What is Amber Portwood's net worth? Meet the 'Teen Mom OG' star who was slammed with drug abuse allegations
Reality television personality Amber Portwood was known for being cast in the reality television series ‘16 and Pregnant’ in 2009, a show which documented the pregnancies and first months of motherhood for several teenage girls.
Portwood particularly received public attention in 2010 in an episode that documented Portwood's domestic violence against her partner Gary Shirley. Portwood was eventually imprisoned for this and other crimes.
MTV aired footage of Portwood's violent behavior towards her child's' father Gary Shirley, most notably a September 2010 broadcast showing an assault in which Shirley refused to physically defend himself and was left injured.
The MTV crew failed to intervene in Portwood's attacks and also failed to report the crimes to the police. An investigation from the police department of Anderson, Indiana, and the city's branch of the state Child Protective Services was later launched after the authorities were alerted by concerned viewers of the footage upon its broadcast, weeks after the incidents occurred. She also went on to abuse her third partner Andrew Glennon.
Police searched Portwood's apartment and found "evidence that requires further investigation," but would not specify what had been found at the time. It was later revealed that Portwood had been caught with a large quantity of marijuana and crack cocaine. On November 3, 2010, it was reported that Portwood agreed to allow Indiana CPS to monitor her for up to six months in exchange for CPS's allowing her to maintain custody of Leah.
Portwood was charged with three counts of domestic violence, two of them being felonies in connection with separate incidents of on-camera abuse of Shirley. The same day, MTV released a statement concerning the charges filed on Portwood: "We are cooperating with all parties and hope for a quick and fair resolution that allows everyone involved to move forward in a positive manner."
On June 9, 2011, Portwood pleaded guilty to two felony counts of domestic battery and was given a two-year suspended sentence and two years' probation.
Portwood was also cast in the spin-off series ‘Teen Mom’ and appeared in each of its four seasons until its conclusion in 2012. In March 2015, Portwood, along with Maci McKinney, Catelynn Baltierra, and Farrah Abraham, returned to MTV for the fifth season of the show which was renamed ‘Teen Mom OG’.
After starring in eight seasons over the past decade, Amber Portwood reportedly built up her net worth to a shocking $1.1 million.
On July 5, 2019, Portwood was arrested in Indianapolis, Indiana, and charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon, after she struck her then-boyfriend Andrew Glennon in the neck. Glennon held James in his arms, threatened to commit suicide by overdosing on clonazepam, and used a machete to attempt and break into the room where Glennon was hiding with their son.
Portwood made bail the following day, after posting a bond of $2,000 and was released from jail. A restraining order was issued against Portwood, ordering she has no contact with Glennon. In October 2019, Portwood pleaded guilty to two felony charges of domestic battery and intimidation and was sentenced to 906 days of probation.
Should Portwood violate her probation, she will be sentenced to five years' imprisonment. She must also take 26 weeks of parenting classes.
‘Teen Mom OG’ Season 9 returns on January 26, Tuesday, at 8 pm ET on MTV.