Stay away!
While many of the cast members of Teen Mom and Teen Mom 2 have had massive ups and downs throughout their years on the show, Maci Bookout has managed to stay true to herself from the very beginning. Her dedication to her children and their happiness and safety hasn’t gone unnoticed by fans, and it has managed to make her a favorite among many. When life throws Maci a curveball, she always manages to take it in stride — but can she handle such a massive hit?
Sometimes it seems that the only thing keeping Maci from living her “happily ever after” is struggling to stay on the same page as her first baby daddy, Ryan Edwards. From the very beginning, it was clear that these two weren’t going to work out, and they continued to fight nonstop ever since they broke up. Maci went on to marry Taylor McKinney, and even though Ryan now has a wife of his own, he’s gained something else, too: an addiction.
Much of last season of Teen Mom OG followed Maci battling with Ryan over his addiction and his presence in their son Bentley’s life. Maci continued to refuse Ryan access to his son until he passed a drug test. Even though Ryan insisted that he was sober from the very beginning, he wasn’t able to produce the clean drug test that Maci wanted. In the meantime, it was clear that Ryan was getting incredibly frustrated with Maci’s decisions.
Only a few weeks after Teen Mom OG finished airing, news broke that Ryan had indeed relapsed back into his heroin addiction. But there’s more to the story than that, and things started to get very ugly, very fast.
It turns out that Ryan’s frustration was more dangerous than just a bad mood, and his violent nature soon came out. As a result of horrific threats and dangerous actions, Maci has just been granted a restraining order against the father of her son. Keep reading for a full video detailing Ryan's shocking actions!
Ups and Downs
When Maci Bookout and Ryan Edwards first appeared on 16 and Pregnant, some fans thought they would be able to make it. Unfortunately, once their son Bentley was born, it became clear that Ryan wasn’t ready to raise a child. Even though Ryan tried to lock it down by proposing, Maci eventually gave him back his engagement ring and they parted ways.
Things got more tense between them when Maci started dating Kyle King, whom she moved across the state to be with. Needless to say, Ryan wasn’t happy about all the changes his son was experiencing, but luckily Maci was about to settle down for good. She started dating Taylor McKinney and they walked down the aisle and had two unexpected children… not necessarily in that order. Since then, Maci’s family life has gotten more stable, and her relationship with Ryan even improved.
In fact, Maci’s relationship with Ryan from a few seasons ago is almost unrecognizable! While Ryan had intense fights with his father in season 5 of Teen Mom OG, Maci and Taylor acted as refuge, giving him support and inviting him over when he needed. Maci even met Ryan’s new girlfriend Mackenzie Standifer and they hit it off immediately. Oh, how times have changed!
Since Ryan’s stint in rehab, things between him and Maci have been worse than ever. The most recent season of Teen Mom OG proved that. In each scene, Ryan and Maci seemed to be complaining about their relationship and where Bentley stood in the middle of it. Because Ryan wouldn’t (or couldn’t) provide Maci with a clean drug test, she refused to let him spend time with Bentley — and needless to say, that didn’t make him very happy. Pair that with Maci and Mackenzie's growing dislike for one another (which began when Mackenzie publicly blamed Maci for Ryan’s addiction) and it wasn’t a very easy to watch season.
Getting Worse
Even though the season was tense, it’s what happened after the season ended that made it clear to fans that Ryan was much worse off than he was claiming. In late March, Ryan was busted with a heroin and fourteen needles while driving. From there, it became clear that Ryan was in a very dark place — and apparently, it was also violent.
In early April, only a few days after Ryan’s arrest, Maci Bookout filed a restraining order against her baby daddy.
According to court documents obtained by Radar Online, Ryan’s behavior before the restraining order was becoming frightening.
“He has left voicemail messages threatening to show up at my house and take my son,” Maci claimed. “He has made threats to show up and hurt me if I don’t answer my phone.”
He even made appearances while he was high! Maci claims that during one of Bentley’s baseball games, Ryan “showed up under the influence of heroin and got in my face, yelling and threatening to hurt me.” She claims that she has proof that Ryan drives while under the influence, making her fearful of leaving Bentley alone with him.
“His behavior and actions are getting worse,” Maci claimed. “I am fearful for my three children and myself, and what he may do, based on his threats.”
