‘Teen Mom’ Star Jenelle Evans’ Mother Barbara Suffers Stroke

Jenelle Evans rushed to be by her mom’s side amid a medical emergency. TMZ reports the Teen Mom star’s mother Barbara is currently recovering from a stroke.

Luckily, she is expected to make a full recovery. Jenelle lives in Nevada, but traveled to North Carolina to be with her mother for support.

Barbara is currently recovering at home. Sources tell TMZ Jenelle wasn’t initially able to fly to be with her mother immediately because Jenelle recently had sinus surgery, but as soon as she was cleared, she made her way down South.

The mother and daughter duo’s issues have been public since Jenelle began appearing on the MTV reality series. Most of their issues stemmed from custody surrounding Jenelle’s eldest son, Jace.

For years, Jace was in Barbara’s custody, with Jenelle asking throughout the years for her to relinquish her legal rights. They came to an agreement in recent years, and Jace began living with his mom, but the transition has been difficult.

Jace ran away from Jenelle’s’ home multiple times. At one point, there was an investigation from Child Protective Services after Jace accused Jenelle’s ex-husband, David Eason, of being physically abusive. Eason and Jenelle split shortly after. 

Jenelle was cleared of any wrongdoing, and after a brief stint of not being with his mom, Jace was placed back into her custody. But it didn’t last long. He recently began living with family members after he leaked text messages between the two of them detailing an alleged troubled home life. He’s living in North Carolina while Jenelle remains in Nevada.

Jenelle regained full custody of Jace in 2023. In 2025, Barbara filed to grant Jenelle full custody, but as of August 2025, Jace was back with his grandmother, and there was a concern about Jenelle potentially pushing for Jace to be placed in an institution. Despite the issues with Jace, things between Barbara and Jenelle remain good.