‘Teen Mom’ Stars Financial Woes and Tax Issues: Which Stars Owe Taxes?

MTV may be paying the stars of Teen Mom big bucks to appear on the long-running reality show, but some of the young parents have had trouble managing their finances.

Leah Messer, the mother of three who originally appeared on season 2 of 16 & Pregnant, found herself in hot water earlier this year when she was hit with a new $290,000 federal tax lien.

According to online records viewed by In Touch, the MTV star was handed a lien from the federal government’s West Virginia jurisdiction on May 8, 2023, for $290,297.00. The filing is the most recent of six, with the full amount owed being $779,147.46. The liens were filed in 2014, 2019, 2020, 2022 and 2023, according to the West Virginia County Clerk’s Office.

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“I have worked with many different accountants over the years. At first, I was filing and paying more than I was making and then I was paying people that had me stall while ‘they handled the tax situation,’” Leah exclusively told In Touch on June 2. “Apparently it’s a long process. Then in 2020, the IRS was backed up like the entire world due to COVID. I initially got behind after my divorce from [Jeremy Calvert] and when I went to the rehabilitation facility.”

She continued, “I didn’t have the guidance that a girl at 16 should’ve had to responsibly handle money and make healthy financial planning choices.”

While Leah is working on her financial issues, she’s not the only Teen Mom star to find herself with money woes.

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Leah Messer

“I’m figuring this all out on my own and passing the advice to the next generation of women in my family as I learn,” the Hope, Grace & Faith author told In Touch. “Let this be an example for everyone out here: take that boring financial class in high school or college. Your future self WILL thank you for it!”

Amber Portwood

The Indiana native was hit with a federal tax lien filed in February 2016 for $134,919.21. “There is a tax, but no release,” the Clerk of Court for Madison County Court in Indiana explained at the time. In addition to back taxes, Amber also owed her ex-fiancé nearly $10,000 in back child support.

“She owes me $9,600,” Gary Shirley told his wife, Kristina Anderson. “Amber is not there. She is a come and go kind of mom. I don’t think her head is in kid mode.”

In November 2014, a state tax warrant was filed against Amber for $2,012.00

Farrah Abraham

The former reality star was reportedly behind on rent by a total of $700,000 on two of her defunct Austin, Texas, businesses. While the stores were out of business, the landlord claimed that Farrah breached their contract and requested $485,805.47 for one lease and $25,458.36 for the second.

According to court documents, her lawyer claimed Farrah had “no intentions of making any further payments under either lease agreement.”

Maci Bookout

Maci is no stranger to tax liens as she was reportedly hit in August 2017 for $12,569 in unpaid state taxes for the years 2012 and 2014.

In 2013, the Tennessee native received a lien for $78,308. Two years later, Maci was hit again, this time for $5,249. She reportedly paid off the total amount in 2015. Most recently, Maci was hit with a tax lien from the state of California in May 2023 for a whopping $14,227.