When ‘Teen Mom’ Fans Were Unhappy With Jenelle Evans Letting Son Wear an ‘Inappropriate’ Shirt

Jenelle Evans, the popular Teen Mom star, once faced backlash from fans after permitting her 14-year-old son, Jace Evans, to wear a shirt featuring the Playboy Bunny logo. In the photo shared by Evans, she could be seen driving with Jace in the backseat. The teenager was engaged in his cell phone as his mother posed and looked directly into the camera, smiling. In the caption, Jenelle explained that her oldest son had 'stolen' her shirt.

However, instead of focusing on the act of stealing, fans were more inclined towards the content of the shirt. One fan on social media conveyed their objection, stating, "I wouldn’t advertise my teen wearing a shirt that represents a company who marginalized and abused women for decades," as per The US Sun. Another exclaimed, "Would she let him wear an 'Only Friends' shirt, I wonder? Awkward."

Another critic expressed their inhibitions about the shirt’s propriety for school, commenting, "This would violate both the middle school and HS very relaxed dress codes where I am." Similarly, a different fan questioned the outfit choice, emphasizing the significance of age-appropriate clothes: "Why let a kid that age wear a Playboy shirt? I’m not a prude at all but damn y’all. Age-appropriate stuff is important. Teach your boys to respect women."

The controversy around Jace’s shirt surfaced at a time when Jenelle was battling another family crisis; Jenelle filed a restraining order against her 70-year-old mother, Barbara, and requested that the court prohibit her mother from interacting with her children: her 14-year-old son Jace, her nine-year-old son Kaiser, her six-year-old daughter Ensley, and her stepdaughter Maryssa. Jenelle claimed that her kids were in danger of 'serious and immediate injury' when they were around Barbara.

Jenelle also asserted that Barbara "continued harassment that rises to such a level as to inflict substantial emotional distress on her and her kids.” In the court documents obtained by The Ashley’s Reality Roundup, Jenelle accused her mother of causing emotional distress, prohibiting her from buying weapons, and name-calling during their text messages. Jenelle filed a domestic violence protective order against her mother as well. The judge reportedly denied Jenelle’s request for an ex parte protective order as she failed to prove she was in immediate danger. 

However, this is not the first (and likely not the last) time that Jenelle's family drama has garnered such attention in public forums. In particular, ever since she decided to go forth with her divorce from David Eason, the legal drama surrounding her family has only intensified. Jace had previously accused Eason of strangulation in 2023, as per a different report by The US Sun. A source recently revealed that Jace was expected to testify against his former stepfather: "The case against David is still pending, absolutely. It will be calendared when it's ready for David to come up for charges, and his charges got upgraded to a felony on January 10th of 2024." 

This article was originally published on 09.11.23.