Tatum

I'm reading their memoir now (well, skimming it- it's a little boring). Some brief highlights: Nikki's dad was physically abusive and once hit her in the face. She said it wasn't the first time but she only discusses one incident. She was 15. Nikki ran away after this incident and told the cops she wouldn't go home unless her mom kicked her dad out. The cops told Kathy they would not allow Nikki home unless the dad left. Kathy grudgingly kicked him out but was somewhat resentful the twins forced her to choose Her dad cheated on her mom throughout their marriage and briefly left the family to run off with the mother of JJ's baseball teammate when the twins were in either high school or middle school The twins hold Kathy as responsible as they do their dad for not protecting them and JJ from their dad's abuse It is implied that Kathy, though not physically abusive, wasn't a very good mother in her early years (she had the twins at 19) Both twins experienced a lot of racism when they were training for WWE in Florida and Alabama Nikki in particular has been a victim of numerous incidents of sexual harassment and assault along with the two incidents of rape she discusses in the book (I really skimmed here- I didn't want to read about that). Brie to a much lesser extent. Not sure if it really happened less to Brie or she just didn't want to talk about it. John Cena did not get paid any money from E! for Total Divas (which was probably chump change to him anyways) Nikki was a very talented soccer player but an injury and a poor surgeon and subpar physical therapy ended her career in late high school. As of the date of this book, she is still a little angry about it. Brie claims she was also talented but didn't like soccer- her parents forced her to play Both girls were asked to get implants when they auditioned with the WWE. Nikki was told she had to lose weight so her body was identical to Brie's. Brie was actually asked to lose weight as well, although not as much as Nikki. At the time, Brie was 5'6 and weighed 117 pounds. I don't think Nikki said how much weight they wanted Brie to lose A lot of the book talks about their early years and the boys they dated before they became famous. That gets kind of boring I'm about 2/3 of the way through. The book doesn't have much of an order to it (it jumps back and forth between time periods and specific events in their lives)- and the book reads like the way these women talk, so if they had a ghostwriter, the ghostwriter had minimal interference, I think. I would bet it was edited for grammar and clarification only.

Well...high class as in yachts, prep schools and boarding schools, and summering on Martha's Vineyard/Hamptons/Nantucket? No, definitely not. But high class as in probably being one of the wealthier families in a rural, low cost of living area in an almost recession-proof field? For sure. Lots of high earning incomes are tied to feast or famine industries (like sales or technology)- Randy has probably been earning a comfortable living consistently for 30 some years at least. I also think he has a fair bit of financial savvy when it comes to savings/investment and money management. So he likely has always been and will always be solidly upper middle class, and possibly what passes for "rich" in his neck of the woods. Then again, having money doesn't mean you have a lot of class. NO parent with any class would have allowed their underage daughter to film 16 and Pregnant in the first place. A pregnancy in high school may be tolerated and made the best of, but is certainly not something to be celebrated and exploited.

I think Randy drank the Koolaid. He may have started out the series as an upper middle class professional, but he's been known to jump into one or two twitter fights to defend Chelsea and other bush league behaviors. I think he likes the D list fame as much as Chelsea does. Or maybe he's just grateful to not be on the hook for supporting her and applauds any effort she makes to make money?

