Catelynn Lowell and Maci Bookout are worried about Amber Portwood after learning their Teen Mom: The Next Chapter castmate's 15-year-old daughter Leah has asked to be adopted by stepmom Kristina Shirley. In a PopCulture.com exclusive sneak peek of Thursday's all-new episode of the MTV show, Catelynn and Maci sit down with Leah's dad, Gary Shirley, to determine how they'll handle the delicate situation on their trip to visit Amber for her birthday.
"So I have something serious that I have to talk to you about," Catelynn tells Gary, explaining that she heard from her husband, Tyler Baltierra, about Leah's request. "I just wanna know from a friend's perspective where your mindset is at with this and what's kind of going on," she continues. "Like, I don't want Amber to sit back and watch everybody talking about this whole scenario and her not knowing anything about it."
Catelynn Lowell sits down with Gary Shirley during a trip to visit Amber Portwood on 'Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.'
- MTV)It's then that Catelynn and Maci ask directly if Gary intends to tell Amber about Leah's adoption idea before their show airs. Gary answers that Amber appears to already have "found out something," because she called him to say she's "been hearing stuff," although she didn't specify what it was she heard.
"OK, so she does know?" Catelynn wonders, as Gary responds, "Yeah, so I'll just leave it at that." But Maci and Catelynn aren't so convinced when Gary leaves. "So does Amber really know or not?" Catelynn asks. "I still don't have a clear answer to that."
Maci reasons, "What I took away from it [is] they have not had a conversation about it, but I think he thinks
she knows." The two agree that if Amber doesn't know, they would be doing "more harm" than good by telling her about the situation now. "I mean, ideally tonight at dinner, Amber would just bring it up if she knows," Maci says hopefully.
Catelynn agrees, "Because who knows if that's what Leah's still wanting to happen or not?" The 16 and Pregnant alum added that she didn't know Leah hadn't seen her mom for seven months, remarking that it's "a long time" to be estranged.
"I remember being a young kid and I felt like my mom, whenever she got boyfriends they automatically became more important," she continues. "And I think unfortunately because of Amber's mental health stuff, she can be unpredictable, and as kids, that is scary and it doesn't make you feel very safe." Catelynn adds, "If Leah's asking for this, she's obviously going through stuff too. So, I don't know. I guess we'll just see how it plays out."
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.