‘Teen Mom 2’ Ratings Dip Slightly Without Jenelle Evans: A Look at the Season 9B Numbers So Far

“We can do this, girls!”

Back in May, Kail Lowry predicted that Teen Mom 2 would take a hit in its ratings due to the firing of Jenelle Evans— and it appears she was right.

(But, then again, “Kail is always right”….according to Kail.)

The reality show– which has been on the air for a whopping nine years— is beginning to show its age a bit in the ratings. Once a ratings powerhouse for MTV that consistently brought in 1 million-plus numbers each week, ‘Teen Mom 2’ has been slipping in its ratings over the past few seasons, but took a decent-sized dip for the most-recent Season 9B episodes.

“You know I hate to say I told you so but… oh, wait, no I don’t!”

As fans know, Season 9B is the first season without Jenelle, who has basically been a drama factory for the series since it began in 2010. Jenelle was replaced with Jade Cline who still brings the drama, but not quite in the same way Jenelle did. (There’s no longer Barbara Evans to go to commentary on her “bitch of a daughta,” after all.) 

“I think that people did watch the show for Jenelle,” Kail told TMZ in May, shortly after MTV gave Jenelle and her crew the ax. “I don’t think that can be denied.” 

Kail was hopeful that she and her co-stars– Chelsea Houska, Leah Messer and Briana DeJesus— could bring a high amount of drama on their own.

“I definitely think the rest of us have enough to keep the franchise going, and I hope that’s what happens,” Kail said. 

Has the Kail/Chelsea/Leah/Briana/Jade drama been enough? According to the most-recent ratings, that answer is “almost.”

“We’re trying our best!”

According to Showbuzz Daily, the most-recent episode of ‘Teen Mom 2’— which aired on September 24— ranked No. 3 in the highly coveted 18-49 age demographic for all original cable telecasts that night. While it secured a .40 in sales demo ratings, it came in with only 784,000 viewers. That’s slightly down from the previous week’s episode, which had 787,000 viewers and .41 in the demo ratings.

The Season 9B premiere did slightly better, coming in with 810,000 viewers and a .45 demo ratings score.

While the Jade/Jenelle exchange may have something to do with the ratings decline, ‘Teen Mom 2’ did move from Monday nights to Tuesday nights, which may have distributed to the lesser ratings.

While these numbers are good (to compare: MTV’s sad attempt to make Teen Mom: Young Moms Club happen only brought in 304,000 in its premiere ratings), they are below what ‘Teen Mom 2’ used to get, even compared to last season.

The last regular episode of Season 9A scored a hefty 988,000 viewers and a .48 in demo ratings. The episode before that— which aired on May 6— clocked in at 930,000 viewers and a .49 demo rating. 

‘Teen Mom 2’ has always been the franchise’s ratings giant, clocking in way higher ratings (on average) than its big sister, Teen Mom OG and its little sister Teen Mom: Young & Pregnant. Even with its lower numbers, it is still doing better than both of those shows did in their most-recent episode ratings. 

In its most-recent season, ‘Teen Mom OG’ took a dip in ratings, even with the addition of Mackenzie McKee to the cast. 

Does this spell trouble for the ‘Teen Mom’ franchise? No way, The Ashley‘s sources tell her. 

As The Ashley already told you, ‘Teen Mom OG’ was renewed and the cast (including controversial Amber Portwood) is already filming for the new season. The Ashley’s sources tell her that ‘Teen Mom 2’ should have no problem getting a pick-up (which hasn’t happened yet) with those numbers.

RELATED STORY: ‘Teen Mom OG’ Ratings Continue to Drop Despite Mackenzie McKee Joining the Cast; Mackenzie Remains Optimistic About Her Place on the Show

(Photos: MTV) 

85 Comments

  1. I used to watch this show all the time. I can only speak for myself why I stop watching… Leah: a major whore with no talent whatsoever that pretends to be so positive now after got her kids taken, I just dont buy it.. she seems sooo fake, specially after that relationship with Jason guy. She used the same game as Chelsea Houska: “I found my other half, my true love” crap and one day after posting love messages to him, she was breaking up with the guy.

    Kail: another whore. Dont think she worry too much about her kids stability.

    Chelsea Houska: with all the fame I noticed she became so entitled, she just passes this “I’m better than you” attitude. Arrogant. She is boring to watch.

    Jenelle: was the main reason I decided not watch the show. After all that family violence with david in the presence of her kids, MTV should have her fired because of that and not because of Nugget. For MTV the dog’s safety came before the kids safety. I’m not about to contribute for the wealth of these arrogant untalented monster moms….
    TM was ok when it first started but Money and power changed the mind of all of this girls for the worse.


