Does Amber Portwood Have Custody of Her Kids? The ‘Teen Mom OG’ Star’s Status Amid Custody Battle

Teen Mom OG star Amber Portwood has had a rocky journey since giving birth to her first child in November 2008, including multiple arrests for domestic violence and possession of a controlled substance and a bipolar disorder diagnosis. Keep reading to find out if Amber has custody of her children. 

How Many Kids Does Amber Portwood Have?

MTV viewers watched as Amber’s pregnancy drama unfolded during the first season of 16 and Pregnant when the reality star was 18 years old. After more than two years together, she and Gary Shirley welcomed daughter Leah Leann on November 12, 2008, but things between the two quickly turned sour and they called it quits. 

After her 3-year relationship with amateur DJ Matt Baier came to an end in 2017, Amber moved on with cinematographer Andrew Glennon after meeting on the set of Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars Family Edition. Shortly after making things official, the pair announced that they were expecting a baby together. Son James Andrew was born May 8, 2018.

Why Was Amber Portwood Arrested?

Teen Mom cameras were rolling as she punched, slapped and kicked Gary down a flight of stairs. After the footage aired in September 2010, an investigation by the Anderson, Indiana police department was conducted. Two months later, she was arrested and charged with three counts of domestic violence, two of which were felonies. After pleading guilty to the two felony charges, Amber was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence and two years of probation.

In December 2011, she was arrested again for felony possession of a controlled substance as well as violating her probation. Again, she pleaded guilty and received a five-year suspended sentence and was required to complete rehab. However, after dropping out of rehab, the judge reinstated her five-year sentence, and in June 2012, the reality star began her prison sentence. 

She was ultimately released on good behavior after serving 18 months and told Dr. Phil in December 2013 that she was focusing on being a good mom to her daughter going forward. 

After staying out of trouble for nearly six years, Amber was arrested again in July 2019. She was charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon after striking Andrew while he was holding their son. It was later revealed that the Never Too Late author used a machete to try to break into the room where Andrew and James were hiding. She was ultimately sentenced to 906 days of probation and required to take 26 weeks of parenting classes after pleading guilty.

Does Amber Have Custody of Her Kids?

Gary was granted full custody of daughter Leah in December 2011, while Amber was in the midst of her drug abuse problem. Following her release from prison, Amber and Gary entered a heated custody battle for their only child. 

In May 2016, the former couple finally agreed to new terms. While Gary maintained primary custody, they would continue to coparent and Amber would pay $1,200 per month in child support to her ex. 

“OK … I’m the one who told Gary I would pay him money,” Amber tweeted at the time.  “And I also said he could have primary because he’s closer to her school.”

As for her son James, in January 2021, Amber was granted a restraining order against her ex in order “to prevent interference with parenting time.” However, according to court documents obtained by The Sun, Andrew was granted sole legal and primary physical custody of their son in July 2022, allowing him to relocate from Indiana to California.

Shortly after news broke that she had lost custody of her son, Amber took to Instagram Live to tell fans she is staying “positive.” Amber claimed that her mental illness was “used against” her in the custody battle with Andrew and that she will continue to “fight this,” Page Six reported. The mother of two has been open about her mental illness since her re-diagnosis with borderline personality and bipolar disorder in 2017.