Which ‘Teen Mom’ Stars Have Been Arrested? Ryan Edwards, Farrah Abraham and More
In Touch Weekly
Adam Lind
1 of 15
Chelsea Houska’s ex and Aubree’s father has found himself on the wrong side of the law on multiple occasions. One such recent arrest occurred in 2020 when he was booked for driving with expired plates and failing to pay child support. In March 2021, The Sun reported that there was a warrant out for his arrest over unpaid child support for daughter Aubree.
Courtesy of Adam Lind/Instagram
Amber Portwood
2 of 15
After a long history of legal trouble, the Indiana native was sentenced to five years in prison in June 2012 after pleading guilty to a felony drug charge. Portwood, who was initially arrested that May for violating her drug probation requirements, was released in November 2013 after only serving 17 months behind bars. Despite turning her life around, Amber was arrested again in 2019 on a preliminary charge of felony domestic battery after allegedly attacking then-boyfriend Andrew Glennon while he was holding their then 1-year-old son, James. She was sentenced to 900 days of probation, as well as a suspended 910-day jail term after pleading guilty. Andrew was granted primary physical custody of James at this time, but their custody battle is far from over as he filed a motion to suspend her visitation in May 2023.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
Courtland Rogers
3 of 15
This former star has also had many run-ins with the law. In 2020, Evans’ first husband was arrested on drug and larceny charges in North Carolina. He was an inmate at Sanford Correctional Center beginning in November 2020 and was moved from central prison for those felony charges. In January 2021, he received an infraction of unauthorized tobacco use and his release date was extended. While it's unclear when Courtland was released from prison, he was picked up again in September 2022 after allegedly strangling his estranged wife, Lindsey Rogers, in a domestic violence incident. His bond was set at $500,000.
New Hanover County Sheriff's Office
David Eason
4 of 15
Evans’ husband was arrested in June 2020 after he allegedly hit her friend James Spivey in the neck with a handgun and threatened to kill him, according to TMZ. After the scary incident, Evans informed fans via Facebook: “I’M OK, I’M SAFE AND SO ARE THE KIDS.” The Columbus County Court later confirmed to The Sun in August 2020 that Eason's charges were dropped.
In Touch Weekly Editors
Debra Danielsen
5 of 15
Abraham’s mother was taken into police custody in 2010 for allegedly physically assaulting the former MTV star amid a heated argument, which seemingly stemmed from a dispute over childcare and other topics. Danielsen was accused of causing “multiple cuts” to Abraham’s mouth after grabbing her by the throat and hitting her, according to the police report. The incident resulted in Danielsen being officially charged for assault in Iowa, but she struck a plea deal and the case was later dismissed.
In Touch Weekly Editors
Devoin Austin
6 of 15
Briana DeJesus’ ex, with whom she shares daughter Nova, was taken into police custody in 2017 for failing to attend a court date regarding his previous marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession charges. He was released one month later on served time, a spokesperson for St. Lucie County Jail told Radar.
In Touch Weekly Editors
Farrah Abraham
7 of 15
After the 16 and Pregnant alum was arrested and released from jail in June 2018 following her Beverly Hills Hotel altercation, she was officially charged with one misdemeanor count of battery and resisting as well as delaying or obstructing a peace officer. Though she was potentially looking at jail time, TMZ revealed that she struck a plea deal that required two years of probation and five days of community service. She was also ordered to participate in 12 hours of anger management. In January 2022, the former reality star was taken into custody again after allegedly slapping a security guard at a restaurant in Los Angeles. She was charged with battery and faced up to a year in prison and a $2,000 fine. On October 17, 2023, Farrah was sentenced to 18 months supervised probation and ordered to perform 40 hours of community service, In Touch exclusively confirmed.
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Gary Shirley
8 of 15
Portwood’s former boyfriend was arrested in 2011 for driving with a suspended license, but he was later released on a $3,000 bond.
In Touch Weekly Editors
Jenelle Evans
9 of 15
The Teen Mom alum’s extensive arrest history includes when she was arrested in 2010 for breaking and entering into a home and for alleged drug possession, E! News reported. Though those charges were dropped, she was sentenced to one-year probation after pleading guilty to being in possession of drug paraphernalia. The news outlet also reported that she received a 30-day suspended jail sentence and one-year probation in 2011 over her affray conviction.
