EXCLUSIVE! An Update On ‘Teen Mom’ Jenelle Evans’ Custody Battle With Nathan Griffith’s Mother Over Son Kaiser

“Everything about The Land scares me, I tells ya!”

It’s been four months since the paternal grandmother of Jenelle Evans‘ son Kaiser attempted to get custody of the boy away from the Teen Mom 2 star and her husband David Eason and now, after months of waiting, The Ashley finally has an update on the situation.

Doris Davidson, the mother of Nathan Griffith, filed for emergency custody of Kaiser on September 1, stating that the boy was being physically abused by Jenelle and her soulmate David, among other allegations. (You can read more about that here.)

Now The Ashley can exclusively reveal that Doris is attempting to work with Jenelle’s attorney to mediate.

“Basically, Doris is backing down,” The Ashley’s source tells her. “Doris is hoping to get Jenelle to agree to make a schedule for Kaiser.”

The source tells The Ashley that Doris and her legal team are attempting to work things out with Jenelle and her team via private mediation so that they don’t have to go to court.

“Doris is trying to keep it out of the media I think,” the source added.

We last saw Kaiser’s grandma during the ‘Teen Mom 2’ Season 8A Reunion special when, after Jenelle and David stormed off the set while filming, Doris and Nathan hit the stage to discuss the custody filing and the general situation on “The Land” for Kaiser.

“I worked for youth services for 10 years, I worked for the state of Ohio for 31 years in different capacities and I’ve seen abuse, I’ve seen children go through it, I know the red flags and I see red flags. They’re popping up everywhere,” Doris told Dr. Drew Pinsky on stage.

The Ashley will update this story when she has more information!

(Photos: MTV, Instagram)

76 Comments

  1. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (checkbox) *]
    Now it all makes sense. You, Ashley are a reality junkie/groupie…huge ah ha. And Nathan Giffiths girlfriend. Guess that does give you insider information


  2. I’m all for Doris trying to get Kaiser, but shouldn’t NATHAN be the one fighting for his son?! I mean, he’s no prize either, but as the father, wouldn’t he have a better case than the grandmother? It’s all so heartbreaking.


    1. Nathan had said on the reunion that he realizes that, due to his criminal history, and because of his TBI, his chances of getting custody of Kaiser are slim to none. He asked his mother to file for custody because she has a stable home and can actually provide for Kaiser, while Nathan knows that he doesn’t have that ability.


        1. Same here! I’m no fan of Nathan but at least he possesses a shred of self awareness.

          I also liked that Doris doesn’t make excuses for him; she did say he came back different from combat but other than that, she did not try to make Nathan out to be some saint or blame his alcoholism and abusive behavior on anyone.


  3. Specifically after the Amber debacle, MTV amended something in the way of a legal disclaimer that says “The footage is edited, or possibly reenacted in a manner to tell a story.” So it can’t be used in court, since when the stuff with Amber, the court ordered MTV to surrender the raw unedited footage of Amber’s abuse. Like when Corey and Leah went to court for custody because of Leah’s drug use, they judge refused to view footage from the show because of the editing and MTV refused to give Corey any raw footage, because they weren’t ordered to, also because they had ‘remain impartial” aka Leah threatened to quit if they helped Corey.


  4. I just keep thinking about all the babies from this show. Their whole messed up lives on display forever. Not a thing is private. All for money. So sad.


  5. If anything CPS should look into her and David further for neglect. Kaiser is going to be 4 and is still in diapers, he can’t form a full sentence, and the sentences he does put together are about three letters long. For example: “David punch me!”. He’s seriously behind when it comes to basic development, and I feel like that in itself is worth looking into.


  6. I don’t like jenelle myself but when did they ever say ensley or Kaiser were born addicted to heroin? As far as we know she’s been sober from heroin for years. Yes we know she tested positive for weed but not heroin. I don’t think she’s doing heroin anymore. I’ve been sober for 3 years from heroin and I just don’t see any signs she’s using it again. Other drugs yes I definitely can tell she’s using but not H.


    1. CMO congrats on your sobriety. I wish you continued success in your recovery. I recently lost a friend who was sober from heroin for 14 years and decided to use “just one more time” it was her last time,


  7. I guess the better part of this is that both Kaiser and Jace are not babies anymore, and can form their words into FULL sentences. Meaning, that despite Jenelle’s denials – these kids themselves can give a full account of how they’re really being treated on THE LAND.