Oh I am sure a family therapist would have an absolute field day with these schmucks. Generally I find Nikki to most the most palatable of the Bella Family (the three siblings and their mother), but she certainly has it in her to be an asshole. Brie is just completely overwhelmed at life and also delusional about her own work ethic and general contribution to anything productive. In 15 years, Birdie is going to be the adult in the room when it's just her and Brie. Nikki is mostly decent but hyper hyper sensitive, quick to immediately assume the worst possible intentions of someone, won't admit when she's wrong and won't try to see anything from anyone else's perspective. JJ is whiny and lazy and rude to his wife, and that's not even getting into whatever may be on his social media. And Kathy. Yeesh. I think she might be the worst of them. I don't think she's particularly malicious and she's obviously a hard worker, but oh my god is that woman an endless pit of need for validation. She is constantly pumping her kids for that validation, fishing for compliments about her parenting and turning every situation so it's about her. It's obvious she carries a lot of guilt over whatever mistakes she made in the kids' formative years, and instead of getting therapy to learn how to forgive herself and move on, she instead puts the responsibility on her kids to reassure her that she's a good mother. I was pretty appalled at the season premiere when she first spoke to Nikki about what she read in the book and really highlights just how imbalanced Kathy is. Now, for the record, I do feel sorry for Kathy in the season premiere. There is obviously no ideal way to learn your child has been raped, but to learn about it while reading her memoir is a particularly bad way to learn. That said, it's Nikki's story and her choice to tell it how she wants, when she wants. Kathy can privately feel all the guilt, all the regret, whatever after learning it. But the first words out of her mouth were "I feel really bad I couldn't have helped you when it happened" or something like that. Sure, that's a valid feeling. But how about we start with, do you want to talk about this now? Because it seemed pretty clear that Nikki didn't, or she would have talked to Kathy about it years earlier, and was only willing to do it now since she'd published the story in the memoir. But no, once again, it's all about Kathy. The last thing Nikki needs as a rape survivor is to now be responsible for helping Kathy manage that guilt and regret. If Kathy needs to discuss that, it should be with a therapist.

I think the rift happened later though. The episode where JJ got mad at Nikki was probably filmed mid/late 2019. She wasn't pregnant yet. If I recall, what got JJ sore was that he, Kathy and Brie were all living in the Phoenix area, and whenever Nikki visited from CA she would only make plans with Brie or Kathy. If JJ invited her to his house, she told him just to bring his family over to Brie's or Kathy's so she wouldn't have to travel further. I also think there might be something to his complaints because when he was whining to Brie, Brie was defending Nikki and Kathy just sat there silently while JJ and Lauren vented. And then there was the issue where Brie told Nikki it would really mean a lot to JJ if Nikki would come to his house for dinner, and Nikki said she would "maybe" come then didn't bother to let him know either way, didn't come, and wasn't going to until Brie called and asked here she was. Nikki very petulantly said, I never said for sure I was coming, which is rude as fuck in my opinion. She knew what she was doing. Not trying to defend JJ but Nikki can be a real bitch when she wants to be. ETA: Most of the seasons of the show have shown that the three siblings are pretty close (obviously the twins are closer to each other, but it seems that all three were in pretty close contact with each other) so I think this rift is fairly new. Also, Brie was pretty insightful for once when she said last season that when Nikki gets defensive (this was in reference to another situation, nothing to do with JJ I don't think)- she gets really mean.

I like Nikki, but I wouldn't go that far. I would not call her methods of conflict resolution with Artem particularly mature. She either flew off the handle at him or, when delivering news she knew he wouldn't like, did this really annoying thing where she'd duck away from him or walk several steps ahead of him while wearing this inexplicable smirk on her face, while telling him something in this weird sing song-y voice. It's like she was convinced she was being so adorable that Artem wouldn't even get mad at her (or hurt, or annoyed, or whatever). Plus I think on at least one occasion she intentionally told him something she knew he wouldn't like while they were being filmed so he wouldn't have a huge reaction. I actually found her a lot less appealing on the post-Cena seasons.

What did he say? I went on his Instagram and all I saw was a bunch of plugs for whatever product he's hocking. (and there are a lot). I go back and forth on JJ. (The fact that he's a racist Trump lover is news to me, so this is all said in ignorance of that). While he can certainly obnoxious, I do feel sorry for him. It's obvious he's spent a lifetime feeling hurt and left out by the twins' bond and also saw some shit go down between his parents that clearly traumatized him. And the Bellas' dad is a total asshole. I remember one scene from last season where he was basically whining about how all that shit needs to stay in the past because he's a different person now. Yeah, dickwad, people can change, but that doesn't mean they should be excused from the consequences their actions caused, or that no one is allowed to acknowledge the hurt he caused. He's just lucky the twins obviously have daddy issues and still clamor for his love and approval or they would have written him off with his attitude.

Oh for sure she is getting the boys gifts. She is probably waiting to see what their dads give them so she can buy them something better.

