Teen Mom's Amber Portwood Has Made Some Controversial Decisions

Teen Mom OG star and 16 and Pregnant alum Amber Portwood has had her fair share of legal troubles throughout the years, especially where it concerns her personal life. The Indiana native hasn't always seen eye to eye with her ex, Gary Shirley, who is the father of her daughter, Leah. She also had a rough go of it with her former partner, Matt Baier. And although many fans thought she finally found true love with cameraman Andrew Glennon, their so-called fairy tale imploded in July 2019 after an explosive fight allegedly involving a machete. Welcome to the wild west of reality TV, folks.

What's especially sad about all of Portwood's drama is how it has affected her two kids, both Leah and James, the son she welcomed with Glennon in May 2018. This might explain why some fans aren't quick to forgive the MTV star for her most controversial decisions. Let's take a look at those controversies.

One Amber Portwood's darkest decisions was when she physically assaulted her former boyfriend, Gary Shirley, in the presence of their then-one-year-old daughter. The incident, which aired on an episode of Teen Mom, showed Portwood punching and slapping Shirley during an argument. Police ultimately filed domestic violence charges against the mom a few months later in November 2010, stating to WRTV (via ABC News), "Portwood shoved Shirley against a wall, slapped him on the face and choked him. The incident was witnessed by the couple's one-year-old child, who sat in a child seat on a nearby bed." The detective on the case also alleged there were other fights in June and July 2010 in which "Shirley was slapped, punched and kicked."

Portwood released an apology video in October before the charges were filed, stating in part (via Starcasm), "If I'm going to take anything from this experience of what's going on right now because of the fight, I'm just gonna say I hope out of anything it helps everybody who was going through the same thing as me, or near the same thing, and take my example from the show to know that it's not okay to put your hands on people." She also talked about going to couples' counseling and seeking help from a psychiatrist. 

Thankfully, Portwood and Shirley have since formed a peaceful co-parenting relationship for the sake of their daughter.

After Amber Portwood was slapped with domestic violence charges, she was arrested in December 2010 on two felony counts of domestic battery, one felony count of neglect of a dependent, and one misdemeanor count of domestic battery. Portwood went to jail for one night and was let out on $5,000 bail, and six months later, she pled guilty to two counts of felony domestic battery. The judge in the case gave her two years of probation, during which time she was supposed to deposit $10,000 into a college fund for Leah, complete drug tests, take anger-management classes, and finish her GED. 

A year later, in December 2011, Portwood was arrested for allegedly violating her probation and was charged with battery and possession of a controlled substance, pleading guilty to both. Fast-forward to February 2012, when the mom was told the charges would be dropped if she completed rehab. After violating some conditions of the deal, Portwood chose five years in jail over completing drug rehabilitation. Many fans were perplexed by the decision, with one fan tweeting that it was a "damn shame," while another Twitter user labeled her a "dumb a**." 

Portwood defended her choice to Dr. Drew Pinsky in October 2012, arguing in reference to her drug addiction (via Starcasm), "I don't know how I knew, but I knew I was going to die." Translation: the reality star made the best decision for her personal health.

Although this might not be the most controversial aspect of Amber Portwood's life, the reality star caught a lot of heat for threatening to "quit" Teen Mom OG in November 2018. "I can't do this anymore," Portwood ominously wrote to her Twitter followers at the time, adding, "I have to quit this show." And in a response to one concerned fan, the MTV celeb said the show put her through a lot of "heartache" all the while "smearing" her name. 

Social media remained skeptical of the drama. "Amber will quit teen mom when it gets canceled," one sarcastic commenter tweeted, while another exhausted fan said, "How many times has Amber quit???" 

As many fans predicted, Portwood didn't quit Teen Mom OG, and participated in the show's eighth season in 2019. Of course, Portwood's different tune isn't the only thing that's has changed, including these Teen Mom stars who've transformed their looks throughout the years.