Amanda Conner is about to give birth to her second child, and the pregnant fiancee of Ryan Edwards just scored a major win in court that will bring her firstborn back into her care.
On Monday, Amanda– who appeared on the most-recent season of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter with Ryan— announced on TikTok that she was awarded full custody of her son, Brandon, whom she lost custody of a year or so after his 2013 birth. Amanda stated that she had been working to get custody of Brandon back for a long time, and that she had completed all the requirements given to her by the court.
“I filed a petition last month for full custody,” Amanda– who, like Ryan, is a recovering addict who has an extensive arrest history– said. “I’ve done every requirement they’ve asked: completed probation, completed rehabilitation— inpatient and outpatient– [done] parenting, [classes], hair follicles [drug testing]. I have been on a roll just trying to get custody back of my kid.
“I wasn’t ready to talk about it in the beginning just because it bothered me not having custody of him,” she added.
@amandaa_conner🥳 WORKED SO HARD FOR THIS!!♬ Everyday We Lit (feat. PnB Rock) – YFN Lucci
Amanda returned to the video after her court hearing to announce that she had been awarded full legal custody of Brandon. A court order posted by Amanda revealed that she now has the authority to consent to “any educational, medical, surgical or hospital procedure necessary in the best interest of said child.”
As The Ashley previously reported, Amanda is due to give birth to Ryan’s daughter in February. (Amanda and Ryan are reportedly engaged; however, neither has publicly spoken about the engagement, most likely because Ryan is still currently legally married to his ex, Mackenzie.)
When they do get hitched, this will be Ryan’s second marriage and Amanda’s third. She was previously married to Brandon’s father (aka Brandon Sr.), whom she filed for divorce from in November 2019. Their son, Brandon Jr. was born in 2013 but Amanda and Brandon Sr. lost custody of him in 2014. Amanda’s father and stepmom were given temporary custody of the boy. An order from Juvenile Court issued in May 2014 revealed that, at the time, both Amanda and Brandon Sr. were incarcerated.
“The court found [Brandon Jr.] dependent and neglected based upon both parents being incarcerated and leaving the child in Hamilton County without a legal guardian,” the order read. “Therefore, in the best interest of the child, the Court awarded legal custody of the petitioners [Amanda’s dad and stepmom].”
Amanda’s request for a divorce from Brandon Sr. was finally granted in May 2020, after a judge found Brandon— who had not responded to Amanda’s divorce filing— guilty of inappropriate marital conduct. Brandon Jr. remained in the care of Amanda’s dad and stepmom Lisa during this time.
Sadly, Amanda’s father died in September 2021, leaving Brandon Jr. in the custody of Amanda’s stepmom.
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Before marrying Brandon Sr., Amanda was briefly married to a man in Florida. Their marriage lasted only four months, and their divorce was finalized in January 2011.
Amanda’s son Brandon was present at Amanda and Ryan’s baby shower over the weekend. He was photographed wearing a shirt that said, “Big Brother,” alongside Ryan’s oldest son Bentley (whose mom is Maci Bookout). Ryan’s other two kids— Stella and Jagger, whom he shares with Mackenzie— did not appear to be at the baby shower.
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The baby shower was filmed for the upcoming season of ‘Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.’
Last month, Amanda gave multiple interviews about her pregnancy, in which she stated that she was excited to get another chance to be a mom, given that she didn’t have custody of her firstborn for the majority of his life. (She did, however, have visitation.)
“For me, I can enjoy this pregnancy and I have a second chance at motherhood,” she told People. “For Ryan, he is in a place that he hasn’t been in for a long time. We are excited to move forward from our past mistakes.”
RELATED STORY: Ryan Edwards’ Pregnant Girlfriend Amanda Conner Seemingly Confirms She & the ‘Teen Mom’ Star Are Engaged
(Photos: Instagram; TikTok)
37 Responses
100% agree when it comes to Maci. I don’t think she ever got over Ryan. But I don’t personally believe that Ryan ever truly cared about her.
