Does Jenelle Evans Have Custody of Son Jace? Updates

At last? Rumors began swirling that Teen Mom 2 alum Jenelle Evans was finally getting custody of her eldest son, Jace, after more than a decade of battling with her mom, Barbara Evans. Keep reading for details on their custody agreement.

What Has Jenelle Evans Said About Custody of Jace?

The former reality star took to social media on Tuesday, February 21, to announce that she had exciting news coming soon.

“I’m about to achieve the unthinkable and cannot wait to share the news with everyone,” she wrote via Twitter.

While the North Carolina native remained mum about the topic of her news, fans were quick to speculate about a new career path or possible pregnancy.

“You are getting Jace back??!! Finally!” one follower commented.

Jenelle later added fuel to the custody speculation as she responded to a troll who called her “ratchet.”

“You should ratchet asf for someone making money off having a kid their mama’s STILL raising [sic],” the comment from February 22 read, referring to Barbara’s custody of Jace.

The Read Between the Lines author responded with an upside-down face emoji, saying, “Can’t wait to share my new to you this week about my case [sic].”

Is Jenelle Evans Getting Custody of Jace?

On March 18, Jenelle revealed she and her mother “decided together” that she would take over custody of Jace.

“We want to build our relationship back as mother and daughter,” the former MTV personality told Us Weekly. “My mother agrees it’s time for Jace to be back with his siblings and living with a mother and father. She also thinks it’s important for Jace to be around a father figure to learn ‘boy things’ and have ‘men talk.’”

Jenelle added that her mother “has seen the way David parents” and “knows they’ll be able to handle it.”

Reports first began circulating on February 24, that Barbara seemingly agreed to hand over custody of the 13-year-old to Jenelle.

Shortly after the news broke, however, the former 16 & Pregnant star took to Twitter to shut down the claims.

“I’m not talking about custody at all. That’s not what I’m announcing. Don’t listen to the media,” she tweeted alongside an eyeroll emoji.

Reps for Jenelle and Barbara did not immediately respond to In Touch’s request for comment.

How Long Has Barbara Evans Had Custody of Jace?

After welcoming Jace – whom she shares with high school boyfriend Andrew Lewis – in August 2009, Jenelle was still living her life and partying while leaving her mother to take care of the infant. The former reality star signed over custody of her son to Barbara in 2010 and the mother-daughter duo have been in and out of court for more than a decade over the matter.

In 2017, the custody agreement was amended to put in place a set visitation schedule for Jenelle.

“I’m not restricted to when my mom says I can have my son anymore,” Jenelle told E! News at the time. “At the moment that’s all I care about. [I] just want to spend time with my son. He will be home one day but today wasn’t the day, sadly.”

Four years later, Jenelle revealed in a January 2021 TikTok that Jace “lives with [her] now full-time.”

“This is a little PSA announcement,” Jenelle said in the video. “My kids are happy, they’re healthy. That’s all that f—king matters.”

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