REALITY TV NEWSAmber Portwood Accuses MTV of 'Grooming' Daughter Leah Shirley as Their Relationship Continues to Unravel
Amber Portwood accused MTV of 'grooming' her daughter Leah Shirley.
July 7 2025, Published 12:56 p.m. ET
Amber Portwood yet again took to TikTok Live to make serious accusations involving her daughter, Leah Shirley.
This time around, she claimed her kiddo was “groomed” by MTV.
“Yes, children are groomed, but not only by parents,” Portwood shared. “My child was groomed by a whole entire franchise. I will not allow — I do not care what Gary [Shirley] does and why he’s fighting me. This is the whole reason — I’m not gonna give too much, guys, ‘cause I’ll get in trouble, but I’m gonna say something.”
Leah Shirley and Amber Portwood are currently estranged.
'Get the H--- Out of Here'
Amber Portwood accused MTV of 'grooming' her daughter in a shocking TikTok Live.
Amber insisted there are “certain things” happening because she’s fighting for Leah to no longer be on TV even though “they” still want her to, though she didn't detail who she was referring to. “They’re trying… Gary and them, ‘Oh, yes, give me money.’ And I said, ‘Oh, 100? No, I’m good. Bye. Get the h--- out of here. You’re not gonna sell my daughter.' But they will. As they are. So, excuse me for talking, guys," she said while hinting at a potential MTV project.
Amber Portwood insists she does not want Leah Shirley to be sold.
Another Grooming Accusation
Amber Portwood previously accused Gary Shirley and his wife, Kristina, of grooming Leah.
- Amber Portwood Accuses Gary and Kristina Shirley of 'Grooming' Daughter Leah in Shocking Rant
- Amber Portwood's Daughter Leah Shirley Blasts Her in Unearthed Text: 'It's Been My Decision to Not Have a Relationship With You'
- Leah Shirley Is 'So Excited' to Be 'Adopted' by Stepmom Kristina Amid Drama With Amber Portwood
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When questioned more about who the grooming comment was in reference to, Amber insisted, “All of them. Every single one of them. Gary is — he’s notorious for telling Leah, ‘But this is your job, too.’ … He does it in front of the crew. He did it in front of me. He did it on camera. I’m telling you, he did this on camera. What they’re doing right now… these are facts… I want to actually fight for my daughter not to be used to be on television. She’s one of the reasons why I left the whole entire franchise.”
In June, Amber accused Gary and his wife, Kristina Shirley, of grooming Leah.
“I’ve still got custody,” Amber said. “The only people keeping me from her are Gary and Kristina. They did that since she was little. It’s like grooming a kid.”
'It's Been My Decision'
Amber insisted she didn’t “want to say too much” on the livestream, but knows “exactly” what she would do if they went to court.
“They don’t want to go,” she added. “My receipts are long. I’ve got 13 years of receipts. It’s too much.”
Amber has been estranged from Leah for quite some time, with things hitting a climax on the last season of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter when Leah wrote her a text.
“This isn’t meant to hurt you, but I want to let you know that all these years it’s been my decision to not have a relationship with you and nobody has influenced my decision,” she told her mother.
Leah Is 'Done' With Amber
Leah Shirley told Amber Portwood's costars she's 'done' with wanting a relationship with her mom.
Leah also told Amber’s costars Maci Bookout and Catelynn Lowell she was “done” with wanting a relationship with her mother due to her lack of consistency and her blaming Gary for their issues. She also claimed it was “too much” to have Amber come in and out of her life, and when she would show up, she'd act like “everything was perfect.”
“She tells me that she loves me and hugs me and stuff and I can’t do that,” Leah added, calling it “fake.” “Like, you don’t text me, you don’t see me, and then when you do see me – for purposes of there being a camera in your face – you try to act like you’re the best mom ever.”
