‘Teen Mom’ Ashley and Bar Open up About Their Marriage Issues in Exclusive ‘Family Reunion’ Sneak Peek

Marriage hasn’t been exactly what Ashley Jones and Bariki Smith thought it would be! The Teen Mom 2 couple opens up about the issues they’ve been having since tying the knot in a PopCulture.com exclusive sneak peek of Tuesday’s all-new Teen Mom: Family Reunion, breaking down the root of their issues in a session with Coach Bryant. 

“I think that it’s important that I sit down with Bar and Coach B, ’cause not only is it important for Bar to get the opportunity to realize things about himself, it’s important for me to be able to communicate what I’ve learned about myself,” Ashley tells the camera ahead of their session.

Right off the bat, it’s clear that Ashley and Bar aren’t on the same page as they respond to a question about their relationship status noncommittally. “I feel like we’re just in an awkward stage,” Ashley explains when pushed by Coach B. “Like obviously we’re married, but to me, it doesn’t feel like what I thought a marriage would feel like.”

She continues, “I don’t know if I was expecting too much, but I feel like before we got married, it seemed like everything was fine, and then as soon as we actually signed the papers and got married, I was all of a sudden… I just felt like it was more serious. Like when I say ‘my husband’ I wanna say that with all the confidence.”

Ashley admits she needs Bar to be more ambitious and responsible when it comes to his own achievements, and he doesn’t disagree. “I need to achieve more for myself,” he acknowledges. While he does start pursuing goals he’s excited and “passionate” about, he’ll find himself getting distracted and not following through. “I have a lack of discipline,” the MTV star admits. ‘I’m very, very, very well aware of that.”

Aside from his follow-through issues, Ashley also feels like Bar is “sometimes too much” attuned to her emotions, which Coach B calls “temperature checking.” Bar does admit he’s mostly checking to make sure he’s not in trouble, but Coach B points out right away that being in trouble is a “kid’s role, not a husband’s role.” And by feeding into that, Ashley “goes into mama bear mode,” changing their dynamic from husband and wife to parent and child. “Damn,” Bar says after Coach B drops that bomb. Can Ashley and Bar get back on track? Teen Mom: Family Reunion airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.