EXCLUSIVE! Amber Portwood’s Brother Shawn Defends Her Relationship With Andrew Glennon: He’s “Helped Turn Her Attitude Around”

“Thanks, Bubby!”

Amber Portwood’s new beau Andrew Glennon has earned the “Bubby Seal of Approval!”

In an exclusive interview with The Ashley, Amber’s brother Shawn Portwood came to the defense of his sister’s relationship, after the Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars docs called Amber and Andrew’s situation “a mess.”

While Shawn admitted that Amber and Andrew fast-tracked their relationship (with Amber getting pregnant less than a month in), he had to admit that he’s seen a lot of positive changes in his sister since she started dating Andrew.

“When I said that Andrew ‘contains her’ in a sense, I mean it,” Shawn told The Ashley. “Her mood and her behavior has chilled out a lot since they’ve been together. I have never shied away from the fact that I believe she moves really quickly, but I think this is one move that she made that has benefited her health and her family situation.”

Amber’s brother has always served as voice of reason for the Teen Mom OG star. (He’s appeared sporadically on the show since Season 1.) After reading what ‘Marriage Boot Camp’ star Dr. Ish Major said about his sister, Shawn stated that, while he respects the doctor’s opinion, he feels that Amber’s changed a lot since filming ‘Boot Camp’ last summer.

“I am sure from a medical standpoint he probably has some reason to believe what he said but I do not think that it was correct for him to say that,” Shawn told The Ashley. “He only got 10 days to know my sister. I have known her for 27 years.

“I have seen her ups and her downs and I have seen her at her worst,” he added. “Because of that I can honestly say, without a doubt, that she is doing better now than she has in 15 years.”

On Monday, Shawn tweeted that Dr. Major, “doesn’t know crap about how she is now. I know my sister and I can say with certainty that Andrew has helped turn her attitude around. She is a much more pleasant person to be around now.”

Over the years, Shawn made it known that he was not fond of Amber’s ex-fiance, Matt Baier. After spending some time with Andrew, Shawn assures ‘Teen Mom OG’ fans that “he is tenfold better than the last person she was with [Matt].”

“I do not know what their future holds but I do know that since being with Andrew, Amber has been able to get off a lot of the medications that she was on while with Matt,” Shawn added.

Amber is due to give birth to her second child, a boy that she and Andrew plan to name James, next month.

(Photos: MTV, Instagram)

89 Comments

  1. I’m sure that ambers brother is just incredibly impressed with Andrews ability to grow an actual beard… instead of that 1ft of neck beard that he has going on.


  2. Something feels wrong to me about praising the Andrew/Amber relationship as the reason Amber was able to get off of a lot of her medications. First of all, it could be disingenuous/not exactly true,, bc I think Amber is off of some of those meds bc she’s not allowed to take them while pregnant—so it’s not so much that Andrew is so great for her that she can get off her meds, as it is that Andrew got her pregnant so she HAD to get off of her meds.

    Secondly though, a statement like this seems to stigmatize mental health medications as something that one should strive to get off of, implying that if you can just fix your life or get a better boyfriend, you won’t have to take medication for your mental health anymore. But that’s not necessarily how mental health conditions/mental illness works. Conditions like bipolar, major depression, borderline personality disorder (things that Amber has stated she has) don’t just go away once your life is nicer. They’re conditions that are caused by your brain chemistry. No amount of money, education, employment, new cars, new homes, new kids, new pets, or new boyfriends is going to make those mental health conditions go away so that you no longer have to treat them. Things like being depressed, anxious, or unable to sleep due to something happening in your life like someone dying, or divorce, might be temporary, as they are caused by an external situation and not by your permanent brain chemistry, and those things could be treated with medication for only as long as you need it. But the conditions that Amber has said she has, aren’t the type of mental illness that just go away once you get a new boyfriend. So I’m side-eyeing this part of the statement by “Bubby.”


    1. Exactly! And if she really was diagnosed with bipolar, that just doesn’t go away because you have a new boyfriend. smdh


  3. Bubby can say Andrew made her a better person as much as he wants. But one thing he didn’t, and will never be able to say by the looks of it, is that he made her a better mother. Because amber can bitch and moan about how depressed she was to see her daughter but that will never excuse her not being there for leah. And leah is so smart, way smarter than her “mom”, and she will know in the end who was always there for her and who only came around for appearances.