    1. I can’t stand Chelsea. I think her and her perfect hubby, Cole, just get really good MTV edits. Chelsea has serious mental health issues that she manages to hide very well.


      1. I’m not sure Chelsea is mentally ill but she’s spoiled rotten and has a sense of entitlement because Randy has always given her everything. It took her 5 years to complete her GED. She dropped most of her cosmetology classes & just got an esthetician license because it was too hard to go to school and have one kid. She didn’t even use her license. She worked “on call” because she couldn’t handle full time hours or obligation. She managed to find a guy with some work ethic or she’d be just like the others, pissing their money away without a backup plan. And you’ll never convince me that Cole didn’t know who she was either; they don’t live in Los Angeles, they live in Sioux Falls! She met him at a gas station & she said he looked her up on Facebook. How did he know her name? If he looked her up on Facebook, he knew she was on reality TV.


  2. It has NOTHING to do with Jennelle and everything to do with the funny outrageous hit 90 day fiancee on TLC. I watched Teen Mom for YEARS and it was getting kinda boring and now my sister and I watch all the 90 days stuff.


  3. I put this show on and realise I spend most of the episodes scrolling on my phone. It’s boring when these women have rehearsed conversations. Try finding the ladies 9-5s and see how REAL their lives get.


  4. I don’t think it has anything at all to do with Janelle. For me, personally, it’s not interesting to watch moms and kids going on vacation after vacation and buying stuff. And if they’re not doing that, they’re sitting on a couch or a bed having the worlds dullest conversation with an equally dull friend.


  5. Isn’t anyone at MTV considering that maybe, ratings would have plummeted instead of dipped if they had kept Jenelle on the show?


  6. When I watch TM I used feel like I’m watching that old MTV show “RICH GIRLS” with Tommy Hilfigers daughter. Their lives are so luxurious now. Built mansions, buying farm and acres of land. Driving BMW suvs, filming in Hawaii. Whats the difference between TM and Rich Girls?


  7. This season has been SOOO boring so far, honestly I think that Briana’s drama with that guy (I cant remember his name) is going to be the most entertaining thing this season. He “allegedly” got a girl pregnant and is about to marry her….that equals ratings.


  8. Well ill admit this isnt a “i have to watch” show for me anymore..if nothings on ill watch it on demand eventually..but im kind of over it and it has nothing to do with jenelle


  9. This has nothing to do with Jenelle. People are sick and tired of watching these entitled mothers making six hundred thousand plus a year. Trying on clothes, pushing two hundred dollar diaper bags and over priced sun glasses gets annoying. Enough of this show, time to end.


    1. Preach it Cinders!! You just said what we’re all thinking. This has nothing to do with Jenelle, people are so over the show due to Jenelle , David and Ambers crap along with exaggerated story lines of the married one who really don’t have a story line.


  10. It was a smart move to move the show from Monday to Tuesday cause even as a female I’d rather watch MNF. As for the decline- yeah I mis Babs butttt these lames are getting old and what’s the point of teen mom at this point? They are all living in luxury! I’m sorry I’d rather not anymore……


  11. I stopped watching the franchise because they haven’t fired Amber. MYV needs to learn their lesson and stop paying abusers.


  12. Don’t believe it’s because of Jenelle it’s because you changed nights to Tuesday & there are too many other things on!


    1. Agreed – Ashley recaps are more entertaining than the show. Also by not watching I get the satisfaction of knowing I’m not adding to the ratings which in turn keeps these grown-ass women living an unproductive yet luxurious life.


  13. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (expired) *]
    MTV please bring back Janelle and Barbara and get rid of Jade.


  14. I’m glad as hell that Delusionelle is gone. I stopped watching when they didnt fire amber! I no longer wanted to contribute to MTV’s ratings in any way shape or form 🤷‍♀️

    Also I never liked Briana and I don’t even know who Jade is so why the hell do I wanna watch her?? Plus they’re all super boring now anyway.


  15. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (token) *]
    Honestly I’ve become disinterested because of Jade and Brianna. I could care less about their drama and whatnot.


  16. I stop watching after Kail’s racist comments. Also, because the show isn’t real. They live in expensive houses, take trips, and have a lot of cars. They don’t even have real jobs to have all that. This is not the true story of a teen mom


  17. Come on, Ashley…… Kail knows nothing and she wasn’t right about Janelle and a ratings drop coming. People are just tired of watching, lazy ass thirty somethings lay around on a couch making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to do absolutely nothing productive for society or their communities. The vast majority of these “teen moms” are losers and just not that interesting. That’s why the ratings took a dip. I wish they would take a dive so this show would be cancelled.


