Last month I told you about how Amber Portwood was going to have to get a real job as part of her plea bargain to avoid serving jail time. Something about Indiana actually wanting people to serve jail sentences, unlike in California. Anyway, at the time, I opined that while she was working this job it would probably be tough to also film Teen Mom. What I did not expect was that the real job would last very long. It turns out though the judge wants Amber to live in a halfway house and to work a 9 to 5 job for three years and during that time there will be no filming.
The judge even checked with MTV prior to making the ruling to make sure they would not sue Amber for breach of contract. Here is the thing. I think she should do whatever it takes to get her life straight, but at the same time I think the judge could have her live in a halfway house and get her drug tested constantly while still allowing her to film. He is sacrificing her $100K+ a year job for her to make minimum wage and I don't understand that part. If you are going to keep her out of jail anyway, then get her help and test her but let her work the job where she can make the most money. It makes no sense to confine her to a minimum wage job when part of the deal was to fund her daughter's college fund with $10K. How is she going to do that if she is making $7.00 an hour?
A halfway house is not fun. It is pretty much like jail. Getting drug tested four days a week is not fun. Having a curfew is not fun. I think if you do those things, there is no reason to also not let her film.
I kind of agree/disagree with the Judge. Did Teen Mom bring on all the problems becuase she was now "famous" and had more access to drugs and fueled bad behavior becuase she needed to stay on the show and wailing on her baby daddy/fighting got her a lot of attention.
ReplyDeleteSince MTV assured the Judge they would not sue her for breach of contract. I think MTV was done with her and moved on from her story.
If she applies herself and gets clean and gets training in a skillset she can have a career. Not with a 250k salary. But something to keep her and her child going.
Like Lindsay, if she had just abided by the probation none of this would of happend and loss of income is on her and her only.
I find it impossible to find any sympathy for this fucktard. Why should she be entitled to a six figure salary? What greatness does she contribute to society?
ReplyDeleteOf course, I feel sorry for the children of these teenage girls that get knocked up. I'm sorry that they have to rely on these asswipes for "parenting".
Do you really think this chick is going to save one penny for her daughter? No, the money makes her an irresistible draw for all the low lives in the area. And she doesn't have the mental wherewithal to overcome it. She needs to start all over, the same thing all young people caught in a similar downward spiral are guided to do.
ReplyDeleteInstead of paying the Teen Moms, MTV should pay into a trust for the child's education, untouchable by the parent(s). Give the moms some, sure, but 250K? That's going to add to their problems. Agree with TT - are these teens really going to save for their children? I don't watch the show, just get bits here and there, but my impression is that they're less than... smart.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't Amber know that horizontal stripes add pounds? That should be incentive enough to stay out of jail.
ReplyDeleteAnd HOLY SHIT she was making 100k a year? I had no idea. Wow. We are truly celebrating the stupid.
I'm sick of looking at her. I don't know how she got the TV show in the first place, she's disgusting. Doesn't bother me at all that she's losing it.
ReplyDeleteI get some vague notes of sympathy from Enty here. How's she going to fund her daughter's college fund? The same way every other single mom in the world funds theirs. You work, you save, and it takes a long time. I have no sympathy for this girl.
People need to understand that a Judge can destroy your life with the stroke of a pen.
ReplyDeleteNo way does she deserve that job. I think that the money actually may have sped up her demise. She got a taste of "fame" and couldn't handle it. She needs 3 years away from the spot light to grow up and get her bearings. Actually, something like this would benefit Lindsay Lohan and Christina Aguilera too.
ReplyDeleteEmEye - excellent idea!
ReplyDeleteYour fascination with these young women is...incredible.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you guys! ^
ReplyDeletei agree with the first comment. MTV is done with her. she's a horrid person and none of the viewers like her enough to pull for her after the shit we've seen her do.
ReplyDeletei think it's likely MTV was very happy to have an excuse to pull the plug on amber.
Sounds like the judge actually understands the concept of Justice!
ReplyDeleteLetting her continue filming would still be rewarding her behaviour. I mean, those 3 years working minimum wage would suck, but at the end of it she'd have what? $336,000... approximately? She won't have learned to work for anything.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, there is the argument that keeping poor people poor is how American society keeps itself going. So, while I don't agree that she deserves to be making 100k a year, it's disappointing in it's own way to see the judicial system trying it's damnedest to keep poor people in "their place".
@ S. Humphreys - I don't think the judicial system sentenced her to 3 years to "keep her in her place". She was sentenced as punishment for her actions. I definitely agree that there is institutionalized racism and classism in our society and it's really expensive to be poor, but I just don't see it in this case.
ReplyDeleteEnty, as a Lawyer, I'm sure you understand justice in America. For the poor, justice generally means a hard scrabble future. So, she's saddled herself with some convictions, how many jobs will this young mother have a chance at in the future? I don't think he should have forced her off the air. To all the people saying she could learn a viable skill, what good is that skill if no one gives you a chance to use it for pay?
