Tyler Baltierra Defends ‘Emotionally Exhausted’ Behavior on ‘Teen Mom OG’

Tyler Baltierra knows his handling of sister Amber’s return to rehab in Monday’s episode of Teen Mom OG wasn’t the most sensitive of responses, but the MTV star isn’t being too hard on himself.

Prior to Monday’s all-new episode of the reality show, Baltierra defended himself preemptively on Twitter against people who would criticize what was to come.

“On TONIGHT’S NEW EPISODE of #TeenMomOG things get intense when my sister Amber heads to treatment,” he wrote. “You’ll likely see me irritated & insensitive about the situation…but at the time, I was just so emotionally exhausted. I’m just a human with limits!”

It certainly wasn’t an easy episode to watch. After learning that his sister had been using drugs again, Baltierra and wife Catelynn Lowell returned to their old house, which they had given to Amber when they moved out, only to find it so destroyed that the police had been called by neighbors.

Seeing the their first house that way was devastating for the couple, who has been going through tough times themselves recently due to Lowell’s own mental health issues and subsequent stay in treatment. Baltierra didn’t hold back when he was discussing his sister’s own issues, having decided to kick his sister out of the house.

“Being responsible is so difficult! It’s so hard! Poor baby,” Baltierra said sarcastically about his sister.

Later, over text, Amber said she was feeling “judged” by her brother, who has been trying to support their father, Butch, in his latest stay in rehab for substance abuse issues.

“You treated dad with such grace and with me it’s like f— you,” Amber wrote to her brother. “You’re young, you know better. Get it together! There is no excuse.”

“I treat you mean?” Baltierra responded. “I give you a car and a house to live in!”

But Baltierra’s mom seemed to be prodding her son to employ a little more compassion when dealing with his sister.

“So you have no empathy for people going to treatment centers? And asking for help?” she asked. “You sound very bitter with your dad, and Amber, and maybe even Cate.”

Earlier in this season, Baltierraadmitted he did feel like he was losing his empathetic tendencies while dealing with his own mental health issues all while being a single father to 3-year-old Nova while Lowell was away.

“That’s why I want to go to therapy, like something’s wrong with me. I’m losing sympathy and empathy,” he said. Maybe the empathy and sympathy is sucked dry, I don’t know, but I recognize that and that’s why I need to figure this out.”

Teen Mom OG airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

Photo credit: John Shearer/Getty Images for MTV