Back Off!
Apparently, Ryan has been extremely violent towards Taylor as well. “He called me on Tuesday, March 20th, 2018 and threatened to show up at my house and put a bullet in my head,” Taylor claimed in his own order, according to here. “The police were called and they suggested to seek an order of protection.”
Maci filed for the order in April, and received a court date of May 21. E! Online broke the news that Maci was granted her restraining order. A Hamilton County Circuit Court Public Information Officer told E! that “The judge dismissed the ex parte order of protection and then entered a mutual restraining order."
Ryan’s attorney informed E! that "[They] did agree to a restraining order where Ryan will not go within 100 feet of Maci and her current husband and their two children.” He added, “Ryan has no exclusions with Bentley and is still able to see his son under the new restraining order. This gives Ryan a lot more protection against any false allegations, allows him to avoid getting arrested without a hearing first, and allows him to be around his son most importantly."
He went on, "Ryan agreed to this outcome to make it easier on everyone and not go through a formal process of a trial. Moving forward Ryan hopes everyone can get through this without any issues and that he can see his son."
Oh, Ryan
Fans were shocked by the verdict as well as Maci’s accusations against Ryan. “I feel like Ryan has no idea how good he’s had it regarding coparenting. Maci and Taylor have invited him to all of Bentley’s important events, they’ve tried to include him as if they are one big family. Despite their quibbles, they’ve had a great relationship with Jen & Larry, and Ryan has thrown that all away,” wrote reddit user persuas1ve. “Gone are the days of going to t-ball games—Taylor’s the coach and Maci’s in the stands, so you have to stay away. Don’t like how difficult coordinating trick or treating is? No problem, you aren’t able to be involved. If he wants to enjoy any of the traditional fun childhood events with Bentley—birthdays, Halloween, sporting events etc—he’s going to have to set them up on his own and coordinate a go between for pick up and drop off, and honestly, exerting effort has never been Ryan’s strong suit.”
User sectx11 wrote, “It's sad that it has come to this but you can't just go around threatening people when you don't get your way. Just bc Mac and his parents put up with his temper tantrums doesn't mean the rest of the world has to. Ryan's got a lot of growing up to do and that first starts with him getting and staying clean. Hopefully he gets it together not only for his children but for himself as well. He has to want sobriety for him first and foremost before he can want it for anyone else or he'll never be successful in recovery.”
User clevelandcray wrote, “I hope it's the wake up call he and his family need. He can still see Bentley, Maci & her family are protected and he needs to act appropriately. Sad, but a good step in the right direction perhaps,” and “Oh, I'd LOVE to hear what Mack has to say about that!”
However, Mackenzie is probably a little busy right now. After all, she’s just currently pregnant with Ryan’s child!
All for Attention?
According to The Ashley’s Reality Roundup, Ryan and Mackenzie could not hold their secret in if they tried. It turns out that they were sharing their news backstage while the Teen Mom OG reunion was filming in New York.
“That’s when most of the cast and even some of the crew found out Mackenzie was pregnant,” the source revealed. “Mackenzie and Ryan don’t know the sex of the baby yet, but are finding out on April 20.”
In fact, according to the source, Mackenzie is due around the same time that Chelsea Houska is!
“Ryan is actually really excited about this baby,” the source revealed. “They were trying to keep it quiet in the beginning, though, because they knew that [viewers] would have a lot of negative things to say.”
Well, this insider wasn’t exactly wrong.
“I wish Mack and Mimi the best of luck with co parenting the new baby,” wrote reddit user Chasingsleep. “Ryan will be, and has already checked out.” User thepillses wrote, “I really feel that these people have no sense of permanence or morality. The further the show goes, the more I'm losing faith in humanity. Neither Ryan or Mackenzie have any desire to parent their current children, why on earth would they create another human life? For money? Attention? To prove a point?”
User kzdz00 wrote,
“She is such a shameless fame whore and perfectly willing to bring another innocent child into it to try to extend her 15 mins. So far Rhine has spent their marriage injecting heroin, screwing strangers in cars behind grocery stores and passive aggressively questioning every thing she buys when he is conscious enough to notice. Surely good things to come. Way to go Mac.”
