Mackenzie Edwards Defends Marriage to Ryan, Slams People Who Says She Has ‘No Dignity’

Teen Mom OG alum Mackenzie Edwards (née Standifer) defended her marriage to Ryan Edwards six months after their firing and revealed the “biggest misconception” about their relationship. 

“We are in a happy place at the moment,” the former MTV personality, 24, said about her husband of four years in a new interview published by The Sun on Friday, September 24. “Nobody is saying that we haven’t made mistakes, because we have. But I’m not going to harp over them or live in sadness or shame.” 

Ryan, 33, echoed those sentiments, also telling the outlet, “My relationship with her is great.” 

On the latest season of TMOG, fans watched as the Edwards family were at odds with Ryan’s ex Maci Bookout McKinney and her husband, Taylor McKinney, over visitations with the former couple’s 12-year-old son, Bentley.  

After the finale drama brought the tension to a boiling point, they all agreed to disagree, and Maci, 30, told In Touch exclusively in September that she had “no communication” with Maci, Ryan or his parents, Jen and Larry Edwards, since the reunion. The Edwards family announced they were fired in March.

“People can say that it’s embarrassing and that I have no dignity and that I’m a horrible person, they can say everything they want to say, that’s fine,” Mackenzie said while reflecting on her and Ryan’s time on the show.

“But at the end of the day, we are allowed to grow, and we are allowed to change, and we are allowed to evolve as human beings,” she continued. “We’ve been through the best days of our lives on the show, but we’ve also been through some of the worst. That is part of my story, it’s part of Ryan’s story and I’m just proud of that. I’m proud of us and how far we’ve come with our family. I will always stand beside that because you can always turn your mess into a message.”

Mackenzie said that some viewers have claimed she doesn’t hold her husband accountable following his struggles with addiction and legal woes in recent years, arguing that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Just because you don’t see me berate my husband on television doesn’t mean that I don’t hold him accountable for his actions or that he doesn’t hold me accountable for my actions,” she explained. “If we’ve got a problem, then we’ll take care of that at home.”

Although she would be fine if they never appeared on TMOG in the first place, Mackenzie said there was a silver lining of joining the franchise. 

“I’ll always be a voice for addicts and recovery, and I think the show has given me a platform to do that,” she shared. 

Ryan previously spoke out about his battle with substance abuse in a candid post on Instagram and said he wasn’t giving up on leading a life of which he could be proud.

“It consumes your life and turns you into someone even you don’t know,” the 16 & Pregnant alum wrote in a caption in July 2018, adding, “Each day is a struggle. I’ve made mistakes and I have really messed up in the past but there is so much hope ahead and it doesn’t mean I can’t change the future.”

If you or anyone you know is facing substance abuse issues, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for free and confidential information 24/7.