Amber Portwood has once again gained attention for troubling reasons. On a recent episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, she admitted to faking a pregnancy scare to avoid filming for the MTV series.
This was her first appearance in the new part of Season 2, where most of the focus has been on her ex, Gary Shirley, his wife, Kristina Shirley, and Amber and Gary’s teenage daughter, Leah Shirley.
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter follows former cast members of Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 as they handle different stages of parenthood. Many viewers have speculated about why Amber has been less involved in the show, with some believing that her mental health has played a role.
Gary Shirley addressed this concern by stating, “A person with bipolar disorder, there’s ups and downs.” He felt this was a factor in Amber’s strained relationship with their daughter.
Amber Portwood Lied to Avoid Filming
Gary Shirley opened up about feeling distant from Amber. As the episode continued, the production crew arrived at Amber’s house to film with her. At that moment, she revealed that she had asked for a pregnancy test from a producer and requested to delay filming.
When questioned, she explained, “It was an ex. I’m freaking out right now. I’m scared. Just pray for me that I wasn’t too much of a jackass.”
Later in the episode, it was revealed that the pregnancy test remained unopened, which led Amber to admit she never actually needed one. She confessed that she had made up the pregnancy scare because she was struggling emotionally and wanted to avoid filming.
Amber was honest about her history of lying during difficult times. She admitted, “There’s been many times in my life where I’ve had to lie in order to get out of doing things because I’m not able to get ready, get dressed, move around, do anything.
You just lie to people and say, ‘I’m busy, I have this sickness.’ You want to make up something to where they’re like, ‘We’re not going to do anything,’ [or] ‘You don’t have to film.’”
Amber Struggles After Breakup
Amber also discussed the emotional impact of her recent breakup with Gary Wayt, whom she referred to as “Gary 2.0.” She said, “I’m f**ked up from what he did to me. We’re talking trauma. Being told you’re a murderer and thinking your fiancé is dead. I did not sleep for four days. I did not eat.”
Despite her struggles, she expressed hope for repairing her relationship with her daughter. She acknowledged that her past actions have made things difficult but made it clear that she always cared. She stated, “I’ve never been a mom that didn’t care. Just a f-ed up mom.”
Amber’s confession has sparked conversations among fans about honesty, mental health, and the pressure of reality TV. Whether she can mend her relationships and move forward remains to be seen.