In Touch Weekly Editors
Kieffer Delp
10 of 15
Another of Jenelle’s exes who often found himself behind bars is Kieffer Delp. While he largely remains out of the spotlight, Kieffer and Jenelle had a series of run-ins with authorities throughout their relationship. The former couple were arrested for breaking and entering and drug possession in her home state in October 2010 after being kicked out of her mom’s home. Though the charges were later dropped, that was only the beginning for Delp.
In Touch Weekly Editors
Nathan Griffith
11 of 15
Evans’ ex, with whom she shares son Kaiser, was first arrested and sentenced to 47 days in jail in 2014 for driving on the wrong side of the road, driving with a suspended license, giving false information about himself to officers and resisting arrest. 2023 has seen a string of arrests for Griffith, including for battery by strangulation after an alleged physical altercation with his sister in July. After appearing in court on July 17, Nathan is set to be released with “high level monitoring” by use of an ankle monitor and order to have no contact with his victims, per The Ashleys. He is due back in court on August 1.
North Carolina Police
Ryan Edwards
12 of 15
Maci Bookout’s ex, with whom she shares son Bentley, has been arrested multiple times, including twice in 2018. He was locked up that March for violating his probation tied to his previous heroin possession charge, but he was released on a $5,000 bond. Months later, he found himself in legal trouble again when the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office stated that he was arrested for “previous charges or other reasons.” In a statement to Radar, a spokesperson for Hamilton County Jail said, “The first count of simple possession of heroin – petition to revoke has been dismissed. For the second count of possession of heroin – petition to revoke, he was given 11 months and 29 days suspended sentence.” Edwards is required to complete six months of probation and five public work days. After remaining out of the spotlight for a few years, in 2023, Ryan racked up three arrests in as many months. On February 10, he was arrested for violating an order of protection against Mackenzie. He was charged with harassment, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance. One month later, he was arrested for stalking and violating an order of protection on March 1. The charges from both arrests were dropped on March 14, contingent on Ryan completing six months in rehab. After checking himself out of rehab – therefore violating the terms of his previous arrests – Ryan was found unresponsive in his vehicle and rushed to a hospital after overdosing on April 7. He was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in prison on April 20. However, after less than three months behind bars, Ryan was released from prison and sent to an inpatient rehab facility for 30 days, on July 14. He was subsequently sent to a halfway house after completing 28 days in rehab.
Hamilton County Jail
Kailyn Lowry
13 of 15
The Teen Mom 2 star was arrested in September 2020 after a physical altercation with her ex Chris Lopez amid a dispute over their son Lux’s hair. According to Chris, Kail struck him “several times with a closed fist,” before she allegedly “started attacking him [and] punching him several times on the head and upper torso because she did not want the child’s hair cut.” While the former reality star never publicly addressed the allegations, the charges were later dropped.
Courtesy of Kailyn Lowry/Instagram
Zach Davis
14 of 15
Teen Mom 2 star Zach Davis was arrested in June 2020 for driving under the influence. Less than one week after his wedding to Cheyenne Floyd, Zach was sentenced to 120 days in the L.A. County Jail and ordered to complete four days of community labor and five years of probation.
MTV
Bariki Smith
15 of 15
The MTV personality, who first appeared on Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant, was arrested in August 2022 and charged with being a fugitive from another state. The new charges stemmed from a previous DUI, as well as arrests for willful discharge of a firearm and negligent manner. After being picked up in Nevada, amid his move with wife Ashley Jones, Bar was extradited to California and held without bond. He was released on September 21, 2022.
Courtesy of Bar Smith/InstagramDrama within the Teen Mom franchise goes beyond TV, as many of the show's stars have found themselves behind bars after getting arrested for one reason or another.
Teen Mom 2 alum Jenelle Evans, for one, has faced a lot of challenges over the years. One of her more recent woes came in 2019 when she temporarily lost custody of her children ahead of her brief split from husband David Eason when he fatally shot their dog . However, the reality star has racked up a whopping 15 arrests in her young life.
Back in 2012, the MTV alum managed to find herself behind bars twice in one week. The first arrest occurred after she was charged with making “harassing phone calls” and “communicating threats” to her former roommate Hannah Inman, according to E! News. Six days later, she was booked for violating a domestic violence protection order.
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“I actually am confused about the arrest from last week,” Evans said after the initial charge, noting that she hadn’t “contacted Hannah” in a month and that the reality star was the “first to press charges.” Evans later confirmed that charges were dropped in a statement on Twitter.
Jenelle certainly isn't the only Teen Mom star who has spent time behind bars, however.
Scroll down to see which 'Teen Mom' stars have been arrested.