Maci Bookout recently sat down with YouTube vlogger (and her old school pal) Adam Newell of the YouTube channel Up and Adam! to talk about her Teen Mom cash, her ex Ryan Edwards‘ addiction (and whether or not being on the show contributed to it), the possibility of a Maci-only spin-off show and more!
Here, The Ashley breaks down some of the most-interesting parts of Maci’s new interview.
On whether or not she believes being on ‘Teen Mom’ contributed to Ryan’s addiction:
As ‘Teen Mom’ fans know, Ryan has struggled with drug addiction for years, and Maci discussed how him being on the show may have played a part in addiction. (Although she didn’t specifically say it, Maci presumably meant that the money Ryan made from being on the show helped to enable his ability to buy the drugs.)
“I think there were many factors to it,” she said of Ryan’s addiction. “I think in the beginning [of Ryan’s drug use], [being on the show] was one of the main factors. But once you’re in active addiction, the factors [that got you started] don’t really matter anymore, until you’re ready to get help and work through those factors.”
On why she didn’t want Bentley to have a relationship with Ryan for years:
Bentley and Ryan didn’t spend much time together for the majority of Bentley’s life, with Maci usually co-parenting with Ryan’s parents, Jen and Larry, rather than Ryan. Maci talked about the reasons she didn’t want Bentley to spend time alone with Ryan.
“For a while, honestly, it just wasn’t safe for Bentley, and I couldn’t confidently put Bentley in a situation where I wasn’t sure of his safety,” she said. “And, also, Bentley didn’t really want to be around [Ryan], and mainly because he was using [drugs] constantly. Bentley was just getting older and it was to the point where, like, he knew that he was using, so it just put him in a very uncomfortable position.”
On why she talks about Bentley’s therapy on the show:
Maci stated that Bentley’s been in therapy for three years now, and wants to share how much it’s helped him. She said this is why Bentley allows MTV to film about it.
“He’s a big advocate for therapy,” Maci said. “I’m really proud of him and shocked because he doesn’t have to share any of that if he doesn’t want to. We don’t have to talk about that [on the show]. But he’s so big on [it]. Like, him being a white male from the South, there’s such a stigma around therapy.”
Maci said Bentley wants to show other kids his age that therapy can be a good thing and nothing to be ashamed of. She stated that, during a mother/son therapy session with Bentley last year, Bentley told her that her lack of relationship with Ryan was affecting the relationship— or lack thereof— Bentley had with Ryan.
“Hearing Bentley tell me that made me realize that I needed to change the way I had been thinking about this,” Maci said, adding that she did a therapy session with Ryan soon after that to establish how they’d co-parent Bentley going forward.
On the money she’s made from ‘Teen Mom’:
When asked if her giant MTV paycheck is the reason she has remained on ‘Teen Mom’ for all of these years, Maci admitted that the money is too good to pass up.
“Obviously, the pay is great,” she said. “I feel like I’ve invested very well. Like, if I wasn’t on the show tomorrow, it would be like, ‘Dang, that’s a loss’ but we would be totally OK. Like really OK.”
Maci said she and the rest of the ‘Teen Mom’ cast have more security than the casts of other reality shows, such as the ones on Bravo.
“You could be gone, you could be cut so fast [on those shows]. I will say it’s a little more comfortable on our show, because, even though it’s an ensemble cast, we don’t live near each other and see each other all the time,” Maci said. “For the most part, everything you see on the show is everything that would have actually happened without the cameras there.
“…for us, it’s our our real life, and then when we get together, it might be something fun or special. It might be a little bit of drama, but it’s still us just talking about our real lives.”
On whether or not she’d do a spinoff show about her family:
“I think it really would depend on the direction of it all,” Maci said. “Because, for me, truth be told, the drama that I bring really just has to do with co-parenting and just raising kids. So I’m not sure we would be able to … hold something down on my own, unless people wanted to just see, like, crazy schedules, kids, chaos-type of thing.”
“I wouldn’t be against it, but I know sometimes when there’s not a lot there, producers have a job [to make a show],” Maci said. “It’s one of those [things] where I like to be able to share what I’m going through and not feel like, at the end of the day, the cameras and the production of it have literally started a fire and then bailed. But I still have to live with the fire.”
While Maci said “it would be worth a conversation,” she doesn’t think the people in her life would go for it.
“It’s very difficult to do, especially here. No one [I know] is dying to be on the show,” Maci said. “My friends really don’t film that much, and don’t really care to film…no one’s really dying to be on a reality TV show….”
You can watch Maci’s full interview with Up and Adam! below!
RELATED STORY: ‘Teen Mom: The Next Chapter’ Star Maci Bookout Reveals Son Bentley’s Anger Over His Dad Ryan Edwards’ Drug Overdose in April
(Photos: MTV)
Macy is probably the most “normal” of the Teen Moms. Unfortunately as a teenager she got knocked up by a guy who turned out to have addiction problems. But since then she managed to keep a relationship with that guy’s parents. Find a man to get married and raise s family with. Live a normal life, appreciative of the money she gets from being on TV. Do enough PR to keep the money rolling in. She’s even smart enough to know her life is too average to qualify for a spin-off. Don’t know what more anybody wants from her.
Actually she’s one of the only cast members who isn’t acting like she should have her own show.