    As everyone recalls, this is how we first learned about Kaiser being punched in the head by David’s nasty, no-good fist, Jace being lost in the woods (on THE LAND) for hours before being found, both Kaiser and Jace being locked outside on sweltering hot summer days while Jenelle stayed holed up behind a closed bedroom door, etc., etc., etc., and so on.

    Yes, kids often make things up. But almost NEVER “detailed” stuff like this.


    1. No thumbs down, but I respectfully disagree. Even at Jaces age he is afraid to speak up.. “ I don’t want you to marry David” “ um, I’m kidding”
      Kaiser needs a guardian ad litum to defend for him by their own professional observation. A two year old does not a witness make- we have a right to face our accuser. Just like cps has to find HUGE red flags to remove children, they stand up to the judge with their own cause… both of these kids are too young to speak truth and reality for themselves.


      1. No problem. And while I can fully understand what you’re saying, first off a small correction: Jenelle’s son Kaiser will be four years old this coming June — not two.

        Secondly, while agreeing with you about the US court systems being what they are, and a guardian ad litem is appointed to speak on a minor child’s behalf, I am not at all saying this is what these kids would be doing right now while standing in front of a judge. I was merely stating that in all “general” circumstances THEY themselves can articulate now (to anyone who asks) what has been happening to them on Jenelle’s and David’s LAND. That is all.

        Again, a perfect case in point, is the fact that all the accounts I mentioned above that have been publicized to date — came directly from THEIR mouths when questioned by their grandmothers Barbara and Doris.


      2. I’m very skeptical of any and all guardian ad litum’s after my cousins experience with hers. My cousin had a baby with the son of two very wealthy and influential people in my state. He was a terrible drug addict (he hid it very well, nobody suspected a thing, nor did she) who’s parents enabled and covered up for him. He kicked my cousin who he was engaged to at the time, out of their home because he had been cheating on her and gotten another girl pregnant and wanted my cousin and their daughter out so he could move her in. He wanted nothing to do with my cousins daughter after he kicked them out, but his parents for some reason wanted to yank custody away from my cousin. They took her to court, accused her of abuse and had her daughter taken from her with the help of their ties in the community. My cousins ex neglected his daughter while his new girlfriend abused her. (Burnt her with cigarettes, threatened her life if she didn’t say it was her mother who did it, etc). This child was 5. She was terrified. And her guardian ad litum was in the pockets of her exes family, and was also a heroin addict (found this out when she died of an overdose a year ago). Eventually, she regained custody of her daughter, after her exes girlfriend suddenly up and left him out of the blue with both of their children (she was mentally unstable and on drugs as well). But this went on from the time my cousins daughter was about 3, until she was 8. She’s 12 now, and hasn’t seen her father since he decided he didn’t want either of his little girls anymore. His parents have custody of his other daughter, and my cousins daughter hasn’t seen him in years. My point is that, with a little bit of money, the safety of a child doesn’t matter to some people. If I were Doris I would request to choose my own, as their current person might be accepting MTV money from Jennelle.


        1. We also had a HORRIBLE experience with a GAL. They are not “experts” by any means. My stepdaughters GAL is a white collar crime attorney who does GAL work on the side (ie loads of cash to be made).
          Our GAL sides with the status quo and the money. Period. And we are stuck with the guy. Urgh.


  8. It’s kind of disturbing that Doris was so gung ho about seeing signs of abuse and wanting to take custody of Kaiser and then fast forward to now and she is totally backing off and looking for “mediating a schedule” So then the abuse will just be scheduled mon-fri and every other weekend with J&D? I know its not Doris’ fault that Jenelle and David are the way they are but she made a huge deal out of the signs of abuse and we at home, even thru TV editing, can see it as well, and now shes fine with just being able to see him on a set schedule. Poor innocent Kaiser doesn’t stand a chance in either household. It’s so depressing…


    1. This probably isn’t about Doris backing down. Proving that a child should be taken from a bio parent and given to a grandparent is extremely difficult. This is something that is often done in stages. The judge probably recommended they figure something out. If they went to trial, there probably wouldn’t be enough evidence for the judge to strip Jenelle of sole custody. The safer approach is for Doris to secure custody or visitation rights through mediation (right now she has no rights). It will be infinitely easier to ask for more time in the future once she has some form of custody.


    2. I think her husband had severe health problems and unfortunately, anything in the legal system is very expensive. Hiring and having a lawyer isn’t cheap. Jenelle has MTV money to pay for it but Doris doesn’t.


