MTV "Teen Mom" star Amber Portwood revealed that she was in a good place after losing primary custody of her son, James.
“Teen Mom” star Amber Portwood is doing well after losing custody of her 4-year-old son, James, to her ex-boyfriend, Andrew Glennon. In order to see her son, Portwood must travel from Indiana to California and rent an Airbnb. Despite all the “hoops” she has to jump through to see her son, Portwood said things are good.
“I’m actually doing very well,” Portwood told The Sun, who caught up with her at Los Angeles Airport. “I’m doing everything. I’m jumping through those hoops. And I’m almost finished jumping through those hoops. Thank god.”
Portwood was asked when she could get James back, but the “Teen Mom” star said she never lost him.
“I mean, I have him,” Portwood told The Sun. “It’s just going to be so different compared to what I’ve been used to.”
Portwood is also the mother to 14-year-old Leah, whom she shares with her ex-boyfriend, Gary Shirley.
They have been able to create a successful co-parenting relationship, and that’s what Portwood wants to forge with Glennon.
During an episode of “Teen Mom: The Next Chapter,” Shirley worried about Portwood reconnecting with Glennon.
“Don’t force something like we have on someone like [Glennon] because I don’t think he’ll ever be that way,” Shirley warned. “You know what guys think, what they’re after. I just see him trying to get back in there and I don’t think it’s healthy for you.”
Portwood Doesn’t Feel Like She ‘Lost’ James to Glennon
In July, a judge determined that Glennon could move from Indiana to California so he could be closer to his family. Glennon remained in Indiana for three years while the court decided if he and Portwood would split custody or he would get full guardianship.
Portwood said she and her son, whom she refers to as “bubby,” are in “two different locations” but she still has him.
“It’s just hard,” she admitted to The Sun. “But people do this every day. And everybody out there needs to understand that I am not the only one.”
Portwood said the bond with her son hasn’t changed and she will continue to fly to California if that means getting to see James.
“Honestly, this is what it feels like, two different states. Nothing feels any different,” she told The Sun. “I’m going back and forth and if that’s what I need to do, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
Portwood Was ‘Devastated’ Over the Court’s Decision at First
Portwood’s comments at the airport were different than the statement she released when a judge first decided that James and Glennon could move to California.
At the time, she said she was “devastated and heartbroken” by the decision. She felt like she had done everything in her power to prove herself, but was discriminated against for her mental illnesses.
“I’ve worked so hard to better myself and improve my relationships with my children,” Portwood wrote. “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.”
Portwood was diagnosed with five conditions. She has a primary diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and bipolar. She also suffers from anxiety, depression, and PTSD.