Chelsea Houska is widely known as one of the seven stars of MTV’s second Teen Mom iteration, Teen Mom 2. The 31-year-old mother of four made her reality TV debut on 16 and Pregnant before transitioning to Teen Mom 2. For over a decade, Houska dutifully documented practically all aspects of her life on the show, including her tumultuous relationship with her baby daddy, Adam Lind, her marriage to Cole DeBoer, and the birth of two of her four children.
Fans were, therefore, astounded when Houska announced that she would be leaving the show back in 2020. The 31-year-old was also noticeably absent from MTV's latest Teen Mom spinoff, Teen Mom: The Next Chapter's cast line-up. Here’s why Houska permanently cut ties with the Teen Mom franchise, despite being an absolute fan-favorite.
8 Chelsea Houska Always Knew She Would Leave Teen Mom
Teen Mom 2 was not meant to be a permanent gig for Chelsea Houska. Despite starring in the hit reality show for over a decade, Chelsea Houska always knew she would have to exit the show at some point.
"[Chelsea] always knew she would leave the show once Aubree reached a certain age,” a source close to Chelsea disclosed to The Ashley back in 2020. “She didn’t want her to go through puberty on-camera and be subjected to hurtful and sometimes creepy comments from viewers."
7 Chelsea Houska Didn’t Like Having Her Daughter On Camera
Chelsea Houska’s first child, Aubree, practically grew up in front of the cameras. At the time of her exit, Chelsea had become uncomfortable with having Aubree’s personal life on display.
According to an inside source, “Chelsea didn’t like that her segments were becoming more and more about Aubree’s personal life and her relationship with Adam’s family.”
6 Teen Mom 2 Was Affecting Chelsea Houska’s Relationship With Her Daughter
Chelsea Houska also felt that her reality TV career was affecting her relationship with Aubree. The mother of four opened up about these feelings in an interview with People.
"There were conversations that Aubree and I were having from time to time,” she shared, “and there came a point where I was just worried because I don't want her to ever be like, she can't tell me things because it's going to be aired to millions of people or whatever."
5 Chelsea Houska Wanted To Protect Her Daughter’s Privacy
Chelsea Houska did not wish to subject Aubree to undue publicity during her teen years. As a result, Aubree’s privacy became increasingly crucial in the years leading up to Houska’s Teen Mom 2 exit.
“She wants Aubree to go into her teenage years with privacy, and not be on reality TV anymore,” an insider disclosed to The Ashley. “If Chelsea were to do any more television shows in the future, she would not do anything about her personal life.”
4 Chelsea Houska Wanted To Focus On Other Business Projects
Chelsea Houska also wanted to devote her energy to growing her home décor brand, Aubree Says.
“Our next chapter in life will focus on developing our brand and taking things to the next level with new endeavors and expanding family businesses,” she shared in an Instagram post back in 2020. “We are so excited for this next phase of our lives and hope you all will be a part of it in some way.”
3 How Chelsea Houska Really Feels About The Teen Mom Franchise
Chelsea Houska's departure from the Teen Mom 2 franchise was surprisingly amicable. The 31-year-old has even remained in close contact with Teen Mom 2 producers.
"I think we'll always, always be close," she disclosed to E! News in May 2021. "[Teen Mom 2 producers] were here in our house with our kids, seeing conversations about some personal things, and you just form a relationship with people, and it truly is a meaningful relationship."
2 Chelsea Houska Has Always Been Open To Reviving Her Reality TV Career
Despite leaving the Teen Mom franchise, Chelsea Houska has always been open to reviving her reality TV career.
“I always say that I would never go back to anything that’s about my kids’ personal life for sure,” she explained to E! News in 2021. “I don’t think I could do that. If something happened to be light-hearted and fun, I don’t think I would say no.”
1 Chelsea Houska Will Be Starring In Her Own HGTV Show
Chelsea Houska is scheduled to make a highly anticipated reality TV comeback in the coming months. Chelsea and her husband, Cole, will be headlining a home renovation series titled Farmhouse Fabulous, which is set to premiere on HGTV in the spring of 2023.
“We can’t wait to take our fans along this next crazy journey of building our business from the ground up,” Chelsea told Deadline, “with four kids in tow, showing all of the highs and lows on the renovation site and at home."