Heavy/MTV/Youtube Former MTV star Mackenzie Edwards has temporary custody of her children.
Former “Teen Mom” star Mackenzie Standfier shared a cryptic post via Instagram Stories on March 15, the day after her husband, Ryan Edwards, appeared in court. The judge granted Standifer temporary custody of their children — 4-year-old Jagger and 3-year-old Stella — and ordered that Edwards is not allowed to come near Standifer or remove their kids from her custody, per The Sun, which cited the divorce filing.
Standfier, 26, who did not directly address the court’s ruling or her divorce filing on social media, instead posted an inspirational religious quote.
“There is not one day in your life that God does not already know about,” the Story said. “There are no shocks or surprises. He is not worried about your today or tomorrow and He has already forgiven your past. He walks with you and gives your the grace for all the days to come – whatever they hold.”
Standifer’s lawyer emailed Edwards’ attorney to say they would “set up a hearing for parenting for the next little bit,” and that they “jumped the gun” because they were afraid he would pick up the kids from school, according to The Sun.
On March 16, Standifer posted a TikTok of Nicholas Cage and Pedro Pascal from a scene in 2022’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.
The clip starts out with Cage looking confused, with the caption, “My friends hearing about a new crisis I have going on every week of my life.”
The video then cuts to Pascal, who is smiling. The second caption says, “Me: Don’t worry about it. Something will be wrong next week.”
Standifer Claimed Edwards Was ‘Violent’ In Front of Their Children: Report
According to divorce documents obtained by The Sun on March 16 — which were originally filed on February 27 — Standifer was worried about their children’s safety, stating that Edwards “became violent with her in front of the parties’ minor children.” Edwards was temporarily banned from seeing the kids while they work out an agreement, The Sun wrote, citing the divorce filing.
“In light of Defendant’s criminal and threatening behavior, criminal history and substance abuse, Plaintiff is afraid for the safety and well-being of the children in his presence,” the divorce filing says, per The Sun. “For these reasons, the Defendant’s parenting time should be suspended until further Order of the Court.”
Standifer filed for a protection order against Edwards on February 8 and accused him of domestic violence, The Sun reported, citing court records.
“Ryan punched holes in the walls and doors. [He] held me up by my neck to the wall. Threw me down in hallway and said if he could not have me no one could,” she claimed in the filing, per The Sun. “Opened pocket knife, put to my back like he was going to kill me. This was in front of children. I tried to leave, he smashed my phone, took my car keys.”
Edwards — a metal fabricator from Tennessee — was ordered to go to rehab in Austin, Texas, for at least 45 days after pleading guilty to harassment, according to court documents reviewed by Heavy. The judge dismissed three charges against Edwards — possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, and stalking — as part of a plea deal, and he was placed on probation, according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Edwards, 35, avoided jail time with a suspended 11-month 29-day sentence, but was ordered to wear a GPS monitor and refrain from all contact with his estranged wife, except to communicate about their two children, court documents said. Edwards was also ordered to not post about Standifer on social media, according to legal documents.
Edwards and Stanfider have been married since 2017.
Edwards first appeared on MTV during season 1 of “16 and Pregnant,” where he welcomed his first child — 14-year-old Bentley — with ex-girlfriend, Maci Bookout.
Standifer and Edwards went on to star in “Teen Mom OG” but the couple was fired from the show in 2021. Edwards returned to film one episode of “Teen Mom: Family Reunion” in 2023, before his arrests on February 10 and March 1.
Edwards is scheduled to appear in front of the judge again on April 20 for a status update, according to court records.
Edwards’ Judge Told Him To Not ‘Mess This Up’
Judge Gary Starnes, who presided over Edwards’ case, told the former “Teen Mom” star to be careful.
“Don’t mess this up,” Starnes told him, according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press. “I will not hesitate to revoke your probation.”
Starnes warned Edwards not to “contact” Standifer. “No social media relating to this victim… You’re all over the news. Everything you say or do on there is going to be published, OK?” he said, according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press.
The judge also suggested Edwards spend more time in rehab than mandated by the court. “Forty-five days is not going to do anything but detox you… You need to stay down there between six months to a year,” he said, per The Chattanooga Times Free Press. “You’ve been struggling with this a long time.”
Edwards Was Working on Rebuilding His Relationship With Bentley
Before his arrests, Edwards told Bookout that he wanted to improve his strained relationship with his son, Bentley. He also told life coach Dr. Cheyenne Bryant — who hosted the retreat on season 2 of “Teen Mom: Family Reunion” — that he wanted to be more present in Bentley’s life.
“I mean there was a lot of times I wasn’t there just to see him play ball, just putting myself first,” he said of his relationship with his son.
Bryant was curious about what Edwards’ “vision of a healthy co-parenting relationship with Maci” looked like, and if he “would give Bentley the best experience of both his two parents.”
Edwards said he wanted Bookout “to be okay with just being able to see him”. He added about Bentley, “Hell, I haven’t got to spend any time with him just me in a long time.”
“Hell, I just miss him,” Edwards added.
A new season of “Teen Mom: The Next Chapter” is currently filming.