    3. I wouldn’t say she’s “fine” with it, it’s going to be hard for her to document any signs of abuse if Jenelle doesn’t offer her(or Nathan) a set schedule for visitation. Sadly, this is often how it works, at least in the US. It took my own mother years to get my sister’s children removed from her care. Suspicions of abuse often go unheard, there needs to be documented proof. Doris can’t get that without visitation. So, yes, it does suck, completely, for Kaiser, but this is his best shot at getting out of that hell hole of a “home”(and I use that term as loosely as humanly possible).
      Sadly, even in abuse cases, US courts still prefer to keep children with their biological mothers and will do all that they can to aid a mother in keeping her children, even ignoring the best interests of the children. It’s a pretty pathetic and inefficient system we have (though the US is not alone in this, most countries work in a similar fashion..or worse).

      So, yeah, Doris needs to get proof to take before a judge, once she has it, it’ll be a lot easier to get Kaiser away from it all. The footage from TM shows is not allowed in court, so it would do her no good to use as evidence. Since Doris IS familiar with the system, and how to properly document proof, I’d say she’s going about this in a way that has the greatest potential to be successful.


  9. RN here. Heroin and marijuana are two entirely different drugs and pharmacological classifications. By NO means am I justifying Jenelle’s drug use before, during and after her pregnancy… she’s a selfish, disconnected POS who is incapable of prioritizing anyone other than herself. Sadly, there are so many innocent babies born addicted to opiates (heroin, Percocet, Methadone, etc.) every day in this country. This creates much more significant withdrawal symptoms for the infant. Thus, social services are bombarded with new cases of child endangerment for opiate-dependent newborns and their POS parents, which sadly takes precedence over the pothead mothers and their poor newborns.

    Jenelle has gotten away with this with three children. We can only hope that her toxic, abusive, negligent household is enough to justify the state jumping in to protect those children.


  10. Totally unrelated but just came on here to say I’m just now watching the latest Teen Mom 2 reunion and found out Briana released 300 crickets in Luis’ house?! WTF!?? That’s some psycho shit right there. What was funny is that she thought it was hilarious and was laughing and the other Teen Moms were just sat there looking at her in disbelief. Lol


  11. I really think MTV holds some responsibility for the shit show that is Kaiser’s life. As decent human beings, each crew member has a responsibility to protect Kaiser. Observing and filming the abusive behavior poor Kaiser receives without putting a stop to it makes them really shitty people at best, and criminally negligent at worst.

    Doris may not be a perfect parent, based on the way Nathan behaves, but she has to be much better than that house of horrors on “the land”. It’s about time an adult truly fought FOR Kaiser. That poor baby has been used as a pawn in Jenelle’s manipulation games his entire life.

    As horrible as this is to say, I honestly won’t be surprised when I hear that there has been a murder/suicide, or a child abuse homicide on “the land”.i will be sad, but I won’t be surprised.


  12. Hopefully Doris keeps with it and doesn’t bow to Jenelle’s bull. It’s clear she doesn’t care about Kaiser, because to her, her children are only valid if they are the offspring of her current soulmate. The only reason she “fights” for either of her boys is because she is trying to save face so she doesn’t appear to be the piss-poor mother that she is. Doris is the only hope for Kaiser to have a normal life where he is safe and loved.


  13. If you truly feel he is being mistreated, DON’T BACK DOWN. Don’t give up just for convenience. If the boy is in danger fight with every ounce of your heart and soul


    1. I think that she’s most likely doing what she was legally advised. Getting custody from a parent is probably incredibly hard short of extreme physical danger (not downplaying kaisers abuse just saying). This ensures a custody situation will be legally set up.


      1. I looked this up before and in NC, almost anyone is a mandated reporter and has to report abuse, so they wouldn’t even need the footage – the people creating the footage are aware of it and can testify to the abuse. But MTV won’t do that because they don’t want to lose their cash cow.


    1. Amber got in trouble because she physically assaulted Gary in front of Leah. That’s the only reason why CPS got involved and why the assault charge was upgraded to a felony. Some counties will allow the use of footage from reality shows and some won’t.


      1. In regards to this by most accounts Nathan’s issues started after he was in the army and deployed. He came back with PTSD. It is something in his special she wanted to talk about and he didnt want to talk about the mental illness. She wanted people to understand what can happen and to have better after care programs when people come home. Nathan doesn’t want to deal with the mental issues and instead self medicates with alcohol. Doesn’t make her a bad parent. Unfortunately that story is way too common for way too long.


        1. I totally agree with you Valerie! I also think Nathan has undiagnosed and/or untreated PTSD. This doesn’t excuse his behaviour by an means, but it is acquired and most likely due to his experiences in the military rather than his childhood and probably explains why he had issues (at one stage?) seeing his eldest child. If that’s the case, it hardly makes Doris a bad mother or grandmother as other people on this thread have stated.