ReplyDeletePerfect example of how psychopaths breed and do not care for their kids. Perfect example of how psychopaths overburden courts,jails, and rehab services. Perfect example of the trail of misery psychopaths leave in their wake including children, spouses , parents and that list goes on.
ReplyDeleteThese people need to be institionalized for life. There is no cure.
@ i first of all, Enty is not the Entertainment Lawyer anymore, this is definitely a new blogger. Secondly, I agree that our justice system should be less about punishment and more about rehabilitation. That said, what job skills was Amber learning being on Teen Mom?
ReplyDeletePunishing the poor? All I see is rewards...it's the upper and middle classes who are punished the most. Not only am I responsible for myself and my family, but a good chunk of my money goes to the government for all their social programs...many which fund the poor. If people don't like being poor, they should get off their butts, go to school, and make something of themselves just like I did. With hard work and dedication a person can make anything happen.
ReplyDeleteI really liked her work, portraying the battle-hardened dwarf Gimli, in the Lord of the Rings.
ReplyDeletechewsymama did you realize that verizon paid zero in corporate taxes last year? they made hundreds of millions. who do you think is picking up that slack?
ReplyDeleteon a happier note, I agree with the judge. reality tv is glorifying this low level trash behavior. and she, like snooky and all of the rest, is playing it for all its worth. there should be consequences to her bad behavior and losing her well paying gig is a good one. also, wasn't she living in subsidized housing when she makes over six figures? enough.
I think the judge has a point. She wasn't doing so great being on Teen Mom so continuing to be on it would make her better? But whatever, I don't give a shit about her life.
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree with Audrey. If the writer of this blog was actually a lawyer, some of these posts are way too naive to be believed.
3 YEARS in a halfway house is bullshit. That judge is an asshole, IMO. One of my in-laws recently served time in a prison across the country from her home. Her family could not afford to travel to see her for those 2 years. She was offered a chance to stay in a halfway house for the last 4 months of her sentence, in her home state. She took the offer. Within the first week, she was wishing she'd just stayed in the prison for those final 4 months. The people who run the halfway house are really mean, treat everyone like garbage (including any family members visiting) and the food she's forced to order each day (at a very inflated rate) is sheer crap. Everything's inflated, the food, phone calls, toiletries, etc.
ReplyDeleteShe has less than a month to go and I'm surprised she hasn't gone out of her mind yet. I can't imagine trying to live in a hateful hell hole like that for three years. I'm for this Teen Mom person turning her life around, but that's no excuse for a judge to do this to her. This will not help her. He's done this for himself.
@Audrey
ReplyDeleteWhat job skills can you learn at McDonalds, really? The point I was making, was, she was/is gainfully employed and it wasn't selling booze or drugs. Most if not all probation will bar you from those jobs. The stress from not finding a job, with a P.O breathing down your neck is pretty tough. Tougher than many would care to know... I'm sorry, but it's a setup for failure. There are many "other" jobs to be learned from working on any TV set, as well as getting connections. So, her chances were much higher, for learning skills which would be at better pay scale, while on the show.
I doubt any of the MTV money would end up benefitting her daughter in any substantial way. At best some of it would've been invested in a too expensive home with property taxes she couldn't afford after MTV left.
ReplyDeleteThe rest would've been wasted on a high roller lifestyle. A few hundred thousand dollars isn't much when it's a one-time windfall, and you have no skills or earnings potential to cushion the loss of revenue.
Timebob, she destroyed her own life. No sympathy here for this spoiled brat.
ReplyDeleteImagine that! A halfway house that's no fun living in! What a world!!!
ReplyDeleteShes a sick girl who possibly cannot be redeemed. Has mental issues, but i wish her well. I do feel sorry for little girl, that whole family, inlaws and her famiky, are batshit. For all the people who think teen moms glorify teen pregnancy, does this seem very glamorous? I think show shld be must see for teen girls.
ReplyDeleteAnd anyone who thinks people living on wefare and food stamps are living big, get a grip. You get barely enough to live in a decent place, and some nice govt cheese and peanut butter and food stamps. Its hardly 'the life'. Its humiliating and demoralizing. Just be grateful u dont need it , is the way i look at it. if just one child goes hungry because program was cut, it isnt worth it to me.
ReplyDeleteI would bet MTV was going to drop her anyway.
ReplyDeletewh6y do you think she should even deserve a $100K+ a year job anyway? It hasn't helped her so far
ReplyDeleteWhy in the hell should this trick be rewarded with a job that pays $100K+ a year for being a useless piece of crap? She could be in jail, so she should count her blessings and deal with the fact that some people have to play by the rules.
ReplyDeleteBut what about her modeling career?
ReplyDeleteWhen people say benefit society they mean clean my toilet
ReplyDeleteI agree with the judge. The unintended side effect of these shows is to portray young girls with no visible means of support, raising kids and living lives as if they had actual jobs. It's no more a reality show than the Hosuewives.
ReplyDeleteA Criminologist fiorne dof mine once said "people are in prison because they have a lack of impulse control." It's a fair point.