Chelsea Houska is easily one of the most beloved stars (maybe THE most beloved) of the Teen Mom franchise, and with good reason.
A big part of her appeal is that she keeps her head down and focuses on her own life, unemcumbered by the trappings of fame.
With that said, the pride of South Dakota sat down with the Don’t Tell Mom podcast to open up about a number of topics.
(Big shoutout to The Ashley for her very good transcription of the highlights.)
The Housk dishes on her troubled ex, what it’s really like to be a Teen Mom 2 star and how that has changed over the years.
On a family note, she and husband Cole have a lot of plans for the future – in terms of reality TV and growing their family.
Take a look at what Chelsea (and even Cole) shared below:
The Housk!!
“I probably should have gotten permission technically to do this podcast,†Chelsea, who fans are always dying for updates from, admits. “To even do articles, we’re supposed to go through MTV Press, but I don’t think people do that anymore. I don’t like to break rules!” She’s so relatable!
She’s been coming out of her shell
“This last year I feel like I’m kind of growing as a person,†Chelsea acknowledges. “Before I used to hide in my house, literally, hide in my house, all the time. Now I’m trying to put myself out there a little bit.”
That’s why her social media presence has been ramping up
“We are so lucky for the opportunities we have due to this platform,” Chelsea emphasizes. “So I’m finally being able to be like, ‘Listen, if you want to make the most of this, and anyone should, you’ve got to put yourself out there,’ and that’s what we’re trying to do now.”
Is that sociopathic derelict Adam Lind planning on showing his face again?
“No, I think that might have been a little click bait because he made an appearance on one episode because he showed up to one of Aubree’s softball games when we were filming,†Chelsea explains. “So they caught him on camera. I don’t think he’s coming back. Not that I know of.” (Phew.)
Even Chelsea gets online hate
“I’m very sensitive, and I just want people to like me. I care a lot,†she admits. Oh MOOD. “Luckily, our following is so supportive, and for the most part everyone is really sweet to us.” (We love you, girl!)
Others have it worse
“We’re really lucky because I know some of the [Teen Mom] girls get hit pretty hard by [haters],” Chelsea acknowledges. “It makes me feel really bad for them. But we all get it.” A lot of trolls out there on the web are just being mean because it’s in their nature. Some, like Jenelle, receive angry responses because they say and do bad things.
It used to be worse
“I remember when I first started the show, someone had written an article about [me], the next girl who was going to be on 16 and Pregnant,” Cheslea recalls. “I remember calling my dad crying.â€Â
She even tried to back out
“I called MTV and I wanted them to not even play my episode because it scared me so badly to see [the negative comments],” Chelsea reveals. “I didn’t know. I wasn’t prepared for that part. It took some getting used to.”
She has to know her limits
“I read [comments online] for a little bit and when I see one negative one, I’m like, ‘Alright I’m done.’ Otherwise you get sucked in,” she reasons. That sounds like a good strategy for any reality star.
She does have one weakness when it comes to hate
“When people say something mean to Cole, I’m like, ‘NO! You don’t be mean to Cole because he’s like an angel!’†Chelsea describes.
Cole has been as patient as he is handsome
Yes, they say things are too good to be true, but Cole … he is basically as great as you think he is. “He had to accept a lot,” she points out. “He had to accept me with a kid, me with a baby daddy who’s a little sketch, and also the show.”
Cole even chimes in on this topic
Joining his beautiful wife for part of the interview, Cole himself adds: “There’s been a couple comments where I almost gave [the person] my address and said, ‘I’ll be outside.’”
Chelsea just laughs at this point
She says: “Whatever! If they actually showed up, he’d be like, ‘Hey buddy, how you doing?’”
Their family of five is in for some changes
“We definitely want one more [baby],†Chelsea says, delighting the masses. “At least one.” They already have Aubree (from her relationship with that loser Lind), Watson, and Layne.
Previously, they wanted even MORE kids
“Aubree’s older so she’s easier now… she was a good baby. Watson’s a tiny Cole, really sweet and sensitive and the easiest baby ever. Then Layne came and she’s the wildest, feisty baby,” Chelsea observes. “Before [she came] we were like ‘Let’s do two more’ but now we’re like ‘Maybe one.’”
How about her experiences with producers?
“I know that it’s different with each girl and it matters who they’re working with,†Chelsea notes. “I know some people are shadier than others. I love my team that I have. None of the stories are fake or set up or anything.”
Still, some conversations are planned
“But they’re not always here [filming] either,” she points out. “If we have something going on…say, like when we got robbed. They obviously weren’t here for that but they came that week after it happened, and we were able to discuss how we’re feeling. They do miss some things.”
Teen Mom 2 has changed a lot over the years
“I feel like in the beginning, they definitely wanted that drama with Adam,†Chelsea recalls. “They would be like, ‘You should film with him to get this closure’ or whatever. But it’s come a long way from that, I would say.”
Now, there’s more of a rapport
“My field producer, Mandi, I’m obsessed with her,†Chelsea raves. “We have all had a couple different field producers, because you have to find someone you feel comfortable with. That’s the person who’s asking you some personal freaking questions and getting all up in your grill. They’re in your house, they’re playing with your kids. It’s hard to find someone that you mesh with.”
It takes a lot for stars to feel comfortable
“I wouldn’t say really bad,†Chelsea says of her experiences with different producers. “I don’t open up. I think I open up to women and gay men more. I’ve never had a producer who’s a manly man. I don’t open up to people, and it just hasn’t worked out. There’s just been sketchy people, I don’t know…”
Is she sticking with Teen Mom 2 forever?
“I feel like we would eventually get – I don’t feel it now – but I’ve been through ups and downs, where I’m like ‘Can I keep doing this? Is this healthy for my mental state?’” she admits. “You go back and forth.”
For now, they’re staying the course
“We’re in such a good place now, we enjoy it,” Chelsea affirms, saying she’s been able to find the right balance for the time being. “But if it ever got to a place where it was not healthy for us, [we would be done].”
That goes for her kids, too
“If [Aubree] was like ‘I truly don’t want to do this’ we’d tell them she’s done,†Chelsea vows. “Our family and our marriage is number one.” Good!
What an enlightening interview!
Honestly, it’s no wonder that Chelsea has been a fan-favorite. She’s just a delight and has overcome so much personal baggage to get to a point of true happiness and maturity.