MTV "Teen Mom OG" alum Gary Shirley shared his first social media post since his ex-girlfriend, Amber Portwood, lost custody of her youngest child, 4-year-old James/
“Teen Mom OG” alum Gary Shirley shared his first social media post since his ex-girlfriend, Amber Portwood, lost custody of her youngest child, 4-year-old James, whom she shares with her ex-fiance, Andrew Glennon.
Portwood and Shirley have their own child together, 13-year-old Leah.
Shirley didn’t respond to the court’s ruling, where a judge awarded Glennon sole legal custody of James. That means Glennon is allowed to move to California with James, away from Portwood’s native Indiana where Leah and Shirley reside.
Shirley defended Portwood in the custody hearing, telling a judge Portwood had become a better mother. “I do notice more positive things. Actually, I am very proud of her. It’s a great responsibility that she has,” he said in court, according to The Sun.
The MTV star didn’t speak out this time.
Instead, Shirley posted about his Pendleton, Indiana, farmstand, where he is selling produce for $2 a pop. Shirley grew the onions, zucchini, yellow squash and eggplant himself, but he outsourced the tomatoes.
“We up & running baby. (TOMATOES NOT GROWN BY ME). But these are the most expensive I’ve ever purchased,” he wrote via Instagram on August 4. “I might not make money on them, do to the price paid.”
“But I will enjoying letting people get some quality tomatoes,” Shirley continued. “Worse case I’ll can these suckers haha. I don’t care. But if you’ve been waiting to come thru. Next couple days is the time for these perfect maters. @kristina_shirley3.”
The following day, Shirley shared a photo of some peppers he harvested.
“Picked fresh and now my eyes are on fire. (Peppers) 😖 however, going to the stand with some fresh stuff,” he wrote. “Love my big jalapeño peppers and the banana peppers, well I love it all tbh. What would you make with these? For me, I see some cream cheese stuffed bacon wrapped jalapeño #lets go!!!”
Portwood Was ‘Devastated’ Over the Court’s Ruling
Portwood was disappointed with the judge’s decision, saying she was “heartbroken” and “devastated” in an official statement.
“I’ve worked so hard to better myself and improve my relationships with my children,” Portwood wrote on July 28. “While I’ve always been candid about my substance abuse and issues with mental health, a person should have a chance to redeem themselves and not be tethered to their issues from the past.”
“People who’ve done therapy, and taken classes, and made efforts to change should not continue to be punished for past mistakes,” she continued. “I’ve spent years rebuilding my bridges and did everything that was required of me, including completing 21 negative drug tests and multiple psychological evaluations.”
Glennon and Portwood have been fighting for custody of James for three years. They split in 2019 after police said Portwood wielded a machete while Glennon was holding James, who was 1 at the time. Portwood continues to deny the allegations, though she pleaded guilty to two felony charges of domestic battery and intimidation.
She was discharged from probation in April 2022, The Sun wrote.
Why the Judge Ruled Against Portwood
According to The Sun, which cited court documents, the judge awarded sole custody to Glennon after Portwood canceled visitations with James and because of what she disclosed in her memoir, “So, You’re Crazy Too?”
“Her fear that she will never have overnight parenting time with her son, that she finds herself canceling on her son more often than she would like, and the idea of getting off probation soon concerns her because she will be unwatched and unchecked,” the judge added in their ruling, according to The Sun.
Portwood said she has five mental illnesses, with a primary diagnosis of bipolar and borderline personality disorder.
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Gary Shirley’s IG Post After Amber Portwood Loses Custody