"I Have a Problem"
Mackenzie has had a difficult pregnancy from the very beginning, considering that Ryan has been in and out of court for many different reasons, including the restraining order and being busted with a sizable amount of heroin.
According to a citation from Red Bank City Court in Tennessee and published by Radar Online, 30-year-old Ryan Edwards was pulled over at traffic stop because he had an expired tag. One officer noticed that Ryan had an open backpack in the passenger seat with hypodermic needles inside.
“I asked Edwards if he had any medical conditions and he replied, ‘No,’” the citation published by Radar reads. “I then asked why he had a hypodermic needle in his backpack and he replied, ‘I don’t know.’ I told them that the vehicle will be searched and he should inform me if there are more and Edwards replied, ‘Yes, probably.’”
When the vehicle was searched, police found fourteen hypdoermic needles in Ryan’s possession. One of them was loaded with heroin, and there was also a “bag tied in the center console with a dark substance inside,” reports Radar. When the police officer asked what it was, Ryan replied, “It’s heroin and I have a problem.”
The Proof
Officers also found two silver spoons with residue as well as a scale. Ryan was in possession of 1.8 grams of heroin.
Ryan wasn’t arrested, but he was issued a misdemeanor citation for simple possession of heroin and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Ryan pled guilty and was sentenced to 11 months and 29 days in jail. However, his sentence was suspended for his payment of $750 and good behavior. Ryan was then ordered to take drug screenings for six months.
Ironically, despite the proof that Ryan has fallen back into his addiction, his wife Mackenzie Standifer continues to publicly deny it. Right after this drug bust, she told Radar that everything was “fine.”
“He took a drug test yesterday and passed,” she said a day after the arrest. Fans seem convinced that she’s either in denial, or trying to cover up his addiction.
“And Mack never saw one of these 14 car needles floating around???” wrote reddit user JesusGodLeah219. User _AnnieAdderall wrote, “I know addicts can be really good about hiding what they do... but Ryan doesn't sound like one of them. He has all this stuff in his car and he's lugging around a scale in his backpack and Mackenzie had no idea?...”
Back on Tinder!
This isn’t the only difficulty that Mackenzie will have to deal with during her pregnancy. According to an update by gossip YouTuber The Grace Report and later confirmed by Radar Online, Ryan was busted cheating on Mackenzie soon after she announced her pregnancy!
One of Grace’s sources revealed that they matched with Ryan Edwards himself on Tinder. After Grace confirmed that it was indeed Ryan’s number, the source even called Ryan on the phone to ensure that it was really him. They added, “I’m sure you’ve heard Ryan’s having a baby with [Mackenzie]. But [like] if so, that’s kinda f*cked up if that’s really him texting me.”
But there’s a lot of misinformation floating around the Teen Mom community, so Grace had reason to be apprehensive. She took it into her hands to dial Ryan’s number to check it out for herself! When he picked up, she confirmed that it was distinctly Ryan’s voice, and given his history, this is no surprise.
“Guys, Ryan is in fact back on Tinder while he’s got a pregnant wife,” Grace said, adding, “It’s crazy to think that he could potentially get his pregnant wife and even their baby, maybe, sick with his promiscuous behavior as a married man.”
Just because fans weren’t surprised by the tea about Repeat Offender Ryan doesn’t mean the weren’t disappointed.
“Wow. He has absolutely not one concern in his life but chasing momentary pleasure, huh?” wrote reddit user justoneofmattskids. “Never mind that he’s married, eternally indebted to his undyingly loyal mother, and soon to be a father of two. But who gives a crap about letting down his family? Sex and drugs!”
"Sad!"
Even though Mackenzie is not a very popular Teen Mom cast member, many fans are concerned about how she will react to this news. “ I'm starting to feel a little worried/sad for Mackenzie,” wrote reddit use AdmittableWaw. “This is a lot to handle at once and especially being pregnant. We really don't know all the details or how she truly feels about Ryan. She could be in absolute love with him and this could be shattering her world right now. She could be this manipulative snake everyone claims her to be. or maybe she's just a naive young girl who thought her husband would quit drugs for their family. Either way its sad.”
Check out The Grace Report’s update about Ryan’s cheating above.
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