This was typed out as a response to “maybeitslalaland” down at the way bottom, not sure what the heck is going on around here..
I don’t try to wish ill on anyone trying to better their life, but I could see this heading south really really fast once the baby is here. Sure it’s all sugar and rainbows now because you’re anticipating something seen as wonderful, but being stuck with the idea of being a good parent and being a good parent are very different things. I hope for this kid that they keep their shit together, but I can’t understand how it takes someone 10 years to stop being selfish and finally BE a parent … And Ryan doesn’t have the best track record with being an active dad. He has two kids he doesn’t even know, potentially a third. I don’t know, I can’t help but feel sad for another child being brought into this shitstorm of a family.
People can say what they like. She literally did all the requirements to ensure her kid lives with her. That is her 2nd chance. Getting Brandon back so she could be the mother he deserves to have. People can change.
Was she not an active addict like a year ago? That really does not seem safe for the boy. Also, why uproot him and take him away from the person who has been mom and from h is home? I don’t understand courts.
Also it must be weird for Bentley and the other kids to pose for family photos with new step siblings every other year. How can they be expected to bond with each other when they are always separated later?
@ellen ~ agree 💯 re: the photos. while reading the article i imagined bentley’s thoughts:
‘who TF are all these people, and will i ever see them again? should i even bother to learn their names?’ 😂🤣
Good luck to them.
Unpopular opinion, but this is the happiest and healthiest Rhine has looked in years. Amanda seems to be fun and charismatic. And not fake at all. She is how you see her.
Good luck to them. I hope they have truly turned their lives around and stay happy and healthy. That’s what would be in the best interest of all the kids and families involved.
This was a very long time to finally get the process done but her and Ryan did meet in recovery so she probably wanted to hopefully be 100 percent she wasn’t going to fall back into her habits. Could still happen but I dunno, as crazy as this whole situation is and she can seem, I think she feels like one of those girls everyone wants to hate but will
prove people wrong.
You probably support Jenelle and Amber, too, huh? 🤦🏻♀️
I will give her this- this is great news. Glad she did this even though I feel like she did it because like someone else said, it would’ve looked bad if she didn’t. Anyway- if Brandon Jr is happy, he is safe and the courts deemed her and her home to be acceptable for full custody to be given to her, that is all that matters. I just hope they don’t mess this up. Her son and all children involved deserve better than what they’ve gotten so far. Glad to see that she’s done the work though…
“I didn’t want you for ten years of your life, but last month I finally decided I want to be your mom again, because I’m having this new baby and not wanting you makes me look bad”. FIFY Amanda.
I am someone who believes that reunification should always be the initial end goal, unless circumstances determine it should not be. I am all for reunification whenever possible-even if it takes a long time, provided people are willing to put the work necessary in. I have had countless experiences with biological parents who just need a hand up, some help, time to get things sorted and are *willing* to do whatever it takes. It can take years sometimes, and I totally get that. Yes, these experiences also include addicts, of all types. They work out well when people are willing to put in the necessary work-THE WHOLE TIME, even if they falter. The desire needs to be there though.
They have never worked well when someone waits most of a child’s life before they even begin starting to put work in. It wasn’t until people started judging Amanda about her “second chance to be a mom” comment that she actually started to put work in for reunification. What she did prior had nothing to do with being a parent, she was legally obligated to do rehab, drug testing, etc… to reduce sentences for crimes previously committed. The paperwork she has simply says those things need to have been accomplished within X amount of years from the time of filing (typically it’s 5 years). We have that same paperwork here for bio-parents working towards reunification, it’s pretty standard stuff. Her drug testing is long over, her being clean a year ago, doesn’t mean she’s clean today (she’s not, because she vapes and the vapes she uses are not all nicotine-even if they were, that’s STILL not considered clean when pregnant in the court system and attempting reunification with a history of drug use).
