MTV Bookout threatened to let her husband, Taylor McKinney, "whip" their son, Maverick.
Some “Teen Mom” fans on Reddit said they were “disturbed” when they saw a resurfaced clip of Maci Bookout and her husband, Taylor McKinney, dealing with their youngest son, Maverick, having a behavior.
Maverick and his sister, Jayde Carter, were in high chairs and eating. The video shows Maverick crying in his seat.
“Maverick turn around and sit down,” Bookout says in the video. “You know your daddy will whip your butt.”
Then McKinney gets involved. “Hey. Turn around and sit down. You’re alright. You’re selling it a little bit,” he told his son.
“My God, I’m so glad the dad’s here now,” Bookout said. “I used to have to whip Bentley’s a** and hug him at the same time.”
McKinney then turned toward the camera and raised his eyebrow when Jayde repeated, “Whip Bentley’s a**.”
“Is that what she said?” Bookout asked producers. “Don’t say that. Jayde, seriously, no.”
Bookout is the mother to three children. She shares her 13-year-old son, Bentley, with her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Edwards.
Then Bookout has her two children with McKinney: 7-year-old Jayde Carter and 6-year-old Maverick.
Fans Blasted Bookout’s Discipline
Scores of viewers on Reddit accused Bookout of being too harsh with her children.
“Is the physical discipline necessary for a baby or am I just extra? I know to each their own but this kind of disturbed me. Rant over,” an original poster wrote.
“Maci is so proud of hitting her kids too, it’s so f****** weird,” one person said.
Some people argued that physical discipline was damaging to children.
“Hitting is never necessary for any age. Spanking is proven to cause psychological damage. It’s illegal in over 30 countries. Parents that do it are abusive & lazy,” they penned.
One of the most popular comments, with more than 100 upvotes, came from someone who suspected things behind closed doors at the Bookout and McKinney residence were different than what viewers see on TV.
“i honestly think Maci’s home life is messy AF and she’s just kept it decently hidden. it’s clear she drinks a lot with her husband. and they fight,” they wrote. “she was “whopping bentleys ass” and idk, this clip just bothered me. never seen it before.”
Bookout Defended Herself for ‘Spanking’ Bentley
Bookout, 30, has previously addressed the way she disciplined Bentley via Twitter when she had her own “Being Maci” special in 2013.
At the time, she admitted to hitting Bentley and said she was raised the same way.
“I’m gonna catch a bunchaaa s*** for spanking bentley . . . #parenting,” she wrote at the time, per Us Weekly.
“I got spanked as a kid for being a brat when I knew better,” she continued, according to Us Weekly, “so questioning this is questioning my parents and I take offense to that.”
Bookout added, as noted by Us Weekly: “If Being Maci showed y’all anything it’s that no matter whats happened I’m still just BEING MACI. Nothing will ever change that #beingmaci.”
Bookout is currently filming “Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.” The new season doesn’t have a premiere date.