I don't think they were engaged yet. Leah was waffling back and forth between Corey and Jeremy. I know a rough timeline is that Leah and Corey reconciled the summer of 2010 after Leah graduated high school. Corey pressured her hard to get married; Leah wanted to date only. I think she only held him off a couple months until he basically told her to shit or get off the pot so she agreed to get married, and I know their marriage only lasted 6 months. So I believe they got married mid/late 2010 and were divorced sometime in 2011, and Leah and Jeremy met in either late 2011 or early 2012, I want to say. Addie was born spring of 2013, I think, and I am pretty sure Leah's "miscarriage" took place about a year prior, so this would have been early spring 2012. I remember because Dr. Drew asked her about her miscarriage at the reunion and she started crying and saying she and Jeremy were back together exclusively but were taking it slowly and Leah was on the pill. Next thing we hear is that Leah is getting married to Jeremy and is pregnant with Addie. I remember thinking, yeah, you sure took that slowly, Leah. I am sure what you meant to say was that you weren't that into either boy, but both were better than nothing and both were getting pretty impatient with your waffling and Corey never did learn to trust you again after the second time you cheated on him with Robbie, and you were in danger of both boys throwing up their hands and moving on, hence the marriage and the baby. ETA: I'm off a bit: From Teen Mom wiki. So the reunion must have aired right around the time Leah was getting married in real time. However, Leah would not have gotten pregnant until a few months after their wedding if Addie was not due until March 2013.

Oh, I assumed her TM salary was in that mix, but maybe not. $500 or $600K wouldn't be enough if it were multiple years. I mean, I suppose theoretically she could have just not paid her taxes in 2017 or 2018 (like she just didn't file), but even someone as dim as Leah had to know that would easily catch up to her. I am guessing you are correct and that's years of SM and other ancillary income she did not see fit to report. I don't think she gets any (taxable) income from recruiting people to the cult. Her MLM, sure, but she hasn't bothered with that in years. Maybe she tried to write off "donations" to her cult to lower her standard taxable income and the IRS said no way? I wouldn't mess around with this, Leah. Unlike Amber from TMOG, you actually have assets.

Is it possible this is several years combined? Like if she did not pay taxes in 2017-2018? Otherwise, I know The Ashley estimated Jenelle made around $90,000 just posting ads on her SM pages several years back- she didn't even have to endorse it or use it, just publish it and leave it up for a month. Leah may have received some advance money for her book, but I doubt that was even in the 6 figure range. I have been able to look at a few book contracts for my work, and I doubt Leah got more than mid 5 figures as an advance, and even that is pushing it. I am sure that number also includes penalties and interest, but maybe not a significant portion. The other reason I think it must be multiple years is that it is weird to me Leah would diligently pay her taxes every year, and then randomly just skip one year and still not have paid it 16 months later.

Plus don't forget they threw in- don't forget to follow us on SM! Sure doesn't sound like people scrambling for privacy. Honestly, production would be stupid to keep Chelsea on. In addition to her salary, they have all the costs associated with filming her. If they feel they need some stability and heart warming fodder, they have Leah for that who also comes with an abundance of storylines. It wouldn't surprise me if they start cleaning house in the wake of Covid, if they decide to return to in person filming (they're still using older footage, right?). It would make sense to downsize both casts.

Chelsea may be "less" trashy than the other girls...but she's still trashy. If she truly saw the error in her ways over the last 10 years and decided Aubree (and the younger ones, but especially Aubree) deserves some privacy, well, better late than never, but my opinion remains that Chelsea was either asked to leave the show or is arrogant enough to think she can springboard this into her own lifestyle brand and no longer needs Teen Mom 2.

Yeah I think Chelsea is the catch in that relationship, and that says way more about my opinion of Cole than it does my opinion of Chelsea. My rationale is this: whatever character deficiencies Chelsea has (irresponsible, lazy, immature, etc) Cole either has himself, or actually encourages and enables it in Chelsea. Or all three. Let's not forget in this marriage, Chelsea is the alpha and Cole does her bidding. I really wouldn't be feeling great about myself if I was a minion of Chelsea's. To quote one of my favorite TWOP recappers- if Chelsea is a loser, Cole is a sub-loser. Looks-wise, I think conventionally speaking they are about equal. Cole might have a slight edge there, but that is really in the eye of the beholder.

