Ryan Edward’s dad, Larry, claimed that Maci Bookout has ‘limited some’ of Bentley’s time with her son’s dad. This paves the way to a brawl of words in a preview for the ‘Teen Mom OG’ reunion.
For weeks, fans have been teased with news of a big showdown between Maci Bookout and the parents of her ex Ryan Edwards, Jen and Larry, at the Teen Mom OG reunion. Now they can finally watch this tense conversation play out in a preview for the reunion that dropped on April 19. In it, the family exchanges tense words over the fact that Maci and Ryan’s 12-year-old son, Bentley, hasn’t been spending a lot of time with his father’s side of his family after Ryan’s temporary restraining order against Maci ended.
Before they explode on each other, the conversation starts civil. “We would obviously love to spend more time with him but we understand that he’s got school, sports, friends, all of that. So it’s okay,” Jen says in the preview clip above. On that note, host Dr. Drew observes, “You seem to be blaming Maci for limiting the visits with Bentley.”
Larry takes the discussion up a notch. “[Maci’s] limited some, sure. I don’t know if I’m blaming her for it, but I think she’s, you know…some of things that are going on,” the grandfather says ambiguously, reiterating fears he voiced earlier in the season. At this point, Maci’s husband Taylor McKinney sticks up for his wife.
Maci Bookout with her eldest son Bentley (on the far right) and her husband, Taylor McKinney, and their two children Jayde and Maverick. [Instagram]
“Since I’ve been around, I know this woman [Maci] has bent over backwards to make sure Bentley kept a relationship with them through everything that Ryan has put us through,” Taylor says during the reunion. This seems to be referring to the fact that Maci wanted Ryan and their son to attend therapy together. Maci has also made it a point to clarify on the show that she has not been keeping Bentley away from his father’s side of the family.
However, Larry had “nothing to say” to that. This is Dr. Drew’s cue to ask, “One of the things we saw this season, you say something to the effect of Maci putting things in Bentley’s head and sort of turning him against — I think you were talking about Ryan at the time?”
“I didn’t say against,” Larry clarified. “What I said is that a 12-year-old boy can be manipulated…That is what I said, that is what I thought.” He then asks, visibly annoyed, “Is there any more you want to know about it?” Maci then insists she did not know her ex’s family felt this way. “Watching the show and hearing and seeing how they were feeling and it was kind of shocking to me. I did not realize the feelings and believing of me manipulating Bentley, or us manipulating Bentley. I did not know that existed. I didn’t know what’s how you all felt,” Maci says, which prompts her son’s grandmother to get emotional.
Larry and Jen pictured with their son, Ryan Edwards, and his wife Mackenzie. They were all reportedly fired from Teen Mom OG in March of 2021. [Instagram]
“You know we’re caught in the middle. You know how much we love Bentley. You know how much we want to support Ryan’s recovery and it’s so hard,” Jen said as she teared up. “I mean, if you put yourself in our place and if Bentley had a problem down the road, I know for a fact that you would do everything in your power to support him.”
Maci is sympathetic in response, agreeing that Jen and Larry “wouldn’t want to give up” on their son as he has battled drug addiction issues and arrests. But Larry is in a fighting mood.
“Don’t you buck up to me,” Taylor snaps, and explains what he and Maci have seen as an “unsafe situation” to Bentley in the past: “When you’re forcing him, when y’all are showing up to something and you’re telling him, ‘Go over there and give your dad a hug,’ ‘Go take a picture with your dad,’ Bentley is a child. Stop forcing a relationship on the child.” The conversation stops there in the preview, but part one of the reunion airs on April 20.
After the reunion taping, MTV reportedly “let go” Jen, Larry, their son Ryan and his wife Mackenzie; the family was “just being set aside right now,” production sources told The Ashley on March 24. “Maci went to production and explained she wanted her story to cover all the parts of her life and no longer focus on Ryan and his family,” the report added. Larry confirmed the report that very same day, telling The Sun, “We, the family have been let go from the show by the network. It’s unbelievable.” Larry also claimed that during the reunion, Maci got “so mad” at her ex’s parents for “claiming they hadn’t seen Bentley in a month,” the newspaper reported.