Former ‘Teen Mom’ star and self-proclaimed “damn-good mom” Amber Portwood returned to social media this week with a life update and a newly launched YouTube channel.
As you may remember, Amber last resurfaced in May following another months-long break from social media. At the time, Amber claimed that she had plans in the works for her own YouTube show, which was still-unnamed, yet allegedly being produced by a “huge production” company.
While Amber did launch a YouTube channel this week, her new “show” remains nameless and there doesn’t appear to be a production company involved with the project– huge or otherwise. Regardless, the Couch Aficionado hinted that this week’s update is the first of many videos that she plans to drop.
Before Amber busts out her trusty military costume and decides to go AWOL again, here’s a recap of her first YouTube video, aptly titled, “Who I Am Today.”
On Her Decades-Long Reality TV Career:
Unsurprisingly, much of Amber’s YouTube video focused on her reality TV resume. While she was extremely vocal last year about being done with ‘Teen Mom’ once and for all, she began this week by taking viewers on a trip down memory lane to some of her most memorable TV moments.
“This is what I’ve done for 20 years on television,” Amber said, while showing a brief montage of some of her TV appearances from ‘Teen Mom,’ ‘Couples Therapy’ and various talk shows.
Amber went on to say that, because a career in reality TV has to be “created,” she always ensured that people got “100 percent” from her– for better or worse. Although she claimed that every version of herself that people saw on TV was a genuine depiction of who she was at that particular time, Amber suggested that she no longer identifies with some of her past behavior.
“To try to speak about who I was back then is so hard for me to explain,” Amber said. “Because you don’t feel the same anymore. You don’t act the same and you don’t talk the same either, unless you’re like, mad, then I start talking a little bit more like I used to back then.”
Amber also insisted that it’s become easier for her to “process things” than it used to be, as she’s gained a better understanding of who she is as a person.
“I know who I am today,” she said. “What I’m trying to say in lesser words is, I’m just an honest, real person today at the age of 36 that was an honest, real person that was on television for 20 years. I made a career out of it because of that exact thing. And I made a career out of it because I was infamous, not just this famous s**t, it was infamy.”
“I’ve been in trouble so many times with drugs, alcohol … anything you want to think about, I’ve been in trouble for,” Amber bragged.
Amber added that she believes her checkered past is actually something that helps her connect with others.
On Her Mental Health Issues:
While the ‘Teen Mom’ franchise frequently featured her struggles with mental health, Amber reminded fans this week that doctors have diagnosed her with multiple “mental disorders,” namely Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar 2 Disorder.
“I [have] Bipolar 2, which means I have about two weeks of mania, which is very high-energy, up in the air, and you get really impulsive and very emotional as well,” she explained. “It’s kind of like you feel like you’re Superwoman or Superman for a f**king couple weeks and then imagine that after a couple weeks, it just gets taken away and you’re in this complete loathing of everything and you don’t want to do anything.”
Amber added that “everyone’s case is different,” and that things like past trauma can contribute to how the disorder presents itself, noting that she personally has PTSD.
“So, this is different for everybody, but for me, when I get into my depressant stage, I’m down. I’m in the bed; I can’t move,” she explained. “I don’t want to take a shower, I don’t want to do anything. Nothing makes me feel good, other than talking to my son, and other than that, I just kind of have a mask on the entire time.”
(As fans of ‘Teen Mom’ know, Amber shares son James with ex Andrew Glennon. She’s also a mom to 17-year-old daughter Leah, whom she shares with former fiancé Gary Shirley. Amber did not mention Leah in her video, so it’s unknown if the two are still estranged.)
While Amber spoke briefly about the negative side affects her medication has on her health, she told fans she prides herself on having mental illnesses, as she recognizes that she grew up surrounded by “turmoil.”
“Nothing but screaming, nothing but yelling, nothing but just, this negative, disgusting energy,” she recalled. “A lot of that molded me into a really mean, a**hole of a person. I thought that was the way you reacted.”
On What Fans Can Expect to See on Her Channel:
Despite confidently launching her new YouTube show this week, Amber admitted that she doesn’t really have a clear vision as to what she will be bringing to her channel. Instead, she assured viewers that they are “going to get something, but I can’t tell you what you’re going to get.”
“It’s not going to be the same every show,” she said. “The topics are going to be everywhere. It has nothing to do with mania. It has to do with just what I know about things, what I’ve experienced myself, the education I’ve had– mostly in psychology, though– and that’s about it, just how I’ve grown.
“And to be honest, I don’t really know, it might be harsh to say, but, like, you can watch or you don’t have to watch. It’s kind of like that with me,” she continued, adding that she welcomes her critics as well as anyone who wants to “debate” her on things– to a certain point, anyway.
On Her (Apparently Long-Standing) Beef with Wikipedia:
Amber concluded her video by telling viewers they can “hit Google” if they want to know more about her. However, she strongly encouraged inquiring minds to avoid getting their information from her Wikipedia page.
“Number one thing I’m going to say, Wikipedia, you f**king a**holes,” Amber stated. “I have said this to you on TikTok a million times, change my s**t.
“ … within the first two sentences of Wikipedia, it says I’m a reality star and a convict,” she continued. “I don’t know many other people’s s**t that says that [who have] been on reality TV for as long as me … Wikipedia, you can go f**k yourself, as I told you before.”
You can watch Amber’s full update video below.
RELATED STORY: School District Gets Backlash After Announcing It Has Hired ‘Teen Mom’ Star Catelynn Lowell: “Puts Our Kids At Risk!”
(Photos: YouTube; MTV)
Honestly doesn’t seem like she has changed at all, still blaming everything on everyone else and not taking accountability. Even with mental illness she still needs to recognize her faults. If she did she might actually have a relationship with Leah, so glad Leah had Kristina as a mom, friend and role model, she seems like a fantastic teen ❤️