‘Stop Making Fun Of My Son!’ – Maci Bookout Responds To Mackenzie Standifer’s Explosive Interview
Teen Mom OG star Maci Bookout is a reality TV veteran. While she is no stranger to online trolls and tabloid fodder, she’s
Matt Richards
Teen Mom OG star Maci Bookout is a reality TV veteran. While she is no stranger to online trolls and tabloid fodder, she’s always stayed above the fray and focused on what she does best- being an excellent mother. Recently, Mackenzie Standifer, the wife of Maci’s ex Ryan Edwards (and father of Maci’s son, Bentley) did a YouTube interview with Without A Crystal Ball where she said several things. This was following last week’s episode of Teen Mom OG where Maci was helping Bentley to cut weight for his wrestling so that he could stay within a certain weight class.
In the interview, Mackenzie said many things regarding the episode, Bentley, and Maci. We reached out to Maci exclusively to get her response to the things Mackenzie said- and she did not hold back.
In an early part of the interview, Mackenzie was critical of Maci’s handling of Bentley’s cutting weight for wrestling. Specifically, Mackenzie said, “I just never want any of our kids to ever feel like they need to go to those lengths to be successful. You train, you do your practices, you win some, you lose some. And ultimately, you want to win, but you don’t have to go that far. And I get it that there are wrestlers who- that’s how they do things. But at 11 years old, I don’t think introducing those habits at such a young age ends well, ever.”
To this, Maci exclusively shared that the following were the habits she introduced with Bentley:
- Not skipping breakfast- drinking more water ALL day
- Choosing high calorie, good fat/carbs, natural sugars and protein
- Learning how to grocery shop and cook healthy meals and snacks
She told us, “If introducing eating habits such as (those above) is “never going to end well, then I’ve lost my mind. (She was) making statements based on ignorance, never telling the truth.”
Mackenzie also criticized Bentley putting pressure on himself related to wrestling, noting that, “we were like, ’that’s a little extreme. ’And we just didn’t know it was like that- at home.”
To this, Maci shared with us that, “If she or Ryan actually talked to Bentley or me about it, they would be certain that it was Bentley’s choice to maintain his weight in his weight class, but considering they only spend a couple of hours a week around him and never show interest in showing up for more than one event a month…it’s fair to say that what they ’thought’ was wrong. And, I’ll say it again- this is making statements based on ignorance that never tell the truth.”
“For someone who publicly claims season after season, episode after episode, that the show is completely FAKE and that editing is what shines the bad light on her and Ryan… I’m shocked it only took two scenes to change her opinion,” Maci continued detailing. “Now in Mackenzie’s opinion, the show is 100% authentic.”
“And for the record,” she added, “when Mackenzie and Ryan stop talking badly about my son, making fun of him, and talking down to him… then maybe their opinion of what goes on in my home will hold some weight… Actually, no it won’t.”
We then asked Maci about Mackenzie claiming that Ryan offered to take a drug test so he could take Bentley and that Maci (and her husband, Taylor McKinney) ignored the request/did not respond.
“This is absolutely not true,” Maci revealed to us. “I’m begging to see some proof.”
Speaking of substances, we asked Maci about the conversation Mackenzie had on the Youtube pertaining to Maci’s drinking and the intimation made that she was “slurring her words” in the past episode. When Mackenzie was asked about this in the Youtube interview, she more or less stayed quiet which led many to think she was insinuating Maci had a drinking problem.
To this Maci responded that “If I want to drink a glass of wine in a bathtub before bed or drink a beer while making dinner or with my dinner, I will. If I want to indulge in an adult beverage in the comfort of my own home, on or off-camera… guess what? It’s legal, so I can.”
“FYI,” she added, “street drugs (heroin), non-prescription drugs, and slander are illegal.”
Also pertaining to the conversation around alcohol, Mackenzie stated, “I just hope everyone who needs help gets it. And that’s not directed at her, I just…” and she trailed off.
To this, Maci directly responded that “Some people need help learning to worry about themselves and their own family. I hope those people get the help they need- and that’s definitely directed at Mackenzie.”
When asked if she felt like Mackenzie was trying to change the narrative to shift it from Ryan’s drug problems to insinuate something is wrong with Maci, Maci told us that, “Mackenzie would insinuate that the bullsh*t she spits out of her mouth tastes good to just stay relevant.”
“Her straw broke, and she’s still thirsty,” Maci added, revealing why she feels like Mackenzie would do an interview like this.
During her Youtube interview, Mackenzie also said, “If it was me, and my son’s dad, then I would be communicating what I wanted … my terms, my expectations, what I’m expecting from him so that we’re on the same page.” It definitely seemed like she was criticizing Maci’s co-parenting of Bentley with Ryan.
To this, Maci responded that “Mackenzie is not me and I’m fairly certain her oldest child’s father is not a ‘recovering’ drug addict, who threatened to kill her husband.”
“And for someone who has only been around for a few years,” she continued, “Ryan’s 10th or so girlfriend (I lost count) since Bentley was born, rode without concern with a highly intoxicated driver to their shotgun wedding… She sure thinks her opinions actually matter to me, my son, or my husband.”
Maci wrapped with telling us that, “For all the times she has made a point to say ‘Maci is the #1 trigger’ for Ryan as it pertains to his drug use. — I’d like to know why she thought it would be a healthy and positive choice to send a copy of my book to Ryan while he was in jail?”
“I dare her to deny doing that,” Bookout added, “because I have the proof.”