MTV Viewers did not think it was a good idea for Portwood to see her ex again.
“Teen Mom” fans were concerned after Amber Portwood said she wanted to work on her co-parenting relationship with ex-boyfriend Andrew Glennon. Glennon was awarded full guardianship of their son, 4-year-old James, and moved to California. Now, Portwood has to fly to California to see James, and then James and Glennon will fly to Indiana to reconnect with Portwood.
On the November 22 episode of “The Next Chapter,” Portwood said she was “excited” to see her son and was inviting Glennon over to her Airbnb so he could cook and they could all “chill” in the pool. Co-star Catelynn Baltierra thought it was important that Portwood establish a strong relationship with Glennon, but Gary Shirley — the father of Portwood’s 14-year-old daughter Leah — was afraid Glennon had ulterior motives.
“Be careful,” Shirley warned Portwood. “I just don’t want you to get burned.”
“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.”
Viewers Don’t Think Amber Portwood & Andrew Glennon Should Get Back Together
Fans on Reddit agreed with Shirley. An original poster said they wondered what was “wrong” with Portwood that she wanted to “co-parent a little” with Glennon. “It seemed slyly romantic also, just the way she was speaking about it,” they wrote.
“If either of them had any brain cells, this wouldn’t ever be an option. At the very least, a neutral adult should be supervising all interactions between them,” one person agreed.
“I think she is open to spending time w Andrew so that she doesn’t have to take care of James the whole time,” read a popular comment.
Shirley Was Afraid How Leah’s Relationship With Portwood Might Change
With Portwood going to California to see James and Glennon, Shirley was worried about how Leah’s bond with her mother would be affected. Portwood and Leah have had a strained relationship over the years, but they were able to reconnect amid Portwood’s custody battle for James. Shirley said they both lost something when Glennon was awarded full custody and Leah supported Portwood.
But with Portwood possibly getting back with Glennon, he feared their relationship could unravel again.
“If they were to get back together… everything you built with Leah won’t be the same,” Shirley told his wife, Kristina Anderson, while speaking about Portwood. “It will cause a very big thorn in their relationship.”
“I don’t know how Leah would react to it,” Shirley added.
“What’s changed in like a short period of time?” Anderson wanted to know.
The last time viewers heard about Glennon, Portwood, Shirley, Leah and Anderson went to the Geist, Indiana home owned by Portwood. Glennon stayed there with James while their custody agreement was being decided. Shirley and Portwood said the home smelled like pee and MTV cameras showed stains on the walls and furniture that was thrown around.
Shirley understood why Portwood wants to be amicable with Glennon. He and Portwood used to have their own tumultuous relationship.
“It’s much easier to co-parent and get along,” he said. “But when you have one party that’s done everything they’ve done… keep him away from you at all… as much as possible… that way he can’t record you.”
Glennon and James do not appear on “Teen Mom.” Glennon recorded Portwood during a 2019 incident, where she pleaded guilty to domestic battery and intimidation.
MTV briefly showed some of the footage.