    And I am SO. FUCKING. SICK. of hearing amber say “bubby” and “bew bew”. It’s not cute. It’s fucking ridiculous.


    1. You’re so right! He makes not mention of her mothering. It’s so sad, everyone says put your daughter first .. she doesn’t evevn put her second or third!


    2. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Amber one time say that the women in her family deal with men by getting violent with them? I swear, I’ve heard her say that.


  4. 1. Amber being calm. Yeah OK until someone like Gary pushes her buttons. I keep waiting for her to use Ryan’s line. Gary is a trigger for me! She being calm is probably xanex. It’s a show and a put on for the audience, and to make her look like the victim infront of everyone including Andrew. “He tamed me!” What is this a scene from taming of the Shrew? Please Bitch ! You’re crazy and you can’t hide it forever.
    2. Andrew Unscripted t.v. easy check. Yes I will take on the role as the guy who tamed the Shrew!! Hehe look at me I’m studly I got her pregnant. I’m in this for the long haul for as long as TM stays on. When it cancels me and my kid will disappear back in them thar hills in California. I think he did say one thing accurate though. Although Gary is a good parent I think he gets off on pushing Amber’s buttons. He digs up trash on who ever Amber is screwing this week. Being a good Dad looking out for his kid. But the bonus is control over Amber! He loves giving Amber bad news you can tell.


  5. I still feel like something is off with Andrew. I can’t put my finger on it but I feel like within a year he’ll have some skeletons that come out. Or he’ll do something…not good.


    1. He has had skeletons come out already. He stalked and harassed two of his ex-girlfriends and they had to file restraining orders against him. I think he also has an arrest record, but I don’t remember off the top of my head what for.


  6. I’m sorry, but I remember “Bubby” on one of the teen mom reunions defending Matt and saying the same things about him! So…he’ll say anything to defend Amber…I’m not buying it.


  7. It bothers me as a woman, who grew up in such a strong matriarch family and matriarchial culture,,, that so many women cannot stand on their own two feet, especially in adversity and challenges. And that the only way to “live” is to be “saved” by a man. Its pretty sad that she, and women like her, say that their boyfriend(a) saved their lives. And as a mother??
    How can your own baby not have that profound effect on you??
    I hate to be cruel, but damn. Weak asses, man.


    1. I was thinking along the same lines, another person can’t save you. You have to find it within yourself, and THEN you are ready for another relationship.


      1. Yes, exactly!!! How do u know who you really are and what u are made of after being single for a few weeks?? Then how is someone able to fall in love that fast?? That just screams insecurity, not level-headed and being responsible. Then you get pregnant within a month?!!! That is fucking nasty! Use condoms! That’s disgusting!! Loose women and men. Yuck! So many diseases out there!
        Ugh


  8. Being w/Andrew is not going to make her a better person/mother…you have to learn how to do that on your own & Amber is not capable of that. Anyway, it is so obvious she is setting the stage to move to CA as soon as possible (which is probably the best thing for Leah..just go away Amber) and will blame Gary & Kristina because they don’t let her see Leah anyway (bullshit)


    1. A agree with everything you just said. I was coming on here to comment about how amber can only improve by herself and it’s not possible for Andrew to make her, “better.”


  9. She’s probably “better” (i use that term loosely) cuz she’s pregnant and HAS to stay SOBER! Has nothing to do with her butler, I mean opportunist boyfriend.


  10. I have to worry about the safety of this new baby. Amber is extremely unstable. I just hope her baby daddy is prepared to raise his child alone. She doesn’t even bother with the one she already has


  11. Think she has actually said she is back on her medication cause she wasn’t doing well without after the break up.
    Also Shawn says she is using less meds, meaning she is still on meds.
    That asshole Matt was feeding the idea she really needed meds to calm down and actually fed her downers. Cause it suited him better, he won fights easily, was able to manipulate and control her that way. I bet he pushed her buttons to make her more dependant on him and meds. Remember he carried them around to give them to Amber and offered Cate some when she was upset? That says a lot about what he thought was normal.
    So yeah, I’m not surprised she is using less stuff to calm down now.
    Any normal man would do that for Amber.

