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“Teen Mom OG” star Maci Bookout faced backlash from viewers for having segments on MTV that focused on the aftermath of a gas station shooting. MTV revealed at the start of the new season Bookout was “suffering from post-traumatic stress” after she witnessed a fatal shootout in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Bookout, 29, was on her way to pick up her 12-year-old son, Bentley, when she stopped to fill up her gas tank in October 2020. Gunfire erupted, and Bookout hid in a bathroom until the shooting was over, she explained on a March 2021 episode of “Teen Mom OG.”
Bookout allowed MTV to document the aftershock of the event. Cameras showed the “Teen Mom OG” star struggled to get her own gas, with husband Taylor McKinney filling up for her until recently.
After watching the October 12, 2021, episode, fans weren’t convinced that Bookout was being authentic about her gas station PTSD. Some people accused her of being fake and said the storyline was “scripted.”
“I’m sure it’s partly scripted,” one viewer wrote on Reddit. “But you can tell MTV is trying to hit on relevant things (racism in TM2 with ash and bar, masking up even though they are tested and vaxxed) I’m sure this will turn into a gun violence thing when she’s on the other side of it.”
“Maci having to be rerouted due to traffic and forced to go by the gas station she’s been avoiding for months while happens to be filming is quite convenient for her storyline, eh?” another added. “Do you…do you guys think this show could be… fake?”
Bookout Feared for Her Life
While some viewers are convinced Bookout is being sincere about her experience, the mother-of-three held back tears when talking to MTV about the incident for the first time.
“I didn’t think I was gonna survive,” Bookout said during a confessional on “Teen Mom OG.” “I literally thought I was going to die.”
“I’m alive,” she added. “So, I’m thankful for that.”
McKinney Has Been Supporting Bookout Since the Shooting
Since Bookout has been afraid to drive past the gas station where the shooting took place, husband Taylor McKinney stepped up by taking Bentley to his baseball games and practices.
In addition to Bentley, the couple has two more children together: 6-year-old Jayde Carter and 4-year-old Maverick.
“Our family schedule is complicated since the kids are on three different teams and go to three different schools,” Bookout said on the October 12, 2021, episode. “On top of that, my anxiety from the gas station shooting is not getting better.”
Bookout revealed she wasn’t spending any time with her oldest son because she was anxious to drive past the location of the shooting.
“Taylor typically takes Bentley and I take Jade. To be honest, we used to like, switch,” Bookout explained to a friend. “Like, he would take Jade sometimes, I would take Bentley sometimes, and then whoever we took that morning, we would pick up. But then the shooting happens.”
“So, I don’t take Bentley to school at all because that’s like, the only way to go is to pass that gas station,” she continued. “Like, the red light stops you directly in front of it, literally directly in front of it. And you just sit there.”
In a previous episode, Bookout joked McKinney was being a “Benny thief.” To make up for their lost time, Bentley surprised his mom by taking her to an Escape Room for some mother-son bonding.
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