Makel and Kayla J's Relationship on 'Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant' Is Part of a Bigger Story

Season 3 of Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant of the Teen Mom franchise introduced a couple of new young parents. This includes newcomer Kayla Jones (or Kayla J) and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Makel. Although their relationship is a big part of their storyline as they co-parent their daughter Mecca, Makel has a journey of his own outside of fatherhood.

Makel explained in his and Kayla J's first episode that he's transgender. He and Kayla J used a sperm donor to have their daughter together. Though they're no longer romantically involved, they remain close. Luckily for Makel, he has Kayla J to lean on, as he deals with blow back from his family for being a transgender male.

Makel was still a female when he met Kayla J in high school. They started dating and, during their five years together, Makel transitioned to male. They got engaged when they turned 18, but when Makel realized he wanted to see other people, they split up.

However, Makel is determined to make an effort to be a father to their daughter, Mecca.

Makel isn't close with his own family anymore. And although he tries to explain his transition to his mother on Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant, she doesn't understand that what he's going through.

Outside of the show, it's hard to say where Makel and his family stand. He doesn't appear to have any public social media accounts. But on the show, Makel says he wants to be the kind of parent to Mecca that he never had growing up.

Makel and Kayla J spoke to PopCulture about their first season on the show and how it actually helped Makel open up about who he is.

"It was very crazy because I'm coming out to everybody basically," Makel told the outlet. "Not just the world, but I also had friends who didn't know I was trans."

But, he added, his friends also reached out to him to commend him for enduring all he had gone through.

Makel and Kayla J also told PopCulture that they aren't together romantically right now. Kayla J's Instagram has no clear photos of Makel. There is a shot of her pregnant stomach with her hands over someone else's hands (presumably Makel's), but it's an older picture. It seems like Kayla J and Makel's relationship might work better as friends while they co-parent their daughter.

Although Makel is Mecca's father and he helped raise her so far, Kayla J says on the show that she went to a sperm bank so she and Makel could have a baby together. Some fans of the show aren't totally sold on the story that they went to the sperm bank as teens and were successful.

Some have tweeted their skepticism about how Kayla J really got pregnant. There's no indication that Kayla J made up her story, though, and Makel is all in when it comes to their daughter. Their relationship, however, remains a bit of a mess.

Watch Teen Mom: Young and Pregnant on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on MTV.