Maci Bookout Admits Ex Ryan Edwards Shows Up More Consistently for Their Son After Going to Prison

Maci Bookout is proud of her ex Ryan Edwards despite their long history of tension and feuds.

During a recent interview — which was conducted prior to Edwards' Friday, July 14, release from prison and admittance into an inpatient rehab facility — Bookout spoke about the troubled Teen Mom OG star's current relationship with the duo's 14-year-old son, Bentley.

"I think as crazy as it is, because he is in jail right now, he shows up and communicates with Bentley, I think, more consistently now than he ever has, which is mind-blowing," Bookout confessed to a news publication on Tuesday, July 11.

"It makes me feel good as the mom to just know that like, although Ryan made really bad decisions and is paying the consequences for them, I’m glad to see that that hasn’t stopped him from showing up or, like, calling and communicating because in the past that would’ve halted everything," the reality star continued, noting she's happy her son and his father finally have a good relationship.

As for how Edwards is doing, Bookout said he has "rough patches just dealing with mental health [issues]," pointing out, "it’s a crazy world on the inside."

"At the same time, it’s like, yeah, but don’t do stupid s***," Bookout emphasized regarding Edwards, who was locked up in early April after he was found "unconscious and unresponsive" in the driver's seat of his truck and charged with simple possession of a controlled substance and a DUI.

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Bookout's husband, Taylor McKinney, remains "a little skeptical" of Edwards, as he has "a long history of inconsistency" when it comes to being a present and supportive father for his teenage son.

Despite concerns, McKinney is "trying to find a balance between protecting Bentley and not getting in the way of him wanting to have a relationship with Ryan."

Though Bookout "will always be afraid that there’s that chance that it’s gonna be a disaster," she is confident things are "different" this time around due to progress within the exes' communication skills.

"Our communication is just — it’s different now. So, I feel a lot more comfortable because we are having conversations like, ‘OK, if we’re filming about this, like how do we … protect Bentley, protect his privacy with what we talk about? What we share?’ And how we talk about certain things. So that just proves right there, like, just how different things are this time around," Bookout concluded.

Us Weekly interviewed Bookout and McKinney ahead of the season premiere of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.