  14. It is extremely difficult for grandparents to get custody. This is the state that let Jenelle and David have Ensley even though she was born with THC in her system, the two creeps refused at least once to CPS to do the routine drug screen after Ensley’s birth, the CPS that observed pot use in the home, and it’s illegal in NC, and they still had the case closed out. NC has to practically catch a mother with a heroin needle in her arm shooting up to take kids away.

    Doris is not a stupid woman, she is probably doing exactly what her lawyer is advising her to do to wind up with the best outcome for Kai. If she gets more custody/ visitation of Kai, she can continue to document and gather evidence, and go from there. Family court takes a long time, but I feel like if she can just get Jenelle and David both ordered by the judge to be mandatory randomly drug tested,it will be a lot faster of a good resolution for more custody. She is older with an ill husband and stupid, violent son going up against a semi wealthy young married woman (this is what it looks like to someone who has no idea). It will be really hard for Doris, sadly and she knows this with her background. That is why I completely believe Kai is being abused, because even wth the terrible odds, Doris is going ahead and trying to do something, anything she can.


      1. They got a medical card in a different state, I think California? You can’t use a medical marijuana card in a different state. It’s not like they have a legit illness erher, so I can’t imagine how they got away with the Ensley thing or will with any future drug tests. Then again, it’s jenelle ?


  15. One of the saddest scenes I’ve seen on TM2 was Jenelle calling for her Pumpkin Wumpkin, the dog and Kaiser both come running to her and she embraces the dog and ignores her son. The look on Kaiser’s face was heartbreaking. He thought she was calling for him (so did I) but nope. Not abuse but she definitely emotionally neglects her children.
    I don’t think the diaper thing is huge (hopefully potty training happens soon) but how would you know if she’s potty training him or not?


  16. No, Doris, no!! Fight for that boy!!! That poor kid!! Also to the people pointing out Nathan’s anger issues – it has been revealed that he has unresolved/untreated issues from his time in the military. On Being Nathan Doris talked about how he changed after serving, and he immediately got angry and was defensive of the military. We don’t know what he experienced while he was overseas, but it is very possible he experienced something traumatic and needs help to deal with it. That doesn’t excuse his behavior, but would show that his mom is not to blame.


  17. Another L for poor Kaiser. Someone PLEASE think about him! He’ll be 4 in about 5 months, and she still keeps him in fucking diapers! I don’t think she’s even trying to do any potty training.


    1. I can’t imagine how short tempered and frustrated they get with him. I feel so bad for my baby.


      1. Because you know david cant stand him. Because he looks like nathan. Hes a disgusting,insecure,abusive crack head…. i have his number. Jenelle is weak…. and a sad excuse for a mother… protect your kids. Terrible. Smdh?


  18. CPS did not do something when a neighbour called them about the Turpin family. A cop took a Turpin girl back home.

    On the other hand, CPS takes kids away unnecessary.

    The knowledge should be there, it’s the money. Money for more case workers with all the education and (legal) support they really need.

    The Evans kids will tell everyone later how CPS and the law let them down.


    1. Where did you hear CPS had been called on the Turpins? Every report I have read says that this was the first time authorities were contacted? I’ve been following that case closely it is so shocking!


  19. I read a while back that Doris’ husband had gotten sick so they had to back off for a bit. But it’s obvious kaiser is abused, even if that is just by being ignored. It’s sad to see him like that.


  20. I fear that it will take something seriously bad to happen before child protective services step in. We see and hear that so often in the media, children being clearly abused and neglected, but as soon as there’s a legit reason, like a child being beaten to a pulp time and time again or found dead in the trunk of a car for CPS to step in.

    We all know that David’s anger is like a ticking time bomb. It doesn’t take much for him to snap..


  21. Leave them alone and let them raise there Children. No ones perfect parent or a perfect person everyone has there problems.


    1. So if one day on the news, it says Kaiser was beaten to death at he hsnds of ubt, would you say ah it’s ok they aren’t bad people????? You utter crap goblin.


  22. Kaiser is safer with Doris and Nathan than he is with David. And it’s damn hard for a grandparent to get custody away from a mother, even an abusive, drug-using mother like Jenelle. If Doris is proceeding carefully, there are reasons why. I’m praying for Doris’ success in saving that baby before something really bad happens.


    1. I agree ! David is so phony ! He tries to act like he cares for Kaiser but you can tell he doesn’t have any patience with Jace or Kaiser.!!


