilt and manipulate her daughter into coming, not in those words, but like that was the subtext. The nurse said I will not do that, I will respect her wishes. The patient screamed to GFTO.
The nurse was in her car, on the verge of tears. She said while this is one of my favorite patients and I like her as a person, I have no idea who she was prior to when I met her, and I have no idea what kind of parent she was. I can’t judge the child of this person, she has a different relationship with her than me.
I feel like Amber will be that patient in 50 years. Screaming about how she was a good mom, and Leah and James are ungrateful, AH. And how dare they want nothing to do with her.
I’m glad that the narrative of blaming the child for no contact is changing and people are starting to question, well, what did you do as a parent that made them want ZERO contact?
One of my cousins just got married in January and didn’t tell or invite her mother. My cousin also asked family not to tell her mom about the wedding for fear she would show up and make a scene. It made some people uncomfortable but everyone knew this was in large part my Aunts doing and respected her daughter, my cousins wishes. I’m sure this will be Amber in a few years and hope people respect Leah’s boundaries when it comes to her mom.
Leah already doesn’t want contact with Amber. She has asked Kristina to adopt her. I think that tells you enough about Amber and Leah’s relationship that at 16. Leah truly wants nothing to do with her mother anymore. I agree with Gary it’s not worth it. It would be held up in court for several years, to cost both Amber and Gary a shit ton of money for her to be 18 and the case is just dropped because she’s not a minor anymore.
I’ve never been a big fan of the fact that Gary pushed for Leah to have a relationship with Amber for financial reasons, but there is also the big looming element of she is the biological mother. She does pay child support (well she’s suppose too). She could sue for more custody, even if it doesn’t amount to anything, it could be extremely expensive for Gary and stressful. Vindictive, she would spend every sense she has just to hurt Gary and Leah and take Gary to court and try to drain his bank account.
So if to keep Amber from taking him to court or trying to get him kicked off the show to have Leah see her once every three months allows Gary to live the life and thus Leah to live the life that they live, I think he thinks it’s worth it.
I highly doubt the team mom will continue once the children were 18. That’s in two-ish years. I can’t imagine the show really lasting after that. I don’t see how it could work.
So I could see Gary being like I will never make this kind of money ever again. I only have two more years to make it, and then I have to be able to live off of that for the rest of my life, so shut up keep Amber happy and then at 18 Leah can cut her off. Gary has been one of the few parents on the show who’s been extremely financially responsible, hasn’t gotten into trouble with the IRS, seems to be very frugal with his money.
I’m glad your family was able to respect your cousin’s decision even if they didn’t agree with it, that’s really admirable.
you don’t give much thought to people who never have visitors???? you should not work there, you obviously have no empathy for others. you don’t know the lives of these people–you said you don’t think about them–please for the love of all, go get a job that is NOT caring for other human beings.
You know that’s not what they meant.
They don’t assume the family hates the patient. Maybe there are other reasons they have no visitors, not bc the patient is like Amber.
What a ridiculous and critical assumption. Smh.
I mean that I’m not drilling them on why I personally haven’t seen any visitors. Far and away the most common reason for my never seeing is just that I don’t happen to see them. Nor is “keeping track of who gets visitors” my job responsibility. There’s someone who does, but that person isn’t keeping track of their warfarin dose adjustments, and neither of us are doing payroll. Division of labor.
Sometimes there’s an after-work visitor that day shift never meets, sometimes there’s a weekend-only visitor that Monday-Friday people never meet, and not infrequently they’re children of the same person.
At my first job there was a resident whose family camped out and made staff miserable micromanaging a couple days a week. I met them in passing exactly once because I worked on different days.
There was also a man I was surprised to discover was vaguely assumed by most of the staff to either be estranged from his family or to have simply outlived them all. The local daughter visited in his room (people actually recognized her, just didn’t make the connection) at a time I’d happen to be getting a blood sugar, and the other lived several states away but called a few times a week. When she visited it was also typically in his room, or she’d take him out to dinner. He was generally physically independent, so he could get himself ready and to the front while she pulled the car around.
Tl;dr, sometimes they’re alone and adrift in the world but usually you’re just not there when Bill takes his mom out for brunch on Tuesdays.
You did not comprehend what was said so take a seat and read it a few more times before going off like this. It’s unhinged and uncalled for. Atomic City sounds like someone who SHOULD be doing that job and respects the patients and families.
Just realized why exactly Maci and C&T support this cow.
They’re all the same person.
Instead of “Leah” insert “Carly”.
Instead of “Carly” insert ____ .
Everything is always someone else’s fault. C&T blame B&T. Maci blames Mack.
None can either hold themselves responsible or place blame appropriately.
All 3 still stuck in childhood.