    Let’s hope for Leah’s, Amber’s and the baby’s sake Andrew is everything Shawn hopes. Another asshole like Mutt could really destroy Amber. Let’s hope a roll good guy really helps Amber to get her life on track.


  12. I’ll believe it if he says the same thing a year down the road. For Leah’s sake I hope it’s true and this baby changes her to make her want to be with Leah more. Let’s check in when real life sets in.


  13. Oh please!!!! As I said before, it’s the calm before the storm. Time will tell what will become of all of this. MTV has created a cluster with all these teen shows! Even though all the “teens” are adults now. The curse of reality TV shows!


  14. They’ve only been together about 9 months! They’re still in the honeymoon phase and that’s also had a magical pregnancy halo around it. Of course they’re happy. Wait another year until the magic wears off and the sleepless nights of a crying baby set in.


    1. Even though it was 9 years ago that she last had the whole newborn phase, she’s not really grown up. I fear she’ll struggle to come emotionally


  15. I just can’t with Amber anymore… In all the years I’ve seen her attempt to cry about Leah I’ve never seen a single tear


    1. Exactly! She’s just nmaking a stupid “cry face” with no actual tears! Furthermore, no human being should be responsible for “calming you down.” Or taking the place of doctor prescribed medication. Jeeze…these people are really amazing.


    2. She’s not crying for Leah, she[s crying for herself cuz mean ol’ Gary told the truth about her. Chops again to Gary and to Kristina for being good parents, while Amber spends her days and nights trying to find the “right” man.


    3. On last night’s reunion, she pretended like she was crying, but there wasn’t a single vat of moisture on that face. Such a fake bitch.


  16. Well there you go. She has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder and she can miraculously go off her meds because of Andrew? When you have mental illness you can’t just go off your meds because you met a new guy. I’m sure she was using a lot of “meds” she wasn’t supposed to be taking when she was with Matt but Amber is shady and we never get the truth out of her. And, if I hear her say one more time that she went to jail for her daughter I am going to lose it myself.


    1. I’m wondering now if the “meds” she was miraculously able to get off of since meeting Andrew were actually prescribtion drugs that she bought rather than being actually prescribed by her doctor. Someone upthread mentioned the anti anxiety meds that Matt carried around for her and doled our when she was upset and needed to calm down. The same meds he offered to Caitlyn that one time. And we also have Amber’s admission that she wasn’t sober when she was filming marriage boot camp. I think she was taking benzos, procured by Matt, or gotten off of some shady doctor who will prescribe anything.


  17. What is it with these weird glasses she’s been wearing lately? I think she thinks these ones make her look more wholesome or something..but oh wow, they are just awkward to even look at!


    1. Pregnancy and wearing contacts don’t always go together.
      As for the frames she choose, I have nothing in her defense.


  18. Give it time her true colors WILL come out. What’s with these names she calls people. Bubby, Boo Boo. What the hell.


  19. But Andrew hasn’t earned a stupid nickname yet, like Bubby and bew bew.

    Amber is still vile, still thinks she is a stellar mom, can’t control her anger, has no ambition, can not admit any faults. Ghetto ratchet trash indigenous to soft couches.


  20. The issue is Amber needs a man at all times, she cannot be alone.
    But who am I to argue with the all knowing Bubby right? Maybe Bubby should get on sister’s butt for being a crap mother to the child she now, and bringing another child into the mess she calls her life.


  21. That is a horrible picture of Amber. She looks like that girl Gypsy whose mom had munchausen by proxy and forced her to act like a mentally incompetent child for years and then was killed by Gypsy. (I know…long story. Sorry!) Does Amber not realize she looks like an old lady with those head wrap things on??


      1. Oh my gosh that description is so accurate it’s scary and will always be what I think of when I see it now


      2. I think Andrew looks like that guy Daniel Woziak who was engaged and a theatre actor who killed his friend so he could steal his money to pay for the wedding.

        Yes…I watch A LOT of Investigation ID shows.


        1. How much do you creep you out that after he committed a murder he went on stage the next night like nothing was wrong!


          1. He was such a sociopath. I’ve seen him on Locked Up Orange County or something and he was like happy to be in jail. Almost giddy. It was weird. I imagine he isn’t so peppy on death row now but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still happy go lucky. Weirdo.