      1. He become weirdly possessive of Kaiser straight off the bat. I think he did it to piss Nathan off. Remember when he was carrying Kai around and told Barbara (they fuking biological grandma) that she was upsetting HIS kids?!?! He’s crazy.


      2. David is an abuser…. i guess if u have a lot of money u can get away with anything…. its so sad… i feel without mtv and teen mom those kids are so screwed. At least we know there alive since its on tv…….scary


  23. When Ensley tested positive for weed when she was born J and D were under investigation. Why that wasn’t grounds to lose her baby, even temporarily until she agreed to random drug screens is anyones guess. This is why kids die in the system. No one is checking on them and doing their due diligence. I was rooting for Doris but this turned out to be a bunch of bullshit. Apprrently NO ONE gives a fuck about my roll.


    1. This is the horrible truth… New moms and their babies test positive for marijuana everyday by the dozens, probably by the hundreds. I am an OB nurse and see it way too often. Unfortunately nothing is usually done for this. I think the system is too overwhelmed and just overlooks it. Sad but true.

      That being said, they should also be investigating and pressing charges for the girls that smoke cigarettes. The babies withdraw horribly from this, almost like heroin or meth. Definitely worse withdrawal than marijuana. I’ve seen babies die because their moms smoked cigarettes and it took away too many nutrients from them in utero.

      Don’t get me wrong, both are horrible and the mother who does either of these or drinks or does other drugs during pregnancy does not deserve her child. I’m not condoning any of this stuff. Just using this platform because I think that women do not realize how devastating cigarettes are on pregnancy and newborn babies. Everybody knows that drugs are bad for the newborn babies but don’t seem to regard cigarettes as just as bad. Just because they are legal does not mean they are okay.


    2. I used to work as a child and family therapist with that state that I’m in. Once I was involved with a family whose baby was born addicted to heroine. They immediately took that baby away before the mom’s stitches were all placed after the c section. It’s beyond me why Ensley was allowed home with her parents after it was revealed she had drugs in her system. I feel bad for all the kids in this


  24. I bet David had something to do with this, I bet he threatened them, that guy is intimidating. If only Jenelle was single once in her lifetime…..


  25. I don’t disagree that Jenelle and David are terrible parents. But this is also the woman who raised Nathan, who is a terrifying abuser. And who still lives with her. So if she gets custody of Kaiser, I still see him being abused by his dad.

    I know people aren’t to blame always for how their kids turned out, but Jesus Christ, Nathan is a monster, and she definitely enables him and at the very least gives him a place to live.


    1. Nate lives with his girlfriend now, not his mom. He’s not even in the same state anymore as far as I’m aware. And Nates anger issues stem from his time in the military, not they way he was raised. His mom said he’s been like that since he came back from being deployed and that the military offers therapy for guys that come home and have issues like him, but Nate keeps saying he wont go.


    2. I don’t think it’s fair to blame her for Nathan totally. At some point he became an adult that made his own choices and decisions. It’s clear from the way she acts toward him that he was loved and protected during childhood which is more than we can say for Kaiser. As sad as it is some people just turn into really crappy people.


  26. Anyone that saw that footage of David dragging Kaiser by his arm would clearly know that child is being abused. I don’t understand why Doris isn’t fighting for full custody. I don’t understand how CPS hasn’t even investigated David and Jenelle either. It doesn’t make sense. Jenelle is a terrible human being that puts her abusive boyfriends before her kids. She has no business raising innocent children.


    1. I lived in NC for years. With taxes so low, CPS is payed peanuts, so they really don’t do much at all. Sad


    2. It is incredibly difficult for grandparents to get visitation, let alone custody, even if it’s obvious that the parents are subpar. This method is not uncommon – the mediation will result (hopefully) in Doris getting some guaranteed physical custody or visitation. That gets her foot in the door to go back and increase that time if something happens. This basically lays the groundwork. Getting sole custody was a long shot.


    3. In NC the bar is very very high to get kids removed from the home. The parents are considered to have a constitutional right to their kids. Grandparents have marginal rights at best. CPS did investigate them after Ensley was born and is one of the reasons Jenelle postponed stuff with Jace she thought it would hurt her position in court. It did and along with the therapist’s testimony is what made her agree to what Barb had been proposing for over a year. She also finally agreed to that mediation because she wanted to keep the CPS investigation out of the media. She probably has made some of the same promises to Doris and Doris will get what she is looking for. This would be a first step in getting her some sort of visitation on her own that is court ordered. Once that happens she will have more standing in the NC court to go for custody if he is being hurt.

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