  18. I don’t think the slide down has anything to do with Janelle n more to do with bringing in Ppl like Briana who with her mum n sister sit n talk trash in front of the kid,plus wtf want to watch some spoilt brat get plastic surgery,.
    Sure Janelle had problems but at least she was real! I would’ve far preferred to watch her journey thru court battles for her kids & how it forced her to grow up than trailer trash that is on


    1. Janelle is the EPITOME of trailer trash. Briana acts just as bad, and Amber is even worse than her. Enough of this show…it’s a total farce and does not depict an actual representation of teen mom life. Well except for the fact that that’s girls have multiple baby daddies and then can’t understand why their life is so “hard”.


  19. I’ll always remember back when they barely paid them that Kail needed help go get an apartment after burning the joe bridge . She had to go through some program that was setup to help young mothers I believe. Those were the times when there was reality. Her working a entry level job, her in a small apartment needing help from programs to get an apartment, and driving an older car. Now they all have multiple cars, live in very nice huge homes and fly around the country all over . This is their “job” . This doesn’t show real life. Obviously some of them would have done well. Got a good job and be building homes and going on vacations but not all of them. Those huge paychecks should have never happened .


  20. Cancel all those teen and prego shows..its not a real reflection of teen oregnancues as you dont have that kind of money to go to therapists..buy bew cars etc…


  21. Hey, The Ashley, can you tell us anything about Rhonda, the lady that bailed out Amber and is asking for her money back? Some lady Rhonda from Indiana who is broke and struggling for money with a disabled husband. Court documents show the lady went to court to try and get the bail money back but was denied. I have suspicions but would love to know if you or anyone could find out what is going on. Is this the lady she claims Andrew was cheating with? Is this couple selling their prescription meds to her? Was this her ex prison lover? I have soo many questions.


  22. Yeah I don’t think it’s because of Jenelle. I muted her scenes just like I do with Jade’s now since I can’t handle the screaming.
    I started watching when I was a teenager. I am now almost 30 and I find it incredibly mind numbing to watch these girls go on vacation and complain about it and build houses and buy expensive cars. And normally I love Chelsea and Cole but the last episode of them just repeating how excited they were to buy a piece of grass was SO BORING.


  23. Embarrassed that I still read this shit. (Actually I dont read it… I just come here for the comments LOL).

    But pretty sure the ratings have nothing to do with Janelle.

    I got sucked into TM back in the day by my sister. Always felt like “theres an hour of my life I’ll never get back” after watching.
    So glad I took that hour of my life back from MTV!! 🙌🙌🙌
    &
    Didnt we just read an article about her makeup line failing?? Isn’t this the same type of scenario here… the reason people aren’t watching isnt because jenelle is not on anymore. People aren’t watching because the show sucks. Period.


    1. I just hope Bri and Jade get a little bit more money off this mess before they cut it for good… They seem decent!! (or at least they haven’t been tainted yet). I feel for Jade. And I like bri’s style, shes the real deal!


    2. Agree with the conclusion here. I also don’t watch anymore, although I probably just found another way to waste that hour of my life. LOL.


  24. Amber will be ok,and maybe she should make amends with her ex ,he seems like hes hurt but still loves her ,probably why hes always texting and if ratings are down bring back Evan’s case closed


  25. Your source is going to tell you that the show is doing great because your source gets paid by MTV and is hoping beyond hope that the whole franchise doesn’t get canned (as it should). Any show that consistently loses viewers is destined to be 86’d. Teen Mom (all versions of it and their spin offs) is tired and played out. Time to give it the burial it so richly deserves & let the moms — who are all almost in their 30s now — learn how to cope with life without that MTV welfare check.


    1. @radicalred– Despite the fact that the show’s ratings are down from what they once were, they are still fairly high for cable. Teen Mom OG had lower ratings last season and was picked up. Those are the reasons my sources are very sure ‘TM2’ will also get picked up. -The Ashley


  26. It’s not the absence of Juh-nelle. It’s that both of the TM shows are played out. No one cares to watch 30 year olds sit around and make bank. In fact, man resent it. If you want a TM show, CAST TEEN MOMS and get rid of them mid-20’s.


    1. Teen Mom does not portray what real-life struggles a teen mom faces. Teen mom’s don’t make big bucks for being a teen mom.


    2. Fact is the show is just scum!! People are just tired of the BS. Bringing Janelle back would be the nail in the coffin!! Guaranteed!! The people have spoken, she is poison!!


    3. Shut up! If you truly mean what you said, that means you support child abuse/neglect, animal murder, domestic violence, drug abuse, habitual crime, and the list goes on. Just stop it.


