MTV responds to criticism over Ryan Edwards’ impaired driving on Monday night’s season finale of Teen Mom OG.
During the episode, the reality personality was driving to his wedding venue with his soon-to-be wife when he began falling asleep at the wheel. This stunned many fans and made them question why the network didn’t step in.
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MTV released a statement to Us Weekly regarding the shocking footage on Wednesday. “MTV does not condone driving under the influence. Ryan’s erratic behavior was due to actions that he took without anyone’s prior knowledge,” an MTV spokesperson said.
In the disturbing scene, Edwards and Mackenzie Standifer were driving to their wedding when he started nodding off behind the wheel. “Why are you swerving?” Standifer asked Edwards.
He seemed completely out of it and blamed his sleepiness on having the sun in his eyes. This urged Standifer to turn off the cameras that were inside the car, but the audio remained on.
“Did you take Xanax again?” she asked. Edwards claimed he had not taken Xanax and swore on his son Bentley’s life.
Fans questioned why the network didn’t intervene prior to the car ride. “[MTV] you guys need to hold ryan edwards responsible for driving while intoxicated. [Teen Mom OG],” one tweeter wrote. Another said, “Terrible choice not letting production break the barrier while they watched Ryan Edwards drive high on drugs and endanger every1.”
Others wondered why Standifer didn’t stop him. “MTV & Mackenzie let Ryan drive high. After the first 5mins one of them should’ve told him to pull over smh #TeenMomOG,” a tweeter wrote. Another added, “Watching Ryan pass out behind the wheel and Mackenzie does nothing about it gave me chills.”
On Monday, Edwards released a statement confirming his rehab stint. “A little over 30 days ago, I made the decision to check myself into a rehabilitation facility. I am back home now doing well, and life could not be better,” he said. “Without the support of my wife and parents I would not have been able to do this. Thank you all for your well wishes.”