The fact that she was granted custody is not a good thing, while her getting actual visitation that isn’t supervised, would’ve been. Many courts would side with her today-that too, is not a good thing, and is far more telling about the shitty system we have. Because she’s a biological parent, she would get preferential treatment over a step-grandparent in nearly every single state (and just about all countries outside of the US too). The only time she wouldn’t is if there was physical child abuse involved-even then, some places she still would. Since there isn’t any of that here and simply a chronic absentee parent with questionable past and recent history, the courts nearly always go with biology.
People who assume this decision is the court saying “you’re a good mom” to Amanda are delusional, because that’s not what they’re saying at all. What they are saying is “biology takes preference over what is in the child’s best interest”. It happens ALL the time. Two of my children have been in and out of my home three times because of the same thing-a court giving custody back to someone who only wanted them temporarily to seem like a “good mom” (when in reality, far from it). Now they are on track for adoption, thankfully, but it’s been a long road getting here.
I’m not wishing ill on Amanda, despite what my personal feelings or opinions about her are. I hope she figures life out before she really fucks up those kids and starts changing the way she thinks, and acts, because she is immature af and not at all prepared for parenthood. I do wish the system did better, because she isn’t what’s best for that boy (not right now, tbd for the future). I know we can do better. The overall health and wellbeing of children needs to take precedence and should always, always, always be the priority. The desires of a biological parent should NEVER supersede this, but in nearly every single state, and almost every country, it does 9 times out of 10.
A month, that’s how long ago she decided she wanted to be his mom again. The child’s life is worth more than a month of scrutiny from people on the internet driving her to do better. This little boy is worth more than a month of actual work towards parenthood. His life is worth more than someone’s desire to play happy families. He is a real live human being, not a play toy.
This was a long read, but worth every single word. Thank you ♥
It was pretty long, rofl, and I do apologize for the length. I am extremely passionate about it (parents being good parents in general, really), not because I simply “hate Amanda” or something, it’s just a movie I have seen played out for many years in real life.
I know what it might look like on the outside-especially for people who want to see it in a better light and see her do better. That said, I also know what it’s like on the inside of these kinds of situations and how they, more often than not, actually go.
I always root for the biological parents whenever possible (barring certain situations, like abuse, of course), in cases I participate in. I’m still a realist though and have enough experience to know when something is hinky. Fairy tale endings, even in the best circumstances, aren’t real. There are a lot of effects that remain for a lifetime.
The one month thing irks me to no end, because it’s really how things often go. You don’t go from being an absentee, immature, addict adult to a fully involved, loving, ready to parent adult in a month’s time. In no world is that reality. I work hand in hand with addicts working towards getting their kids back (most not in my own care). It’s a harsh reality that NONE of them are ever prepared for-especially emotionally. I push for judges and bioparents to take baby steps, because it’s healthier for the kids, but also the adults. You can’t jump into a 25 foot deep pool and hope your never-taught-how-to-swim brain (damaged due to addiction on top of that) knows what to do. It won’t, and it’s going to hurt everyone involved. Put on a life vest and walk in slowly from the shallow end. You first learn how to float, then how to swim.
This is spot on! He’s half grown and she just now cares since we all dragged her over her “second chance at motherhood” comments. I hope it all works out because there’s a lot of kids involved, but like I’ve said in a previous post, drug or no drugs, they’ve still got “dopehead mentalities” and until they overcome that way of thinking (which plenty of recent actions show they have not) they’ll continue to live in chaos.
Why do I feel like MTV is behind this somehow?
Like they’re really trying to make fetch happen with this couple.. with Ryan, especially.
How quickly and swiftly they dusted under the rug the shit smeared walls, the arrests. Smh.
10 years is a very long time. I truly hope this works out for them.
Why Amanda got 2016 eyebrows
Wondering the same thing!
Matches her leg tattoos….