  27. It definitely more than just Jenelle being gone. I started watching the show when it first aired and these girls were on 16 and pregnant. It’s was interesting then. I’m 30 now and watching these now-grown women act the way some of them act is hard to stomach. I keep saying it, why are we watching teen Mom and none of these girls are teens anymore? Plus it’s disgusting the behavior MTV allows as far as the abuse situations go and some of these girls poor mental health. Makes me uncomfortable to watch, It’s time to shut it all down.


  28. This has nothing to do with her firing, especially considering how many viewers demanded it. People have come to realize that MTV has enabled at least THREE (Jenelle, David, Amber) abusive lunatics. Not only do the enable it, they literally stand by while it happens. Normal people aren’t going to stick around to encourage that.


  29. Of course people watched the show for Jenelle’s drama and that’s why they’ll eventually bring her back. But I think another huge reason people are starting to turn away is that they are tired of watching these grown ass women lead their diva lifestyles. Lest we forget these women are literally famous for getting pregnant at 16 and it’s a tough pill to swallow watching them constantly vacation, build mansions, buy new cars etc. The premise of this show is supposedly to dissuade teens from getting pregnant, but if the network was genuine, they’d show the struggle of teen pregnancy with a new batch of girls. Young people look at this show and see these 26-27 year old millionaires and honestly think a baby might be their key to the good life.


    1. How does Chelsea constantly vacation. Everything she does revolves around those kids. She even stays at home to take care of them (per Cole’s request).

      The ONE time that I remember her taking a vacation, she and Cole had Aubree, Watson and Layne with them (and Randy joined them later, I remember it vividly because Chelsea the prospect of Cole adopting Aubree).

      And if memory serves me correctly, the friend that they vacationed with had her children with her as well.


      1. Chelsea is the exception to the “constantly on vacation” comment but Kail took a vacation with her kids to Mexico then the next week had to take a vacation to Costa Rica because she needed a vacation, from her vacation! And Leah has vacationed several times with Kail.


        1. Yeah. I understand what you mean about the other moms vacationing all the time. I guess I read your post wrong, it sounded like you were talking about ALL the moms. I’m sorry if my comment offended you.


  30. Ratings have dipped because the show sucks now. No one cares about their staged vacations, and new homes. We get it, they all have either drug problems or mental illness. Time to shut this down. It’s just not interesting anymore.


  31. When is MTV gonna wake the fuck up? It has NOTHING to do with Juh-Nel!! It has everything to do with their support and their sponsors support of domestic violence, keeping Amber on the show and the fact that the show has run its course. Shut. It. Down. Juh-Nel is a one woman train wreck. Don’t bring her back. Get rid of them all!!


    1. Agreed!
      I don’t watch at all anymore! It is all so unrealistic and they have no clue what reality is. How will they survive without those big figures??
      Plus, I guarantee numbers are low because people don’t want to support them after the whole Amber thing.
      And if Jenelle takes pride in this, then that’s sad too! Cuz that basically means her life was a joke and for entertainment purposes only.
      Who wants to be a clown??


  32. The ratings are dropping because the show is fake as the Teen Moms instagram. How can these woman put out pics on Instagram knowing they don’t look anything like that?
    I guess everyone’s going to ignore that Vee is no longer supporting Kail.


  33. The show has run its course. If you started watching at 28 youre 38. That’s a long time to follow a show. Even the best of shows like Seinfeld, and Friend’s go off the air after a DECADE. These girls are seasoned vets. Brianna and her hoe behavior can’t save a sinking ship. We only watched Jenelle so we could report her to the authorities. I don’t wanna watch Kailyn build her forever home and have more fatherless kids. I don’t wanna watch Chelsea have panic attacks so she can have a storyline. I don’t want to watch Leah hook up with her ex husband and act like its cute, meanwhile her daughters sit on tv in bikinis with a face full of makeup and ” long fingernails” as Addie says😁 Put a fork in this show.


  34. The ratings haven’t fallen just because Jenelle is off Teen Mom 2, they are dipping because we don’t want to support MTV and Viacom when they choose to keep Amber after she abuses her spouse and torments her baby. The ratings are going to keep falling because we don’t think it is right to keep a DV repeat offender on TV and turn their backs on the victims.


      1. Yeah they are giving Janelle too much credit. People hated/hate her. She’s a horrible parent and overall human being. Now MTV is choosing to keep Psycho Amber? No thank you. It’s repulsive.


    1. Somewhere Caitlyn is saying
      “Ty, this drop in rating is making me anxious that I will have to get a job soon. I think I need to go back to inpatient therapy.”


    2. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (expired) *]
      Yes, I know Janelle has a lot of issues surrounding her and her family; however, I do miss them all. I hope MTV brings them back soon!

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