Lol! Everyone hurry jump on Maci and say she is a piece of shit mom, wife, coparent, actress, etc. The bottom line is no one here knows her personally or whats best for her family. No one can judge another when your sitting in the bleachers with the sun in your eyes. Look at each of your own lives..how would people judge your life if they only got to see how you parented and live in a maybe 30 min segment one a week? You all sound like a bunch of jealous haters…she has a successful life, nies cars, kids are educatec and prob college is already paid for…sounds like she has a financial plan for her future. You all are on here talking about her and reading about her so she isnt too boring. If she was why read about her and comment? Because you find her interesting even though you lie and say you dont… which s exactly why mtv keeps giving her a big fat bag to stay on the show. Keep on hating and filling her pockets. Enjoy your success Maci!
They had to bring Ryan back to make macis storyline.. you can only talk about PCOS so much.. it’s been Ryan that’s kept people watching.. not maci herself.. and a lot of us have children and have had experience with addicts so we’re not talking without experience.. and we’re not judging.. we’re stating things for what they are bc of what’s happened with Ryan such as overdosing etc, which has been in the news since January and how has clearly handled it… she’s made it very clear how she’s handled it.
She’s on tv.. she chose to have her life and life choices talked about..
she not only has exploited ryans addiction and his and Bentleys relationship via the show but she has gone to every magazine to do an interview about it as of lately.. so you don’t even make sense.
Maci is boring. They tried a spin-off with her, and it bombed. That’s what those being special were. They start with “Being Maci”, as a pilot, but no one wants to see an entire show about Maci.
Like its great for Maci that she’s boring, but no one wants to watch an hour or even 30 mins of her.
Bentley can be an advocate for therapy. Bentley can benefit from therapy. Bentley could help change the stigma for therapy, without ever showing any part of his private therapy sessions. I don’t care how “mature” he is, he’s a child, and he truly doesn’t know the repercussions, that’s Maci’s job. But she has decided that her personal life is off limits, so she talks about Bentley’s. She’s pimping out her child for her to get the bag. Nope, still not okay.
Also, co-parenting with an addict in active addiction is truly insane. Like you’re not talking about who driving carpool this week or who’s making the snacks for his after-school programs. Or even talking about how to blend different parenting styles. Your problem with Rhine is you don’t want your child around a current addict, period. So until he changes that, there is really nothing to discuss. He has no custody, the judge won’t let him see Bentley without Rhine proving he’s sober for three months. So it’s just a fake storyline.
And to think Maci used to be most everyone’s favorite.
I used to really like maci but watching her jump at any and every chance to a exploit bentley makes it really hard. And all so she can live off her pleather pocket tees. Hope it’s worth it Mace.
I dont see what the therapy is supposed to help when no one is fixing the real problem.
Ryan is never going to be a productive adult. Never. Never ever.
No one around him ever holds Ryan accountable. And they won’t,ever. Never ever.
No amount of talking that through is ever going to change anything.
Forcing this kid to continually relive trauma isnt healthy. Making him a therapy poster boy isnt healthy.
Know what is healthy? Coming to terms and being allowed to admit Ryan is a piece of shit, and so are his parents, that you want nothing to do with him and his parents. Cutting off folks that are toxic..
And saying fuck this TV show!!!
You’re right. It does not appear that anyone is particularly interested in addressing the real problem, or in helping Bentley navigate a *healthy* relationship with his father.
That said, taking Maci at her word (😬) IF it is Bentley’s choice, it could be very helpful in the continued quest to
de stigmatize therapy.
100% agree about therapy with Maci and Rhine.
What could be productive about therapy with an addict in active addiction? Nothing he says is going to matter. 1. because he is not fully there 2. He’s not going to remember most of it 3. it doesn’t change the co-parenting situation.
Maci has (rightfully so) decided that that Rhine will not see Bentley until he’s 3 months sober, and can take a urine and hair follicle test through the courts to prove it. So they aren’t discussing anything productive about raising Bentley, or even how to deal with Rhine drug addiction. Maci would be better off doing therapy with Jen & Larry to see how they can be a part of Bentley’s life while also holding firm boundaries around Rhine. Or even individual therapy about how to handles raising a child who’s bio father is an addict and now an women beater.
1. Get a REAL job. Go to work like everybody else since you’re REALLY okay financially.
2. Stop trying to ride Rhine’s gigglestick.
Both of these will benefit both your marriage and Bentley.
Did you see new article in the Sun with a picture of Taylor Ryan Bentley and Larry golfing recently… makes you think Taylor likes all the drama surrounding their situation. If it keeps them relevant, it seems like he doesn’t care if Maci comes off like she’s still attracted to Ryan.. (as long as it means another season of the show)…
I watched a few episodes of the season where he came into the picture and he made several comments about putting things off like his proposal , etc so they could get another season of the show..
they’re all gross
Ok but no one cares Maci. You’re life is dull and basic. Without Ryan’s crap you have nothing so spin off to an employment agency and get a real job.
For real. Her segments have been boring for years.
he’s so big on [it]. Like, him being a white male from the South, there’s such a stigma around therapy.”
😒 your kids are not your agenda, Maci.
You’re right, they’re not 🙄
As far as I know, SHE MADE Bentley talk about his therapy even though he didn’t want to…and now suddenly you say he was okay with it all along? Doubt it but he just goes along with it because you were pestering him. Leave the boy alone and stop forcing him to talk to his addicted father because he was a real father figure in Taylor!