‘Teen Mom’: Catelynn Lowell, Tyler Baltierra Defend Against Body-Shaming Claims (Exclusive)

Catelynn Lowell is shutting down accusations that her husband Tyler Baltierra body-shames amid a months-long feud with her mom and younger brother. The Teen Mom: The Next Chapter star opened up to PopCulture.com about her decision to clap back on social media after her brother Nick accused Tyler of making insulting comments about her body, explaining that her lengthy Instagram post earlier this week came from a place of “anger.”

“Maybe it was petty, whatever, but it really comes from a sense of just anger,” she told PopCulture ahead of Wednesday’s all-new episode of the MTV show. “I get angry first of all that people would really think that Tyler would treat me like that or call me names behind closed doors. And it also angers me, because it’s like, what type of person or woman do you think I am?”

Catelynn emphasized that she’s not “some held-down, manipulated, scared woman,” and that she’s teaching the ability to stand up for oneself to her daughters – Rya, 21 months, Vaeda, 4, and Novalee, 8. “If you really think that I would let them witness their father call me names so that I would just stay, you’re out of your mind,” she continued. “Because we preach to our girls about body positivity. We preach to them about what kind of partner you want in your life and how they respect and treat you. …If anything, it’s like Tyler treats me and the girls like queens. He uplifts all of us all the time. He tells us we’re pretty, he tells us we’re beautiful. So yeah, I was just sick of it all.”

Tyler admitted that he takes it as a “compliment” that he and Catelynn’s feuding family members “don’t vibe,” praising his wife for being able to “grow and rise” from the “toxic family dynamic” she was embroiled in for so long. “Listen, you’re not going to break her down. I’m here. I’m going to stand here and I’ll wear whatever hat you want to put on me, whatever character you want to give me,” he said in a directed message to Catelynn’s family. “I’ll wear the hat every single day, 24/7, as long as I’m in between you and my wife and you hurting her, or just being unnecessarily cruel to her.” Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.