Teen Mom: Who Is Gary Shirley's Wife, Kristina?

As fans know, "Teen Mom OG" star Amber Portwood is always at odds with her ex Gary Shirley's wife, Kristina.

Viewers first met Amber and Gary over a decade ago on "16 and Pregnant," and later, on the franchise's spin-off series, "Teen Mom." Amber and Gary's rocky relationship was marred by domestic violence, for which Amber served time in prison in addition to felony drug charges, according to Us Weekly. 

Despite their turbulent past, Gary and Amber continue to have a speaking relationship for their 13-year-old daughter, Leah. However, Amber's absence in her daughter's life has led to strain in their mother-daughter relationship, as Leah herself has voiced and "Teen Mom OG" fans have seen play out on the show. Now, viewers continue to see the reality star battle with her ex and his wife about Leah. Kristina is officially in the "Teen Mom OG" mix of drama.

Gary and Kristina Shirley have been married since 2015, per Us Weekly. According to In Touch, Kristina was married prior to finding love with Gary, and was served divorce papers by her former husband, Gregory Anderson, in 2014. While Gary and Kristina are a fan-favorite couple on "Teen Mom OG," some are suspicious of the timeline of their romance — after a source told Starcasm that Gary began dating Kristina while she was still "happily married." In addition to being a parent to her stepdaughter Leah, Kristina also has one daughter, Karly, from her previous marriage, and shares daughter Emilee with Gary.

Kristina and Gary appear to be doing well for their blended family. Kristina often takes to social media to show off the happy life her girls are living, and she is also incredibly supportive of her man. "Words cannot describe how proud I am to be his wife," she wrote in an Instagram caption announcing Gary's big career move of becoming a police officer. In a selfie of her and Leah, Kristina wrote, "You may not have my eyes or my smile, but from that very first moment you had my heart."

Leah revealed how her stepmom stepped up on an episode of "Teen Mom OG." "Twelve years and she [Amber] hasn't really done anything," Leah claimed (via HollywoodLife). "That's kind of been like Kristina's spot... All she did was give birth to me." However, Amber has been vocal about her point of view, too.

Along with her public fights with Gary Shirley, Amber Portwood has lashed out at Kristina Shirley on social media in recent years. Amber slammed Kristina's parenting of Leah in an Instagram Live in 2020. The reality star accused Kristina of "spoiling" her daughter and not being a good parent. "Kristina doesn't do anything for Leah. She doesn't take care of my daughter," Amber claimed (via Heavy).

In the same IG tirade (via HollywoodLife), Amber referred to Kristina a "homewrecker," as the "Teen Mom OG" star said she was told "I would have a family waiting for me" when she got out of prison in 2012. In response to Amber's accusations, Gary explained on the Season 9B premiere (via Heavy), "Six months before she got out of prison I said I met someone and she knew." In fact, Gary speculated that Amber's attack on Kristina was made out of jealousy over Leah.

As the three work now work on burying the hatchet, Kristina has admitted she has concerns about Gary and Amber spending time together, as they go to therapy to learn how to co-parent. "Once again I'm put on the back burner," Kristina said (via The Ashley). Despite Kristina's reservations, the husband and wife ultimately agreed seeking resolution in the family was in Leah's best interests — and Amber's social media attack on Kristina was specifically brought up in the session.