'Teen Mom OG' Star Amber Portwood's New Merch Is Stirring Up Controversy

Reality TV shows leaped to a new level of entertaining in 2009 when the first season of Teen Mom premiered. The OG cast includes several familiar faces we still pay attention to today including Farrah Abraham and Maci Bookout. Right now, Amber Portwood is the one on the hot seat for choosing to sell some merchandise that’s been labeled controversial by her many fans.

Here’s what makes her merchandise such a hot topic and what she’s had to say about the scandal.

Amber isn’t the first cast member from the Teen Moms lineup to use her notoriety in her favor. Cashing out on the fact that millions of people know her name is the smart business move she’s chosen to make … but fans think she’s going about it the wrong way.

She decided to launch a clothing line recently and announced the news to her followers on Instagram. Fans immediately hit back calling her “tone deaf,” since the statements plastered on her clothing pieces seem to promote violence.

The merchandise will be sold through her brand which is called PortwoodAF, and according to Amber on IG, “Having a creative outlet to express yourself is good for the mind, body, and soul." Delving into the fashion world is what she’s referring to in terms of creativity, but the backlash she's getting can't be beneficial to her mind, body, or soul.

One of the hoodies, which costs $55, says, “I’m going to Portwood your a--" on the front of it.

One of the other T-shirts she has for sale (worth $28) says “Fighter for life" across the chest.

These two pieces of clothing very much contradict some of the other messages Amber promotes on her personal Instagram page. There, she posts meaningful quotes about feeling one with the universe, being kind to other struggling souls, and being patient until things come together. If her merchandise reflected this uplifting tone, she most likely wouldn’t be receiving so much criticism.

In another Instagram post, she responded to the negative feedback saying, “My new line #PortwoodAF does not condone any sort of violence and comments referring [to] that do not belong here. This was a fun project that I made taking different sayings from supporters, started wearing myself at first, and now sharing with you."

Although Amber is continuing to push the narrative that her clothing line doesn’t promote violence, her fans are thinking differently.

The reason fans are upset by Amber‘s choice to sell merchandise with fighting words on them is that Amber‘s dealt with domestic violence issues herself in the past — including a 2019 incident in which she was accused of trying to break through a locked door with a machete while her ex-boyfriend Andrew Glennon and their son James were hiding. Amber has asked her fans to stop bringing up the machete incident, but it’s not something people will easily be able to forget about. At the time, she accepted a plea deal and was granted 906 days of probation starting back in October 2019.

Amber's new clothing line isn't the first time she's ventured into the fashion realm. She also launched a line in 2016 called Forever Haute which sold makeup, clothes, and accessories. As of now, the line no longer appears to be active since its website and Instagram page are down, and its Facebook page has not been updated since 2017.