When 16 & Pregnant premiered on MTV back in 2009, it drew intense criticism. People feared the documentary series would glamourize teen pregnancy, despite producers adamant claims that it was intended to do the exact opposite. Despite, or perhaps because of, the controversy, the show was watched by many Americans, leading to multiple spin-offs. Jenelle Evans, the teen mom followed for the premiere of Season 2, would become the break-out star from Teen Mom 2, which followed her and three other moms from Season 2.
Recent episodes of Teen Mom 2 have done a good job of living up to producers’ promises of showing the hardships of becoming a mom early in life, with this week’s episode even being delayed due to issues between Evans and her current boyfriend. Looking past her current troubles, Evans has had a winding road to motherhood. Let’s look at how the mom, now 24, got to where she is today.
16 & Pregnant
Jenelle Evans was the seventh teen mom the show 16 & Pregnant followed, with her episode airing on February 16, 2010 Born and raised on Oak Island, North Carolina, she was actually 18 when she got pregnant with her boyfriend Andrew Lewis. Their relationship ended late into her pregnancy, after Lewis was arrested. On August 2, 2009, Evans gave birth to a son, Jace Vahn Evans. Almost immediately, Jenelle returned to the partying lifestyle she had lived before getting pregnant. This meant that Jenelle’s mother, Barbara Evans, frequently had to step up to take care of Jace.
When Teen Mom 2 premiered on January 11, 2011, it showed that Jenelle’s continued partying had pushed Barbara toward seeking full custody, which Jenelle agreed to in the third episode, despite wanting to take a more active role in her son’s life. Through the first season, Jenelle Evans struggled to finance going to college, and starts to date Kieffer Delp. After being convinced to steal her mom’s credit cards and run away to New Jersey with him, and an arrest for breaking and entering, Evans starts to see that he may not be helping her get control of her life.
Jenelle Evans’ Relationships on Teen Mom 2
In early 2011, during the filming of the second season, Jenelle broke up with Kieffer, and briefly dated someone named Josh that fall, before going back to Kieffer and then meeting Gary Head, who she dated in between periods with Kieffer. Her relationship with Gary lasted through the first half of 2012, but that fall she was back with Kieffer.
In September 2012, Jenelle broke up with Kieffer again, and entered rehab to address her continued reliance on alcohol. Soon after, she began dating Courtland Rogers. A longtime friend, their relationship progressed quickly, and they announce they were engaged in November 2012, marrying on December 4. Then, in late January 2013, there was an alleged physical fight between Courtland and Jenelle, and a couple days later, she had an abortion. She briefly went back to Gary, before re-entering rehab and her relationship with Courtland.
The return to married life was brief, when another fight led to the couple being arrested. Jenelle moved in with her mom and her growing son Jace. In June 2013, she met Nathan Griffith, a part-time model. Her relationship with Nathan would help her slow down a lot of her partying and recklessness, and by that fall, season 5 of Teen Mom 2, she moved in with Nathan.
Later that season, Jenelle Evans learned she was pregnant, and in the sixth season, she gave birth to a baby boy. Kaiser Evans was born on June 30, 2014. The rest of the season focused on Jenelle’s struggles with co-parenting with Nathan, whom she’d broken up with.
What’s Jenelle Evans Doing Now in 2018 – Recent Updates
In the seventh season of Teen Mom 2, currently airing, Jenelle began dating David Eason. Eason has taken the role of mitigator between her and Nathan, making parenting of Kaiser easier on herself. There were recent rumors of her being pregnant, but she attributed her weight gain to being healthy for the first time in a long time.
She’s also been working to secure custody of Jace again, for the first time since he was born. If she’s successful, Evans will be on her way toward becoming able to support her children on her own. There’s been some struggles to get there, even recently. The May 9th episode of Teen Mom 2 was delayed, though the reasons why are unclear.
Based off recent photos from Instagram, where Jenelle slammed MTV for misleading editing, it’s perhaps for the simple reason that they didn’t have enough material. As Jenelle gains control of her life, she may be less willing to have cameras invading every part of it.
