"It was pretty bad": Teen Mom alum Jenelle Evans reveals reasons behind sending her son to Florida to live with his father

After recent developments involving her 15-year-old son, Jace, the Teen Mom alum Jenelle Evans has come forward to address growing public questions. In a video posted to her YouTube channel on May 14, she shared that Jace is now living with his father, Andrew Lewis, in Florida.

This decision followed a series of behavioral incidents and a history of mental health challenges.

“I’m not going to go into detail what those incidents were but it was pretty bad,” Evans said.

Evans clarified that the judge approved the transfer after Jace’s latest runaway episode.

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Teen Mom alum Jenelle Evans details the circumstances leading to son Jace’s move to Florida

History of mental health concerns

Evans explained that Jace’s struggles with behavior began years ago. She revealed that he was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 10, and in 2023, he received additional diagnoses, including major depressive disorder and oppositional defiant disorder. She stated that her son had been dealing with mental health disorders since he was "10 years old."

She addressed the suggestion that Jace’s behavioral problems began only after he started living with her.

“A lot of people are like, ‘He’s been running away from your home as soon as he got there.’ That’s not the case either...He’s been doing this since he’s been 10,” she said.

The Teen Mom alum emphasized that these issues have been present for years and were known within the family.

“Incidents started occurring with my son when he was 10 years old. My whole family knew this,” Evans said.

She noted that her efforts to maintain his privacy kept many of the earlier issues from becoming public knowledge.

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CPS involvement and repeated placement changes

Evans explained that child protective services became involved in 2023 due to escalating challenges after she regained custody of Jace. She said the situation had deteriorated to the point that CPS intervention became necessary. During that time, Jace was placed in the care of multiple relatives.

“They sent him to his aunt’s house by marriage, which is David’s sister, and he acted out there,” she explained.

She stated that Jace’s behavioral issues persisted in every home he was placed in. Evans explained that, by that point, he had acted out in each environment, regardless of who was caring for him. Eventually, child protective services decided to end their involvement. According to Evans, the agency "dropped the case" and returned custody to her, expressing that she should take over full responsibility.

The Teen Mom alum added that efforts to seek additional care were limited by cost.

“I’ve tried, you know, getting placement in boys' homes but they are just too expensive and insurance won’t cover it,” she said.

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Decision to contact Jace's father

Evans explained that after trying various solutions without success, she reached out to Jace’s father for support. She described the moment as emotionally overwhelming, saying she experienced a "panic attack" and broke down in tears while asking for assistance. She explained that her priority was finding a safe and stable environment for Jace and her other children.

“Separating the chaos from the situation right now to protect my two younger kids is very important and also to protect himself.”

The Teen Mom alum also stated that she put aside personal issues to focus on co-parenting.

“If both sides of the family can come together to help solve these issues before they turn into adult… it’s just really important,” she said.

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