Believe it or not, this week marks 10 years since Teen Mom made its debut on MTV.
Some of our younger readers might not even remember that the show was a source of tremendous controversy at the time of its premiere.
Parents feared that Teen Mom might glamorize teenage pregnancy and have a generation of high school girls eager to get knocked up at a young age in the hope that doing so might make them famous.
That didn’t happen — at least not in any large numbers — but these days, the series is controversial for an entirely different set of reasons.
MTV has been accused of condoning — and even encouraging — abuse, neglect, and other abhorrent behaviors by rewarding the perpetrators with cushy, six-figure television jobs.
We won’t weigh in on that debate today, but we will say that when you look at how they wound up, it’s hard to believe that the original girls of Teen Mom OG came from such humble origibns.
Join us on a trip down memory lane, as we look at how it all began (and try to figure out what went wrong):
The Beginning (Getty) It’s been a full decade since Teen Mom OG made its debut on MTV. In celebration, we’re looking back at how much life has changed for the original girls since we first met them in December of 2009.
Amber Alert Now, the show did go off the air for a while when Amber Portwood was sent to jail, but it returned to MTV as Teen Mom: OG after her release. So where better to begin our look back than with the franchise’s original jailbird?
A Simpler Time When Amber made her Teen Mom debut, she and then-boyfriend Gary Shirley had recently welcomed daughter Leah.
Dark Times (Getty) Gary moved out in 2010 after being assaulted by Amber on numerous occasions.
Locked Up (Getty) Amber was found guilty of domestic assault, but she was only convicted and sent to prison when a police search turned up drugs in her home.
Old Habits These days, Amber is a mother of two, but sadly, the 29-year-old has yet to put her violent ways behind her.
A Familiar Pattern Portwood recently lost custody of her son, James, after she was arrested for assaulting former fiance Andrew Glennon. This time, she was able to avoid jail time.
Fabulous Farrah Perhaps the only Teen Mom who can rival Amber in terms of narcissism and general dysfunction is Farrah Abraham.
A Traumatic Start Farrah began her career as a sympathetic figure, having welcomed daughter Sophia just two months after the baby’s father, Derek Underwood, was killed in a car accident.
A Separation (Getty) Farrah and Derek had been broken up for several months at the time of his death, and it seems the breakup was not an amicable one.
Yikes “The last time I saw Derek was when I was five months pregnant,” Farrah revealed on a 2016 episode of Teen Mom OG. “My dad and Derek pulled knives on each other and called the cops on each other and it was really sad.”
Cam Girl Sadly, Farrah’s life didn’t get much easier from there — but these days, her problems are mostly self-created. In 2017, she was fired by MTV as a result of her refusal to stop performing in live online sex shows.
Ups and Downs Farrah initially supported herself by opening several retail businesses, but those have all closed their doors for good. These days, it’s rumored that Farrah is supporting herself as a high-priced escort, but we can neither confirm nor deny those reports.
Besties For Life Whatever she’s up to, Farrah’s 10-year-old daughter Sophia is her constant companion as she travels the globe. Of course, that might not be such a good thing.
Maci the Mom Next up is Maci Bookout, the most stable member of the Teen Mom OG family.
A LOT Has Changed For Maci When we first met Maci, she and then-fiance Ryan Edwards had recently welcomed son Bentley.
The Rebound Guy (Getty) After things fell apart with Ryan, Maci dated Kyle King for a while. Things were so serious that the two of them bought a house together, but they went their separate ways after Kyle was caught cheating.
A Happy Family These days, Maci is happily married to Taylor McKinney. The couple has two children together, and Bentley lives with them the majority of the time.
As For Ryan … … Well, he hasn’t been quite as lucky. Edwards’ is married to Mackenzie Standifer, and the two of them have a child together, but his road has not been an easy one.
A Troubled Father Ryan’s substance abuse issues have led to many brushes with the law, and he served several months behind bars earlier this year. His contact with both Maci and Bentley is severely limited due to a restraining order.
The OG Couple Next on the list is Catelynn Lowell, the only Teen Mom star who’s still together with the man she was dating when the show started.
A Happy Ending These days, Catelynn and Tyler Baltierra are happily married, but the path to domestic bliss has not been a smooth one.
The Hardest Choice Shortly after they made their television debut, Catelynn and Tyler made the difficult decision to give their daughter up for adoption.
Making It Work Tyler and Catelynn have since welcomed two other daughters, and they still maintain regular contact with Carolyn, the young girl they put up for adoption.
An Open Book (MTV) Catelynn has struggled with depression and anxiety over the years, and she’s been praised by viewers for her willingness to do so openly.
The OGs of OG Teen Mom OG has gained several new cast members over the years, including Bristol Palin and Cheyenne Floyd, but the original girls will always have a special place in the hearts of viewers.