    1. I posted a comment about that before I seen this one. I’m glad I’m not the only one who saw the resemblance.


  22. Maybe it’s just me.

    But I still say that meds or no meds, Amber would have been pregnant by Matt a LONG time ago, if middle aged Matt hadn’t overshot his “swimmers” by trying to populate the entire damn EARTH in past relationships.

    As we’ve learned, it only took a matter of weeks with Andrew. Yet she was with Matt for 3 years?

    A guy who would have loved to have at least one trap baby with her to keep his shady azz relevant for a Teen Mom paycheck and walk on appearance every now and then?

    Please.


    1. My theory is that in Amber’s low rent mind, Andrew has “class”. He has the family in Malibu and a “cinematography career”. He’s rolling deep in her chemically imbalanced and unsophisticated mind. She thinks she’s upgraded from Matt the Greasy Bedwarmer and will be Real Housewife material someday.


  23. Of course she’s “been able to” get off the medications since she’s been with Andrew. It’s because she got preggo 5 minutes into knowing him, and HAD to get off the meds.

    That’s not the positive point he seems to think it is, that works against his case that she’s doing better than ever.


    1. I have had the same diagnosis as Amber (BPD and bipolar) for several years, and the fact that she uses it as a scapegoat infuriates me. Even with mental illness, I have maintained stable relationships, been a pretty solid mom I would like to think, and have a successful career I have worked my she-balls off for. Not all of us are abusive, lazy, volatile crazy hot messes. And it is because it has been carefully maintained by medical professionals. I have been through two pregnancies now where I never went off of my meds as they were monitored by my psych and OB with their blessing, because I knew to go off would put me and my child in more danger in the long run. Amber is who she is because she is garbage, not because of mental illness. I hate that she uses that as her constant excuse.


  24. Bubbly put down the pipe son.

    She still a nasty bitch, and twice as lazy, wake up and stop defending this lazy deadbeat mother.


  25. This disappoints me. Shawn is the more Eve-headed one, but he has an obvious blind spot when it comes to his sister. Amber has been pregnant this entire time so we have no clue what her attitude will be like under normal circumstances and when she has to care for an infant. A boyfriend cannot cure mental illness and we have seen that over and over. Amber is still deluding herself into believing she’s a good mom despite never taking on any parental duties. She had a meltdown Twitter when she was called out. This whole relationship is evidence of her instability. Andrew met her when she was a drunken mess on MBC and went after her. He’s a predator.


  26. “Andrew has helped turn her attitude around. She is a much more pleasant person to be around now.”

    Any chance he has a brother who could date Farrah?

    Just kidding. I agree with those who said that pregnancy hormones are the ones making her nicer. Just wait after the baby is born, it’s going to be a sh*t show.


  27. Dude, have you seen her internet rants “spreading love”?! Yeah, I think you’re in denial, she hasn’t changed at all.


  28. Amber had to go off her meds because of the pregnancy, not because some guy changed her attitude. Jesus god, Sean.


  29. If Amber is calmer than she was last year, it’s because she’s been pregnant this whole time ??‍♀️ Has nothing to do with Andrew being able to tame her. But I can see how someone could get the 2 mixed up, being that the relationship is the same exact length of the pregnancy. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that she was irresponsible enough to get knocked up only 2 weeks after they began dating. It’s disgusting.


    1. THIS!

      I thought the first date was supposed to be coffee. Raw dogging comes after you know each other’s middle names.


        1. You are very kind!

          I wish TheAshley had the time to recap My 600 Pound Life and/or Whitney Thore. I could pontificate on that lot for hours.


  30. The fact that Bubby thinks a man is the solution to Slamber’s “attitude problem” tells me all I need to know about him.

    Also, that beard makes him look Amish.


  31. Bubby looks like Kathy Bates as Ethel Darling in ‘American Horror Story: Freak Show‘.

    Also, this is the same guy that has defended Am[bien]’s parenting “skills”. ?


      1. I know! I know! I love her too… but daaaaayuuum that look just isn’t working for dear, sweet brother Bubby!?


  32. Amber is starting to look like the comedian Monique. They both can’t live without a barnacle of a man in their life.

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