Teen Mom’s Maci Says Ryan Coparenting Relationship Is ‘Healthier’
Teen Mom star Maci Bookout revealed her coparenting dynamic with ex-fiancé Ryan Edwards has drastically improved, telling In Touch exclusively in a video interview that it happened organically.
“I would say I would describe it as, um, healthy. It’s definitely healthier,” the MTV personality, 33, shares in an update while promoting season 2B of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter. “It’s, I mean, we still have a long way to go, but it’s much more stable and stronger than it’s ever been and than I ever thought it could be, to be honest.”
Maci shares 16-year-old son Bentley Edwards with ex Ryan, 37, and is mom to two other children, daughter Jayde McKinney, 9, and son Maverick Reed McKinney, 8, shared with her husband Taylor McKinney, whom she married in 2016.
As for Ryan, he is also dad to son Jagger, 6, and daughter Stella, 5, shared with his estranged wife, Mackenzie Standifer. The former couple called it quits in February 2023, and their divorce has yet to be finalized.
Ryan is currently expecting his first baby with fiancée Amanda Conner in February.
Maci says the coparenting change with Ryan didn’t happen overnight, telling In Touch “it took a lot of self-awareness and accountability, but also, um, patience and just a lot of individual work. You know … everyone involved had to do a lot of work on themselves for all of us to be where we are now.”
Fans have watched their evolution over the years after Maci and Ryan made their reality TV debut in 2009 when they appeared on the first season of 16 and Pregnant.
More recently, Maci appeared on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter and showed Bentley learning how to drive a car. Bentley was overjoyed when he was given a brand-new blue Jeep in honor of his milestone birthday in October 2024.
Their blended family and friends spent the evening living it up at WindStone Golf Club in Georgia.
Maci tells In Touch that she and Ryan have followed through on their plan to remain cordial for the sake of their kids after years of turmoil.
“There was an actual like conversation that we had, um, a couple of years ago and it was basically just, you know, we’re gonna start over and this, we’re gonna do things differently and that’s what we’ve done,” the bestselling author, who is also using her platform to promote fire relief help after the Los Angeles wildfires, reveals. “But, you know, there was no forcing it or anything. Like, it’s happened just naturally on its own time. So, it’s nice to have the foundation now that we really never had before.”
Maci says that Ryan seems to be making strides in his personal life and she is glad to witness it.
“I think they’re fantastic together. I think he finally picked the right one,” Maci previously shared with In Touch about his bride-to-be. “But also, it’s a real blessing for Bentley to be able to see someone love his dad.”
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs on MTV Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.