Jenelle Evans and David Eason’s Divorce: Everything We Know

Following two years of chaos and controversy in their lives, former Teen Mom 2 stars Jenelle Evans and David Eason are headed for divorce. On Thursday, Evans told fans on Instagram she “filed papers” to begin the divorce process. The decision comes six months after Eason shot and killed their dog Nugget and Evans was dropped by MTV.

Evans and Eason have been married for two years and are parents to 2-year-old daughter Ensley. Evans has two other children – Kaiser, 5, from her relationship with Nathan Griffith, and Jace, 10, with Andrew Lewis. Eason is also father to Maryssa, his 12-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.

The next step in the process of their split is a custody battle over Ensley. Evans reportedly hopes to get full custody of their daughter, but it appears that will not be easy as Eason brought up Evans’ infamous 2018 road race incident.

Here’s what we know about Evans and Eason’s divorce.

Photo credit: Getty Images

Prologue: Nugget’s Death and the Fallout

Although Evans and Eason have stayed together through countless controversies – including an October 2018 911 call in which she accused him of breaking her collarbone – the relationship was tested by Nugget’s death. In May, Eason admitted to shooting and killing Nugget after the dog allegedly nipped at Ensley. 

The couple dominated headlines for the next few weeks after the incident. The couple temporarily lost custody of their children, until the previous custody agreements were reinstated in July. MTV then said it would not follow Evans for the 2019 Teen Mom 2 season over the summer. 

Evans did admit to the fans that staying with Eason was a hard choice. He also completed anger management after they regained custody of the children.

Evans Announced the Split on Oct. 31

On Halloween, Evans revealed she filed papers to start divorce proceedings. She also said she and the children “moved away” from Eason.

“I’ve mostly kept off social media the past few days because I’ve been focused on making some big life decisions. I’ve lived my life on camera since I was 17 years old. And alot (sic) of it hasn’t been pretty. But its (sic) been my life,” Evans, 27, wrote. “Like anyone else I want what’s best for my kids and I want to be happy.”

She continued, “With time away from Teen Mom, I’ve started to look at my life differently and I know I need to make changes. I’m starting that now. The kids and I have moved away from David. Nobody gets into a marriage expecting it to end but I know that’s what is best for me, and for my kids. Today I’ve filed papers to start that process. I appreciate the support from everybody who has asked how I am. Me and the kids are doing great. We need some time to be together, but you’ll hear from us again soon.”

Evans Hinted at Divorce Filing Before the Instagram Post

Evans’ fans have longed for her to leave Eason behind because of their controversies. Before Evans announced the split, she appeared to hint she was finally listening to them. 

“I love all of you… whether u know it or not. I hear what you are saying. I get it,” she tweeted on Oct. 27.

Evans also told Us Weekly in May that divorce was “in thoughts, but nothing is finalized” in the immediate aftermath of the dog-shooting incident.

The Divorce Was a ‘Long Time Coming’

Following the divorce announcement, a source close to the couple told Us Weekly their split was a “long time coming.”

“Things have been bad even when they looked good on the surface,” the source told the outlet. “David was on his best behavior during court and when he had to clean up and prove himself in order to get custody of the kids back. But once it was over he was right back to his old self.”

Evans Is Seeking Full Custody of Ensley

While the divorce is in the process of being finalized, Evans and Eason are also focusing on making a custody agreement for Ensley. Sources told TMZ Evans is aiming for full custody of Ensley but does not want to completely keep her away from her father.

The outlet reports that Evans believes Eason is still a “good dad and loves his daughter,” so she does not want to make it impossible for Eason to see her.

Eason Cited Evans’ Infamous Road Rage Incident on Instagram

Eason does not appear to be ready to make the custody battle easy. After the TMZ report was published, Eason posted a screenshot of the story on his Instagram Story, next to a screenshot of TMZ‘s report on Evans’ road rage incident. 

“But this is okay?” Eason wrote.

Last year, Evans pulled out a handgun during a road rage incident with Jace in the car. The incident was seen in part on Teen Mom 2 and started when another driver was tailgating her.

After the driver passed her, Evans followed the driver to his house and the two argued. As the argument got progressively more heated, Evans pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the man. She later hit his mailbox before he hit the front of Evans’ car.

Eason Returned to Instagram Amid the Divorce Drama

Just before Evans said she was divorcing Eason, he revived his old personal Instagram page. In his most recent Instagram post, he appeared to purposefully show off his skills as a father by showing his children having fun with him.

“We had so much fun last weekend! Maryssa wanted to get her ear cartilage pierced but I couldn’t find a place in town to do it under 14 years old,” he wrote. “New pair of Van’s it is I guess.”

There’s Speculation Evans Is Divorcing Eason to Return to MTV

There has been speculation that Evans is finally divorcing Eason so she could return to MTV. Even before the dog-shooting incident, Eason was already barred from appearing on the show due to transphobic and homophobic tweets. One source told Radar Online that finances were the driving force behind the divorce.

“She’s running out of money,” a source told Radar. “It went off like a lightbulb in her head. ‘I have this husband that doesn’t work? What in the hell am I going to do?’”

“So, she decided to end the marriage before it is too late. There is no money left and she wants to make money again,” the source added.

Evans reportedly earned $400,000 a season during her time on Teen Mom 2.