Thanks, I Hate It
Amber Portwood has had a string of bad romantic relationships. Two of those relationships resulted in children. The mother of two reportedly pays child support for both kids.
Amber Portwood isn’t the only troubled Teen Mom star. Still, she’s the reality TV personality from the franchise with the most complicated custody situation at the moment. Amber Portwood is the mother of two children, but neither currently resides with her. Now, reports have surfaced that a child support battle could break out. Does Portwood pay child support to the fathers of her children? It looks like she does.
Where do Amber Portwood’s children live?
Amber Portwood’s two children each live with their respective fathers. Leah Shirley, Amber’s oldest child, resides with her father, Gary Shirley, her stepmother, Kristina Shirley, and her half-sister, close to where her mother calls home. Gary has had primary physical custody of Leah for most of her life. While Amber is allowed visits with the now-teen, she has reportedly not exercised that right in months. Shirley and Portwood’s co-parenting relationship has been a bit of a rollercoaster. Drama recently broke out when reports suggested Kristina Shirley hoped to adopt Leah.
Portwood’s younger child, James Andrew Glennon, also resides with his father. Andrew Glennon, Portwood’s ex, who currently has custody of their son James, initially remained in Indiana following his split from Portwood. Later, he petitioned the court to allow him to move back to California. Glennon was living in California when he met Portwood; he moved to Indiana to be close to her. A judge allowed the 40-year-old to move his son to a Malibu residence owned by his family in 2022. According to People, Portwood explored options to fight the move, but nothing ever came of it.
Glennon has lived in Malibu since 2022 and enjoys a private life with his son. The couple’s romance ended in 2019 after an argument turned heated. During the fight, Portwood attacked Glennon while he held their child. She was arrested and later placed on probation.
Does Amber Portwood pay child support?
Amber Portwood and Gary Shirley are rumored to be battling over child support, with the latter claiming Portwood is not contributing to Leah’s monetary needs. An insider told Us Weekly that Portwood and Shirley never had a set legal agreement regarding child support. That doesn’t seem to be the case, though. In 2016, an Indiana judge ruled that Portwood had to provide child support for Leah. According to TMZ, the court ordered her to pay $1,200 monthly for the now-teenager. It’s unclear if Shirley ever returned to court to have that amount changed, though.
Portwood’s contribution to James Glennon’s upbringing is court-ordered. In 2022, as Glennon prepared to move back to California, a judge ordered Portwood to pay over $50,000 in pack child support. The judge also set a weekly child support amount at that time. According to The Ashley Reality Roundup Group, Portwood must send Andrew Glennon $624 weekly, or roughly $2,500 monthly. It appears that the troubled Teen Mom star is current with that obligation.