Disturbing ‘Teen Mom OG’ Finale Shows Ryan Edwards Driving High
In a horrifyingly disturbing sequence of events on Teen Mom OG's season finale June 26, one cast member severely risks not only the lives of himself and his fiancé, but those of everyone around him. Ryan Edwards, on the way to his quickie wedding to Mackenzie Standifer, drives under the influence -- swerving his car and almost falling asleep at the wheel multiple times.
(Fair warning, the image of Edwards at the end of this post is upsetting, so if you scroll all the way down, do so with caution.)
Unfortunately for everyone involved in this inexcusable incident, at no point does Standifer (the only witness in the car) attempt to get her groom to pull over. Instead, she grabs the wheel to correct Edwards' swerving, hits him in the arm to attempt to wake him up when his eyes start closing, and turns off MTV's dashboard cameras -- all while the vehicle is still moving.
Even with the cameras off, the audio picks up this telling conversation -- most of which is mumbled on the part of Edwards.
Standier asks Edwards, “Did you take Xanax again?”
“Um, I don’t … I don’t have any," he responds.
“You did," she insists.
“I put that on my kid’s life," he replies. (Edwards refers here to his son, Bentley, with former partner and Teen Mom OG star Maci Bookout.)
The whole situation is heartbreaking and scary to watch. And despite all of it, Standifer and Edwards go through with their shotgun wedding, with just Edwards's parents and the couple's dog as witnesses.
After the Teen Mom OG Season 7 finale aired earlier in the week, disturbed fans questioned MTV's role in allowing Edwards to drive when he clearly wasn't sober. The network issued the following statement: “MTV does not condone driving under the influence. Ryan’s erratic behavior was due to actions that he took without anyone’s prior knowledge.”
Before the finale was shown, Edwards went to to rehab.
“A little over 30 days ago, I made the decision to check myself into a rehabilitation facility," he said in a statement. "I am back home now doing well, and life could not be better. Without the support of my wife and parents I would not have been able to do this. Thank you all for your well wishes.”
Meanwhile, Standifer posted pictures this week of her and a smiling Edwards, along with her son from a previous marriage on a beach with the caption, "Fave place. Fave people."
Addiction is a serious issue, however, and a few weeks in rehab paired with seemingly happy pictures are not going to completely resolve it. Hopefully Edwards and his family are able to obtain the help they need to move forward in a way that doesn't again risk anyone's lives.
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