MTV Mackenzie spoke about she and Ryan Edwards returning to MTV.
Mackenzie Edwards said fans shouldn’t expect to see her or husband Ryan Edwards on TV anytime soon during a May 4 interview with Debra Danielsen on the first installment of her RHEB3L – EMPOWER podcast.
During the hour-long interview, the “Teen Mom” star discussed her experience with MTV, her family, and what she and her husband are up to these days.
“I don’t think TV is a place for me or for Ryan anymore,” Mackenzie explained. “I think that ship has sailed. I’m not quite sure that I really have anything that interesting going on besides just being a mom. And I’m good with that.”
Mackenzie added, “But I think that because of the show and because of TV, I do now have a platform on social media that I can promote positivity and encouragement and empowerment to other people.”
Later on in the discussion, Mackenzie described leaving MTV as somewhat of a “relief.”
“The show being gone, it’s honestly been a weight lifted off of everybody’s shoulders,” she said. “Everybody just feels like ‘Ahh, I can take a deep breath. … Not having that extra level of public opinion is amazing for everyone. … I know, and the people that I meet know, that I’m not this horrible, nasty human being. It’s a lot better now than it was.”
But would she ever return? And what does she have to say about being forced to leave “Teen Mom OG,” to begin with?
Here’s what you need to know:
Mackenzie Edwards Talks Being Fired From MTV
In March 2021, Ryan and Mackenzie spoke to Us Weekly for the first time since leaving MTV’s “Teen Mom OG.”
In the interview, Mackenzie said that Maci Bookout was behind MTV’s decision to let her and Ryan go.
Speaking on the “Without a Crystal Ball” podcast, Mackenzie said, “Nothing happened, literally, nothing. We just got a call yesterday from [producers] Morgan [J. Freeman] and Larry [Musnik] at MTV. Maci’s agent went above their heads and went to Viacom and said that they wanted to focus on all of Maci’s abilities and whatever she does and that we took up the time on the show that she could be using to show all that.”
She added that it was Ryan’s parents — Jen and Larry — who were first let go from the show, followed by Mackenzie and Ryan.
“They said that when [Maci] didn’t fulfill her obligations or, like, basically didn’t have enough content that they call us back. … Ryan was just like, ‘Don’t. We’re gonna move on. We’re gonna live our lives. We’re gonna do our jobs and, you know, have a normal life. Like, don’t waste your time or your breath coming back.’”
She concluded. “It’s almost, like, a weight lifted off of my shoulders,” she shared. “I deserve to feel good about myself, I deserve to not be riddled with anxiety all the time.”
Why Didn’t They Leave Earlier?
When Danielsen asked Mackenzie why her family didn’t leave “Teen Mom OG” earlier, Mackenzie said they considered it.
“We said, ‘We’re going to pray, and we’re going to say the same prayer. And if God wants to take it away from us, he’s just gonna have to shut the door.’ And I promise you — Bible! — the next day we got the phone call [telling us we were off the show],” Mackenzie said. “That’s what was meant to be, so I don’t think you can be hurt or sad or anything like that when you know that is the plan for you.”
Touching on the subject of the difficulties of filming for MTV, Mackenzie explained that the reason her husband didn’t want to go to therapy with Bentley — which was a subject on “Teen Mom OG” — was that he didn’t want cameras rolling during the sessions.
“I really wish people could have seen Ryan’s heart behind it,” Mackenzie said. “It wasn’t that he didn’t want his child to receive counseling. It wasn’t anything like that. It was that we knew that it was already in a contract that was given to us, that this is how this was going to be for this season. This is what they were going to do. [Ryan] just wanted to hold on to that level of privacy. Not saying not get counseling [with Bentley] but not do it on television.”