The only thing I've ever heard (and I'm hardly an authority figure so take it with a bucket of salt) is that Aubree had a college fund set up for her in the low six figures. Whether that money came from Adam, Randy, or Chelsea's TM earnings, I don't know. This assertion also came before Chelsea's three kids with Cole, so who knows if they each have a college nest egg or if Aubree's college fund is now quartered. I do believe Randy encouraged Chelsea to live within or even below her means and not leverage herself too deeply, which she did do for a long time. So, at least up until the last few years, Chelsea was in a better position than most of the TM girls, having some savings and not having a huge mortgage she couldn't handle or no equity in any of her assets. But Chelsea has increased her spending over the last few years and at this point, she's closing in on 30, married, and probably doesn't listen to Randy as much as she did 10 years ago. Chelsea isn't an evil person, but Randy and Mary (that's her name, right?) failed to instill any work ethic in her or accountability. While they are certainly within the top 10% of TM parents (not that that is a huge accomplishment) that was a big failure on their part. Aubree is probably going to get a crash course on "life's not fair" in about 7 years.

I suppose she could have just decided enough is enough, but I also am skeptical of that. Chelsea started complaining years ago that she was "over" being filmed and ready to move on, yet she kept signing on the dotted line each season. I am wondering if in light of declining ratings and potentially increased production costs due to Covid, MTV floated the idea of reduced salaries for their "talent" and that was the tipping point.

Yeah, I bet Chris is the type to worry about his son looking "like a girl" and Kail knew it and kept it long just to give him the figurative middle finger.

I'm a little surprised she punched Chris though. Kail seems like one of those women who thinks she's a bad ass for hitting men much larger than her...knowing they won't hit her back. I think Chris absolutely would hit her back. I bet there were witnesses and that's why he didn't.

Yeah, Taylor loses either way. Either she looked the other way when Adam was killing her dogs, or she made it up years later. I'm more inclined to believe the former. Adam is a worthless asshole, no doubt. But he might not be physically dangerous anymore if he has quit taking steroids. Or he might still be dangerous. For the record, if Chelsea truly believes Adam is a danger to Aubree, I have ZERO problem with her doing her best to cut off his access to Aubree. If she merely wishes she could rewrite history to make Cole Aubree's father because Adam is an embarrassment/inconvenience to her and is pressuring Aubree to distance herself from her father and accept Cole as her "true" dad, well, I think that is shitty.

To me, there is a difference in Chelsea deciding Aubree is not safe around Adam, and taking steps to limit, or eliminate her exposure around him, vs what the other posters are saying she is trying to do, which is to demonstrate to the camera how much Aubree doesn't want him around either. I haven't watched this show in years so I have no idea what is going on, but if Chelsea is trying to manipulate Aubree in some way or sabotage her relationship with Adam (not out of fear for Aubree's safety but because it is simply more convenient for Chelsea if Adam just went away), then that is wrong. One is solely for Aubree's safety, the other is for Chelsea's convenience. I believe Chelsea's motives, not her actions, are what is being called into question here.

Yes I am side eyeing Taylor for sure. He may well have done it, but she looked the other way then and only thought it fit to report once they were no longer together.

Agree. It seems to me that the best thing anyone has ever said about Adam is that he has not reached the level of toxicity where Chelsea should do her best to eliminate all contact between him and Aubree, as any contact does her more harm than good (which can be the case with some parents for sure). That is a super super low bar.

Well said, and something that takes maturity, which has missed ALL of these women. You do your best to cooperate with your ex, not because he deserves it, but because your kid does. I don't think Chelsea and Leah are terrible people (I think Jenelle and even Kail are), but they seem to have the permanent emotional maturity of 17 year olds. That is enough to impede them from making the best decisions for their kids.

Far be it for me to defend Chelsea, ever, but doesn't Adam's mother have a long history of disrespecting Chelsea's wishes, including letting Aubree ride with Adam on his dirt bike or motorcycle or whatever it was, and then trying to cover it up when Adam took a spill and Aubree was injured? That would only happen once before that bitch was back to supervised visits if that was my kid.

He knows she isn't going anywhere. Javi will just make a public apology on his Instagram or Twitter and Lauren will forgive him. Hell, he may have already told her he just did it to get on camera and give her sad little Arbonne "business" a boost.