'Teen Mom' Star Jenelle Evans Reveals She Can't Legally Divorce Husband David Eason for 1 Year

Jenelle Evans filed for legal separation from husband David Eason earlier this month.

While the Teen Mom star has since been celebrating her soon-to-be single life, she's also received her fair share of backlash for not leaving the 35-year-old sooner or expediting the divorce process.

"I would've skipped straight to a divorce," the mom-of-three — who has Jace, 14, Kaiser, 9, and Ensley, 7 — told a fan questioning why she only petitioned for separation. "But I couldn't. In the state of North Carolina, you have to be legally separated for a year."

"You have to prove that you have two separate addresses," she added. "You don't have to file it really to prove that you lived in two separate addresses for a year, but the problem with that is that neither of us wanted to leave."

Jenelle and David started dating in 2015 and tied the knot in 2017, several months after their daughter, Ensley, was born. The couple overcame years of ups and downs in their relationship, but things came to a head when the 32-year-old's teenage son, Jace, accused David of strangling him. He was temporarily removed from their home by CPS and the 35-year-old was later charged with felony child abuse.

The reality star citing her husband's allegedly "violent" and "erratic" behavior in her petition for separation, claiming that "throughout the duration of the marriage of the parties, the defendant has exhibited concerning and at times disturbing behavior" toward her and around their children.

"Defendant has further committed marital misconduct in that he excessively uses alcohol and has not maintained consistent full-time employment for a number of years, has recklessly spent the party's money which plaintiff solely earns, and in other ways to be shown at trial," the legal filing continued. "During the marriage of the parties, defendant's excessive use of alcohol was burdensome and rendered plaintiff's life intolerable."

Jenelle further requested she be given full custody of Ensley with no visitation from her father until he submits to a full mental health assessment.

"The plaintiff [Jenelle] has always been, and continues to be an engaged parent who devotes her time, energy, effort and resources to her family," the court documents stated.

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"At nearly all times, plaintiff has been responsible for the minor child's daily needs and has been the only parent who researched, evaluated, selected and followed through with the minor child's doctor's treatment providers, extracurricular and enrichment activities," the legal papers read.