Amber Portwood: I Really Am Bisexual! Please Believe Me!

Amber Portwood made quite the admission on the October 12 episode of Teen Mom OG.

As previously documented, the veteran cast member came out on air as bisexual, even saying she was in a relationship with a woman around the age of 20.

Portwood had never said this before, of course.

Never even hinted at it, really.

According to Amber at the time, ex Gary Shirley has been aware of her sexuality, although the former couple’s 12-year-old daughter, Leah, has not been.

As for why she chose to come out now, Portwood pointed to her kids.

“Leah and James are actually a really, really big factor,” she said.

“I don’t want them to ever think it’s bad and I don’t want them to look at other people who are like this like bad. Who am I to sit here and hide forever, which is what I was actually planning on doing anyways. 

“I was going to go to the grave with this.”

Later in the episode, Amber touched on why it took her so long to come out.

“There was so much going on back then that I didn’t want to put any more stuff on the family.

“I think I was just ashamed at the time because it wasn’t as open then.

“People were still using the f-word…Another reason why I waited is because I didn’t want to say anything because of Leah.”

Here’s the thing, though:

People don’t really like Amber Portwood. Or trust her very much.

In response to her on-air confession, many viewers lashed out, accusing Portwood of basically making up this aspect of her life in order to stay relevant.

“She is desperate for any sort of fans and attention so she going for what’s trending currently,” one critic wrote, for example.

The most popular comment — with more than 1,000 reactions online — slammed Portwood’s lack of parenting when it comes to Leah and James.

“She should try coming out as a mom,” this person wrote in pointed fashion.

Amber, it now seems, read remarks such of these. 

Over the weekend, she took to Instagram Live and, in a surprising move, did not rant or rave as she normally does on that platform.

Instead, Portwood calmly addressed the situation.

“I just wanted to come on here and say thank you to everyone who has been supportive since the last show, even though there’s been just a little bit of hate that’s came my way,” Amber began, telling her followers it’s “still kind of scary to say [I’m bisexual] in front of people.”

She added:

“I’ve been dealing with being bisexual since I was 12, but not really acting on it until I was older, obviously.

“Coming out at the age of 31 after so many years, it really took a lot…thank you guys for accepting me for who I am.”

Not everyone has accepted it, though.

Some folks out there think it’s total BS.

“This wasn’t fake, guys,” Amber said about the ongoing criticism.

“It was not for the show.”

Why make the confession now then?

When ratings for the franchise have been dwindling and her own reputation has taken a hit in the wake of her 2019 arrest for domestic violence?

“I just felt it was time, because I’m always talking about being authentic and things like that,” Portwood said on Instagram Live.

“If I keep on saying that I’m honest and authentic and I don’t give you guys everything then I won’t feel that way.”

So, there you have it.

But the question remains and likely will remain for awhile:

Are you buying it?

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