News that Jenelle Evans wouldn't be returning to the Teen Mom franchise didn't come as a shock to fans. The reality star and her husband, David, were fired from the MTV hit show in 2019. Fans have watched the Teen Mom alum transition from teenage motherhood to adulthood and everything in between. Her journey's been a difficult one, including substance abuse and numerous visits from Child Protective Services, as well as trouble with the law. Every aspect of the former reality star's life has been under the watchful eye of the public. Fans often point out how disappointing her lack of growth is, but some say it's not Jenelle's fault.
Teen Mom is popular because it's relatable to many viewers. Drama is always guaranteed, not only among the cast members but in their personal relationships too. From what viewers saw in the franchise, Jenelle and her mother Barbara's relationship was seemingly troubled from the beginning, while her father didn't appear to be in the picture at all.
Jenelle Has A Tumultuous Relationship With Her Mother Barbara
There's no denying that the mom of three has come a long way. Fans were pleased to learn that Jenelle had regained custody of her son Jace, though the details of the custody arrangements were unclear (and appeared to change). She'd battled her mother over custody of Jace for years, and that seemingly strained their relationship.
They've had ups and downs, and have gone through periods where they weren't even speaking to each other at all.
Jenelle and Barbara have made disparaging remarks about each other, not only on Teen Mom, but in the media, too. In July 2022, Jenelle shared a video on her Instagram account alleging that Barbara didn't acknowledge her accomplishments.
She captioned the video, "And I just keep my mouth shut. I have been the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. It sucks when none of your accomplishments are acknowledged … especially by your own mom. #ToxicParents
The video also featured messages on the screen that were apparently sent to Jenelle by people, which implied that Barbara has possibly been slandering her daughter. One of the messages read, "Did you see what your mom said about you?"
Jenelle Is Estranged From Her Father
Jenelle's father hasn't been in her life since she was 12 years old. During an episode of her podcast, The Jenelle Evans Podcast, the TV personality shed light on the state of her relationship with her father. She spoke about his issues with alcohol and substance abuse, which she battled with the past herself.
According to Evans, her father has never reached out to her, nor has he tried to rebuild a relationship with her.
The former reality star opened up about her non-existent relationship with her father on TikTok where she revealed, "Honestly, I think the weirdest part is growing up without a dad. Growing up and seeing my friends around their dads and how their dads treated them, and how David's dad treats him now, it makes me jealous in a way, but it also makes me sad."
She added, "It makes me upset that, you know, he didn't want to be involved, and he still doesn't want to be involved. And he has grandchildren that he doesn't know about, but I don't know. He never reached out to me, and I'm kinda nervous to reach out to him."
Fans Are Disappointed By Her Lack Of Growth But Say It's Not Her Fault
Fans have followed Jenelle's journey since she first appeared on MTV's Teen Mom 2. In the past, Jenelle seemingly made decisions that impacted her life negatively, over and over again. Her apparent lack of growth may be disappointing to fans, but some surmise that it's not Evans' fault.
Some fans are sympathetic to the aspects of her upbringing that were chronicled on Teen Mom, and assume, growing up in the environment she did, molded who she is today.
One Redditor opined, "Is anyone really surprised at the way Jenelle turned out? Of course, she is an awful person now, but I can’t imagine what that childhood was like."
They also pointed out the star's strained relationship with her mother Barb, "Barb screaming at her & her siblings non-stop, she never seemed to offer any sort of love (even to Jace). I mean, she even said on the show she couldn’t love anything about Jenelle, imagine your own mother saying that?"
Another commentator brought up the impact of her father's abandonment, "I feel like this sub doesn’t talk enough about Jenelle’s dad, who abandoned the family and was abusive to Barb. Barb, like many moms of children with absent fathers, is blamed and attacked by Jenelle because she can’t blame and attack her father. Her father undoubtedly had a negative impact on her."
Fans are just hoping it's not too late for Jenelle to turn things around and be the parent she always needed as a child.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuoZmkYrWivM%2BepZ6cXam8brbEp5ylpJVis7O7zGarnp2eYrqwuY4%3D