@goa ~ those shin (!!) tattoos are absolutely tuh-ragic. 🗑️
Becoming a step-parent over night and then adding an infant two months later would be a lot for anyone/any relationship, but especially for Rhine and Amanda who are newly sober and haven’t been together very long. Having kids really changes a relationship. It’s always just been the two of them, but now Rhine gets to play dad to a kid who isn’t his and a baby with this girl? These two are obviously very selfish and this is going to be a huge change to their dynamic. Hope this all works out but… big yikes.
Congrats to her! When parents and children can be safely reunited it is always a win. She and Ryan actually seem like they are doing very well. Hopefully that continues!
Poor kid, he now has to leave the mother that raised him after having lost the only father figure he knew so Amanda can play house with Ryan.
You can’t trust junkies and felons to raise and care for kids.
That’s funny my son was taken from me 12 years ago and I got sober and changed my life and he is thriving along with my 6 year old daughter. He sings in church, plays the piano, basketball, and makes straight A’s. With God anything can be done ✅ oh and I have an amazing job making $80,000 a year after going back to school. Anyone can change when they put the work in.
Don’t know why you got down voted. Good for you! Congrats on all of the good things!
okay, I’m not a fan of Ryan and Amanda and question this whole mess. But don’t speak on all ex-junkies and felons. Some people do get clean and turn their lives around. I know quite a few ex-junkies and felons who did their time, worked the steps, and are significantly better people today.
So she’s going to take the kid out of the only house he’s ever really known so she can play happy families. Hopefully he’s not as messed up as Jace is after going through basically the same situation
From the sounds of things he’s happy to be back with his mom.
Did his current guardian even oppose the change? If not I don’t know that I’d calling it ripping him out of a home. Being recently widowed, and having to raise a child that isn’t related to you has to be difficult. It also seems like Amanda actually did what she needed to regain custody. Which is more than Jenelle was willing to do for any of her kids.
Always a great idea to have a kid to replace the one you lost custody of
She has her son back with full custody.Has worked hard on herself for awhile now.
It’s great seeing Amanda do so well in recovery. She (and Ryan) look fabulous. I bet she is a great employee at the rehab center she works at too. Ryan/Amanda should make Tik Tok’s sharing their sobriety journey. These two have charisma and could get through to some addicts who are at “rock bottom”.
are you high?!
exactly. i’ve been saying from the beginning: they are clean. i am not at all dismissing her past behaviors that she absolutely deserves punishment for. i’m acknowledgin and praising the changes she’s making now for the betterment of her family. do i think she’s a great person? nope. do i think she deserves her son back? based on court evidence, yes. i’m happy for them all and i hope they keep on this path. i truly would hate to see them fall.
I’m inclined to think Amanda isn’t currently using hard drugs. If she was then she wouldn’t have gone through the checklist to get her kid back. If she was still getting high, she’d probably be happy to leave him with her stepmom like she has been for the last ten years. Honestly, if she stops fighting with Mackenzie over stupid b.s. I might eventually like her.
I don’t know about Ryan. He’s a loser. He still acts like a loser. He can’t be bothered to show up to custody hearings. He only sees his younger kids because of his mother. Can’t even bother to ride with her to pick them up though. He still looks like a stoned sloth in all his pics. Sure Amanda going on about her ‘second chance’ is kinda cringe, but Ryan has had 3 other chances at this point and didn’t clean up. No reason to think #4 will be any different.
Okay, I’m just going to say this, maybe it’s bc I’m a writer and I tend to see things in a romanticized dramatic manner…. But I need to know if it’s just me or others see it too..
I feel like there’s this unspoken longing between Ryan and Maci. Like they both have this what if fantasy if Ryan woulda got his shit together sooner or if he woulda got it together from the start. Sometimes I think I see it on the subtext.
Hopefully they and their significant others aren’t reading the comments 😅
I have always thought this. Maci doesn’t look at Beer Taylor the same way she looks at Rhine.