The Next Chapter Cast Reacts to Jenelle Evans’ Return Amid David Eason Separation (Exclusive)

After filing to divorce husband David Eason, and more than five years after being fired from MTV, Jenelle Evans is rejoining the franchise with Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.

TooFab spoke to cast members, Maci Bookout, Leah Messer, Mackenzie McKee and Briana DeJesus, about Jenelle’s return and what fans can expect to see this season as some of their children enter their teen years.

While not all of the cast has spoken to Jenelle, Mackenzie and the OG Teen Mom star found they were going through similar struggles amid the Florida-based fitness trainer’s own divorce from ex-husband, Josh McKee.

“She’s reached out to me,” Mackenzie told TooFab. “We exchanged numbers and I think it was because we both just recently — I’ve never spoken to her or really met her — but I think it’s ’cause we both recently got a divorce.”

She continued, “And that’s kind of like where we connect. We got a divorce from someone who kind of ruined what people thought about us.”

While Makenzie’s marriage to Josh was riddled with infidelity and a lack of communication that played out both on and off screen, it was Jenelle’s marriage to David that took the cake when it came to headlines — with David shooting and killing their family pet, racist rhetoric spewed online, and most recently, claims of abuse against Jenelle’s eldest son, Jace.

“I take accountability for my part, but after I got through my divorce and got through the other side and realize how much better I became, love myself, I was rooting for her to do the same,” she added.

Though Jenelle was off the air, the drama surrounding her marriage to David was hard to avoid, Maci said she’s hopeful that with her return, viewers who may be experiencing some of the same struggles can learn from her experiences.

“I feel like the headlines kind of told all, but headlines can also be very misleading,” Maci said. “But as far as being back on the show, with everything she’s had going on, and currently going through, her story can really help a lot of people; especially people who have gone through something similar or are going through something similar and can relate to her.”

She continued, “I feel like it’s gonna make a difference for people that need see this and see how she got away. I hate to use those words, but I just feel like it’s important for some people — men and women — to see her story because they do relate to it.”

Another relationship that will play out this season is the one between Maci and her ex, Ryan Edwards, with whom she shares 15-year-old son, Bentley.

While fans have seen the pair get closer off-screen, with Ryan recently celebrating Easter with Maci, Bentley and her husband, Taylor McKinney, much of what has played out over the years on the show has been Ryan’s struggle with substance abuse — a struggle that’s impacted not only his bond with Bentley but his ability to co-parent with Maci.

“You really just see a lot of growth and the natural progression of us still trying to figure out how co-parenting looks with us and how communication looks,” Maci shared. “But like I said, it’s a natural progression, so we’ve maintained a very healthy co-parenting relationship. But as we get later in the season, I feel like everyone will get to see and get to know Ryan kind of for the first time.”

She continued, “But also his relationship with Bentley and how that grows. It’s still going good, so staying hopeful there.”

As for the their kids, while some of the moms still have little ones, a lot of the OG’s who helped start the franchise are now raising teenagers — a new and interesting challenge as the kids start driving, dating and more.

“It’s been really crazy and terrifying and also really cool to see Bentley enter this phase of really, young manhood,” Maci shared. “It’s hard and it’s very scary, but he’s a really good kid. I’m excited to see what his next moves are.”

Leah has had her own challenges with twins Ali and Aleeah, including situations involving Ali’s muscular dystrophy — which per the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is “a group of rare genetic diseases that cause progressive muscle weakness and breakdown.”

“I think with Ali and Aleeah being teenagers, we’re going through a whole new phase of learning acceptance. Acceptance of who we are and how we play a role in everyone’s lives, including everyone in our family,” Leah shared. “So Ali and Aleeah have a very different struggle, but they’re like each other’s best friends.”

“They face adversity that looks different than your average twins,” the mother of three added. “Ali does face challenges every single day and learning to accept that muscular dystrophy is part of who she is. And Aleeah feeling the pressure of needing to be there for her sister and taking care of her sister, so we’re navigating that in teen years and we’ll see how it evolves.”

For more on the upcoming season of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, including the tea on what’s really going on with Briana and her ex, Devoin Austin, check out the video below.

Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, which also stars Catelynn Baltierra, Jade Cline, Cheyenne Davis, and Amber Portwood, premieres tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET on MTV.