Debra Danielsen Opens up About Ryan Edwards’ Addiction Problems — He Needs “Counseling” (EXCLUSIVE)
It's been tough for Teen Mom OG fans to watch Ryan Edwards — the father of Maci Bookout's nine-year-old son, Bentley — struggle with substance abuse problems over the last two seasons of the MTV reality series. Recently, on the heels of his wife Mackenzie Standifer's pregnancy, he was arrested for charges relating to heroin possession.
In an exclusive interview with In Touch, Debra Danielsen — Ryan's co-star and the mother of Farrah Abraham — weighed in on his addiction issues. "When I look at Ryan — you know when you get a second feel about somebody?" she explained. "You just kind of get a gut instinct? I just feel like he’s a powerful person, and it never crossed my mind that he wouldn’t overcome it."
However, Deb does admit she was blindsided by the fact that Ryan was caught using the dating app Tinder on not one, but two different occasions with his pregnant wife at home. "It's like he has a suicidal wish," she added. "That's why I think — not only does he need drug addiction counseling, but I think he needs some emotional, psychotherapy kind of stuff, because there's something driving that."
The Vapor author is no stranger to dealing with addiction and infidelity — considering she claims her ex-husband Michael Abraham abused drugs and cheated on her. We've watched these two work through their estranged relationship on both Teen Mom OG and Marriage Boot Camp Reality Stars: Family Edition. She also previously told us that Michael was "always angry and always hateful" during their time together.
For these reasons, Deb hoped to share some advice about how Ryan and everyone involved can move past this. "I think what needs to happen here is maybe Mackenzie's parents and [Ryan's parents] Jen and Larry get together with Mackenzie and maybe Maci, find a counselor, and maybe stage an intervention that looks a lot like tough love," she explained.
Things got tense during the second part of the Teen Mom OG reunion, when Dr. Drew Pinsky attempted to address Ryan's issues head on. Mack instantly got defensive, shouting, "I don’t think you can vouch for anything Ryan does, honestly. But that’s just my opinion." Mackenzie is due in October with the couple’s first child, so hopefully these issues are addressed before the baby arrives.
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