Teen Mom's Maci Bookout Shares How Ryan Edwards' Overdose Impacted Their Son Bentley
Teen Mom star Maci Bookout tearfully recalled how Ryan Edwards' overdose earlier this year affected their teenage son Bentley.
In April, the reality star's ex was found "unconscious and unresponsive" in the driver's seat of his truck, while two bags containing a "crystal type substance" and "what appeared to be a blue powder," were found in his possession, an arrest affidavit cited by multiple outlets stated. He was given Narcan and transported to a hospital, per reports. Upon his release, he was arrested and charged with DUI and simple possession, and for violating the terms of his probation.
Now, Maci is reflecting on that moment in time.
"When I found out that Ryan had overdosed, that's truly the first time I was genuinely scared. Having to have that conversation with Bentley and just seeing that," Maci said about the 14-year-old on the Sept. 6 episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, getting emotional. "I know how I felt hearing it, but Ryan's not my dad."
She continued, "All of it is so hard. Bentley feels all of that times a million, and he's a kid. I think the biggest thing is like, making sure that Bentley was a priority. But as a mom, you can't just get a Band-Aid. It's so hard."
Four days before his overdose and arrest, Ryan had left a rehab center, where he had undergone treatment as part of his sentence for pleading guilty to harassment in a separate case involving his estranged wife Mackenzie Edwards.
"It's really tough on Bentley because I feel like this is the best relationship that him and Ryan have ever had," Maci said on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter. "He's been there for two weeks but he just called me to tell me that he's coming home early. I don't agree with this decision. I just don't think it's a good idea considering his long history with substance abuse."
Maci said she thinks Bentley is "angry" at his dad "because he's like how I used to be like: 'Don't you realize how much potential you have?'"
The reality star, who also shares kids Jayde, 8, and Maverick, 7, with husband Taylor McKinney, also said that she planned to start attending meetings of Al-Anon, a support group for families and friends of people struggling with addiction. "
"I definitely can't do this alone," Maci said. "I owe it to myself and to Bentley and to Taylor to do things differently."
Despite his personal and legal turmoil, Maci told E! News in July that she and Ryan were "in a good place" and that she would wager that he is showing up "more consistently now than maybe he ever has before."
She added, "For me it's confirmation that we were really doing the work and we're really doing it in a healthy way for it to still be consistent even after everything that's happened the last six months."
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App