‘Teen Mom: The Next Chapter’ OGs Reflect on the Show’s 16-Year Legacy and New Season (EXCLUSIVE)

2025 is a monumental year for Teen Mom: The Next Chapter. On Jan. 30, the spinoff of a spinoff airs its second season, though many of its longtime cast members entered their Sweet 16 season.

Throughout their 16-year run, the moms on the show have grown up and have added more children to their homes.

In addition to celebrating the MTV franchise's milestone, the original moms are grappling with their firstborns turning 16, the same age they were on the show that started it all — 16 and Pregnant.

Before the new episodes aired, Distractify chatted with longtime Teen Mom stars Maci Bookout, Catelynn Baltierra, and Leah Messer. The ladies discussed the show's legacy and what they're excited for fans to see in the new season.

Doing a show like Teen Mom together for as long as Maci, Catelynn, and Leah have is prone to make you become more than co-workers. The women have shared that part of the show's legacy is the bond each of them share, which fans are starting to see on the show in addition to the reunions and social media.

Maci and Catelynn shared with Distractify that they're looking forward to fans seeing their girls' trip to Maci's hometown, Chattanooga, Tenn., for the first time since they've been in each other's lives.

"It was the first time ever being in this amazing little town that was super fun," Catelynn recalled. "And they filmed me and Ty [Baltierra] recording podcast episodes for our new podcast that's gonna be dropping in February [2025] and we had Maci be part of it. It was just fun to, like, hang out with our kids, so you'll get to see that. Our kids are funny."

After 16 years of being on the same platform, Maci, Catelynn, and Leah have learned to lean on each other when one of them has an issue on the show that ends up on the show. Maci and Cate have been with the franchise since the first seasons of 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, with Leah coming in during the second seasons of both shows.

Throughout their seasons, each of them has faced dramatic situations they'd likely rather have dealt with off-air.

Maci, who is a mother to her three children: Bentley, Jayde, and Maverick has often discussed her tumultuous relationship with her ex and Bentley's dad, Ryan Edwards. She said that, while co-parents are cordial now, there were plenty of cringe moments they had to endure before getting to their current, more positive dynamic.

However, she believes showing everything going on in their lives helped them be more authentic on camera.

"I think I everything was shown," Maci said of her Teen Mom legacy." And even though sometimes it's like 'oh no' or like cringy or super painful to watch, I really think it's all very important for people to see."

"I also feel like if certain things that are hard to relive or hard to watch aren't shown, then everybody wouldn't see everything that's actually happening," she added. "So, yeah, I think everything was shown, and I'm OK with it."

Catch the Season 2B premiere of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. EST on MTV.