MTV recently confirmed that they will be combining Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 into a single series with the current working title Teen Mom: The Next Chapter. The new show will feature all but two of the moms from the other shows’ most recent seasons: Kailyn Lowry and Mackenzie McKee.
Kail Lowry was reportedly asked to be on the new show, but she turned the network down. The story behind Mackenzie’s absence from The Next Chapter is a bit more harsh.
“Mackenzie was not asked,” a production source told The Ashley last month. “She was basically ghosted by MTV and [her producers] and was never actually told she was not invited to be on the show. They just didn’t respond to her and left her hanging.”
The snub comes roughly eight months after MTV allegedly deceived Mackenzie during the filming of Teen Mom Family Reunion in October. MTV told Mackenzie that they would be filming her segments separately, and she said she was made to believe that’s how they were handling the other cast members as well.
Mackenzie flew out of Los Angeles after doing her segments and shoots. It was after her plane landed that Mackenzie saw a photo posted by Cheyenne Floyd with the rest of the moms together.
Mackenzie must have had a very unpleasant flashback this week when the moms from Teen Mom: The Next Chapter posted several photos and videos together at the Westgate River Ranch Resort and Rodeo in Florida. All of the moms except Ashley Jones were present, including Maci Bookout, Amber Portwood, Catelynn Lowell, Leah Messer, Briana DeJesus, Cheyenne Floyd and Jade Cline.
Ashley Jones later shared a message explaining her absence. “The dates didn’t work for me,” she tweeted. “I have a lot going on, I didn’t refuse to film and I don’t have any issue. They had a wonderful trip, sad I missed it.”
On the same day the the first photos of The Next Chapter moms together were posted, Mackenzie shared her feelings on Twitter about how she has been treated by MTV. Her tweets started by referencing the fact that the moms were filming at a resort that is roughly just one hour from where Mackenzie currently lives in Florida.
“I’m an hour away and they act like I don’t even exist and can’t explain to my lawyer why. So that stings 🤣😭.”
MTV isn’t completely ghosting Mackenzie’s lawyer, but pretty close. “The only thing they tell my lawyer, and I quote, ‘nothing against her at all, the views are just in the toilet.’ So we find things out on the Internet, which is a huge slap in my face ❤️.”
Mackenzie further elaborated on her frustration with producers by bringing up the Family Reunion fiasco from October:
The only sucky part is honestly @mtv lies to me. First it was “hey we’re filming individually because of COVID so you will be alone” then the girls post a photo of them all together without me and their titles were specifically to hurt me “my favorites” and it worked.
Then when my lawyer asked them why all the lies they simply replied “were still deciding what to do with the show. Mackenzie did nothing wrong the views are just in the toilet, but we will 100% keep you updated” so without an update, I find out online. It’s just unprofessional.
It’s honestly as simple as calling me and saying “you are no longer a part of us, and here is why” a bird told me it’s because I’m a conservative (they don’t even know my political views and this show is about teen pregnancy not politics) but I just feel like I’m allowed to share my feelings, my pain, and my side without tabloids twisting it. Cancel culture is a sad world. And no one asked me my side other than Ashley. I don’t think this would hurt as bad as it does had my family not shared some very delicate times of our lives on there.
If you're curious why Mackenzie McKee isn't included with the other #TeenMomOG moms for the new #TeenMom #GirlsNightOut spinoff, here's a full recap of Mackenzie's falling out with Cheyenne (and the rest of the cast) https://t.co/uFZlsQWoo9
— Starcasm (@starcasm) December 1, 2021
Another Twitter user brought up the controversy surrounding Mackenzie referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as a “colored” woman in January of 2021. “I think they let you go because of the comment you made about Harris. [Teen Mom executive producer Morgan J. Freeman] is a Harris lover. (Sadly) It does suck though. Everyone loves you.”
Mackenzie responded by pointing out that MTV “filmed 2 entire seasons after that” with her. “If that was the case,” she continued, “all they have to do is call me or my manager and explain. I would respect that. Instead it was ‘let’s lie and let her find out from her co-stars’ on the Internet. Who cares about how bad that hurts.”
Another Twitter user also assumed that it was the Kamala Harris comment and the resulting fallout with her co-star Cheyenne Floyd that caused MTV to sour on Mackenzie. “Weird that you are being taken off for your political views but Amber can chase a child around with a machete and continue to stay.”
Mackenzie replied by quoting Cheyenne’s comment about her. “Well, when one tells the world I’m ‘not willing to learn’ which couldn’t be further from true, I guess I’m trash. I’m fine, MTV needed to call me and tell me why they are doing me the way they are like grown adults. But how do you let someone go without a reason?”
Even if you believe that Mackenzie should no longer be a part of the Teen Mom franchise (for whatever reason), she does deserve the respect of at least being told. And I don’t believe she is stretching the truth about how everything has gone down because The Ashley’s production source backs it up by revealing Mackenzie was “basically ghosted by MTV and [her producers] and was never actually told she was not invited to be on the show. They just didn’t respond to her and left her hanging.” Ouch.
A few days after her series of frustrated tweets, Mackenzie took to Instagram with a refreshed spirit:
Asa Hawks is a writer and editor for Starcasm. You can contact Asa via Twitter, Facebook, or email at starcasmtips(at)yahoo.com