How dare Amber think she has a right to declare what is and isn’t trauma. In no was does amber get to define what was and isn’t trauma traumatic to Leah. Why do teen mom viewers care more about Lean than you Amber? And saying she’s not traumatized then of course making it about you saying your life was so much worse, girl there are multiple forms of abuse, you are a land mine and she never knows when you’re going to detonate. So she has to plan every single step she makes around you in fear of your detonation and you think that’s not traumatic? You’re deluded and you choose to be bc that’s easier than admitting your fault and making amends. I can promise you ALL LEAH WANTS IS GENUINE ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND A SINCERE APOLOGY for ALL you’ve put her through. But she will never get that from you bc you won’t even admit it to yourself!! Rewatch tm from the beginning, picture you’re Leah and don’t come up with excuses for your behavior bc the impact is what matters not your intent so view it from Leah’s perspective and then come back and say she’s not traumatized and doesn’t have a right to feel that way. But you won’t.
It’s sad that she won’t accept responsibility for what she has done. Gary apologized for not getting Leah out of that hell hole sooner but Amber is just denying everything instead of accepting responsibility and trying to heal the relationship. Sad.
Bitch please, you called her a dick, on her birthday , on tv! You’re done.
Poor Leah.. all of us with shitty parents have been there, they like to pretend they weren’t shitty because they can’t handle people knowing, or admitting it to themselves.. you were a bad parent amber. Leah don’t need you sis, as Texans say.. kick rocks amber
How can Amber be so oblivious to what actually makes people hate her so deeply? We all mess up, we all make mistakes. That’s NOT why the world hates you Amber! Stop being such a professional victim and learn accountability. You absolutely can just as well as anyone else. We’re all screws up and plenty of people make the choice to better themselves. Grow up Amber.
So basically Amber is saying this:
That didn’t happen.
And if it did, it wasn’t that bad.
And if it was, that’s not a big deal.
And if it is, that’s not my fault.
And if it was, I didn’t mean it.
And if I did, you deserved it.
Fucking narcissistic piece of worthless SHIT. Amber, I don’t care if you have to swallow it down, breathe it in, suck it up, but you ARE the cunty-est, nastiest, most vile excuse for a ‘mom’ I’ve ever seen and I hope both your kids never have anything to do with you again after they toss your ass into the seventh circle of hell. You are HORRIBLE to both those kids and yes! You traumatized them. YOU.
You forgot “If if did, I had it worse.”
Best comment ever!! 👍
Me: It’s impossible for me to despise Amber more than I do.
Amber: Hold my machete.
I can’t even bring myself to read this. It reminds me of my own mother. “I didn’t hit her.” Ok, you haven’t emotionally/mentally abused her either? Right? Of course amber is the only “victim.” No sympathy for poor Leah. This bitch is all about herself and how she “feels.”
Amber may have mental issues. So do I. Get f’n help. But no, she just wants to sit on her f’n ass and be a complete bastard. Amber’s issues have nothing to do do with bipolar or BPD. She’s just a shit person who doesn’t want to get better. She wants to sit around and pity herself.
She’s literally abused Gary in front of Leah, physically, verbally, mentally.
She’s also abused drugs while Leah is around.
Had her boyfriends raise Leah, like Matt was the one taking care of Leah, the few times she was allowed to have her overnight.
She’s neglectful of Leah. Ignores her for long periods, and only wants her around to stroke Amber’s ego.
Leah’s has had to deal with both her father and her brother’s father being assaulted by Amber to the point Amber has multiple assault charges.
Plus don’t get me started on the dysregulation, emotional mood swings, anger issues, narcissism, BPD, depression, co-dependency, inability to not be in relationship, compulsive lying, and immaturity.
All this thing traumatize children. We saw Amber what did when Leah said she doesn’t care about Amber’s new boyfriend, AT LEAH’s birthday dinner. If everytime you see your mom, you are worried that you will say one thing and she’s going to scream, flip a table, throw a temper tantrum, possible threaten to hit you, and you don’t think that’s not traumatic!?!? GIRL please.
Leah has been trying to appease Amber’s outburst since she was a small child.
I’ll never forget when she made an ornament in school and Amber threw a temper tantrum in the car because Leah was going to give it to her dad. Then Leah, the what 5-year-old, had to sit there and say don’t worry, mommy we can make something together.
Now, Leah is extremely emotionally intelligent, but don’t pretend like a lot of that emotional intelligence is learned as a result of Amber behavior. She’s had to help mediate and regulate for Amber for a long time.
There is a reason that when Leah needs to talk to someone, she goes to Kristina or Gary, but mostly Kristina. She will never let her guard down with Amber because she can’t trust her. And I don’t blame her.
I hate how society overuses the term narcissist…. But God dayum Amber, you are textbook Narcissist. “She doesn’t even have trauma” and also says “she won’t see me while she’s in therapy”… Ummmm. Not too hard to put two and two together there Waaaaaaaamber.