'Teen Mom's Bentley Opens Up About What Things Are Like With Dad Ryan Now (EXCLUSIVE CLIP)

The Gist:

• Bentley Edwards from the Teen Mom franchise is a teenager now and old enough to appear on reunion specials.
• He shares an update about his dad, Ryan Edwards, in a clip from the Oct. 11 reunion on MTV.
• Ryan Edwards has struggled with substance abuse in the past both on and off Teen Mom.

Those who have watched Teen Mom since the beginning might be feeling a little old to know that Maci Bookout's eldest son, Bentley Edwards, is not only a teenager but he's also in high school. And in an exclusive clip obtained by Distractify ahead of the Oct. 11 Teen Mom: The Next Chapter reunion, he steps onto the stage for the first time as an interviewee rather than just one of the kids from the franchise.

In the clip, hosts Dr. Drew Pinsky and Nessa Diab speak to Bentley about his life outside of the show and his relationship with dad Ryan Edwards now. Throughout the first season of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, we see Ryan work on his relationship with Bentley and Bentley has always been forthcoming about how he feels about his dad.

In the clip, Bentley says that he and Ryan still talk often and that he had just spoken to his dad "the other day" in relation to when the reunion was taped. And, for the most part, Bentley seems like he is satisfied with the way things are going with Ryan now, compared to just a few years ago, when Bentley wasn't too keen on spending one-on-one time with Ryan.

Bentley also says in the clip that if other kids in his position were to ask him about going to therapy, he would recommend doing it. Since, as we see, it has helped his relationship with Ryan despite everything else going on in Ryan's life. And, mom Maci chimes in during the Teen Mom: The Next Chapter reunion clip, Bentley is "built different." In other words, Bentley's maturity is already shining through.

Fans of Teen Mom are familiar with Ryan's struggles with substance abuse and subsequent drug-related arrests over the years. He also had a nasty and public falling out with estranged wife Mackenzie Edwards. However, while in the past, Ryan refused to film and even spoke poorly of Maci, the inaugural season of this particular Teen Mom spinoff proves things have changed considerably.

For the first time in a long time, Bentley and Ryan's relationship is strong and Ryan appears ready to do whatever it takes to be in his eldest son's life. In August 2023, Bentley shared a photo on Instagram of himself with Ryan, Ryan's dad, and his step-father Taylor McKinney on a golf course with the caption "family."

Even if Bentley and Ryan have more work ahead of them, and Ryan has plenty of work to do on his own, clearly things are on a far different path than they once were.

Watch Teen Mom: The Next Chapter on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST on MTV.