Who is Naomi Stutzman? 'Return to Amish' star Jeremiah Raber allegedly hit ex in stomach while she was pregnant
Jeremiah Raber is no stranger to controversies. The unofficial bad boy of TLC's hit series 'Return to Amish', the 41-year-old has over the years found himself embroiled in various sticky situations. Fans have watched the reality star's marital struggles with his wife Carmela Mendez.
Despite their many troubles and struggles, Carmela and Jeremiah still seem to be going strong. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about Jeremiah's relationship with Naomi Stutzman. In case you're wondering who Naomi is, you might be surprised to learn that Jeremiah was married to Naomi much before he met Carmela on Facebook and eventually settled down with her. To say that things between Naomi and Jeremiah didn't end well would be putting it mildly. The young couple's troubled marriage was filled with domestic violence and endless drama that eventually resulted in them splitting. Read on to know more about Naomi, and why the couple split up.
RELATED ARTICLES
Who is Jeremiah's first wife Naomi Stutzman?
Jeremiah married Carmela in 2016, but prior to that he was married to Naomi Stutzman, with whom he shares three children. Just like Jeremiah, Naomi too is a former Amish member, who left the Amish community. In an interview, Naomi pointed out how Jeremiah's portrayal on TLC's reality show was in complete contrast to the actual truth. Starcasm reported, "Naomi, 27, reveals to the magazine that she and Jeremiah, 32, began dating in 2002 after they had both left the Amish sect and divorced in February, 2011. She says Jeremiah has owned a cell phone for as long as she’s known him and that he was the one who taught her how to drive. “He was always always known as the guy with the coolest cars, and he bragged to me that he had outrun the cops 19 times!” Of course, all of this is in stark contrast to the “Crocodile Dundee-esque” Jeremiah we see on the show, who is amazed by such magical things as cell phones and ATMs and who takes his “first” driving lesson in hopes of eventually becoming a New York City cab driver."
Naomi also accused Jeremiah of not paying child support payments on time. The outlet reported in 2019 that Naomi accused her ex of allegedly owing over $10,000 in child support. Naomi reportedly posted a screenshot on Facebook in 'Breaking Amish' and 'Return to Amish' fan groups that Jeremiah owed her money alongside the hashtags CELEBSTATUS, #DEADBEAT and, #PROUDMOMENTTLC.
Jeremiah too took to his Facebook to publicly call out his ex-wife for not informing him about their son's accident. In a since-deleted Facebook post, Jeremiah wrote, "You never bothered to tell me that my son was life-flighted due to a UTV rollover that pinned him underneath. We had to find out 5 days later thru an anonymous caller!!! You want to play this way?!?!? You got it. Listen you motherf**kers... now it's my turn." Thankfully their son recovered, but it looks like the strain between the former couple hasn't recovered though.
Why did Jeremiah and Naomi split?
In an interview with CBS 21, Naomi revealed the shocking reason behind her divorce from the reality star. Apparently, Jeremiah was physically abusive towards his wife. Naomi revealed, "I’ve been in the hospital multiple times from this man. He was physically abusive. I have the police reports. It’s the main reason we are not together. I had to go to the battered women’s shelter and now TLC is glorifying this man on a family show?”
According to CBS 21, “the reports say Jeremiah would become enraged, grabbing Stutzman and throwing her down. When she’d tried to get up, he would push her back down. One report states he hit her in the stomach, while she was pregnant and said if she leaves him she will, ‘not have his baby.'” Naomi filed for a restraining order against her ex-husband.
There's no current information on the present state of Naomi and Jeremiah's relationship, although it might be safe to assume that the duo are still not on great terms.
'Return to Amish' Season 6 airs every Monday at 9/8c only on TLC.