Teen Mom’s Tyler Baltierra and Catelynn Lowell aren’t done sharing their adoption story.
At 16 years old, the former 16 and Pregnant stars decided to place their daughter for adoption in hopes of giving her a better life. After documenting her pregnancy for the MTV cameras, the pair’s daughter was adopted by Brandon and Teresa Davis.
As Carly became a teenager, however, both Baltierra and Lowell say they find themselves more distant than ever with their biological daughter and her parents.
“The last time I saw Carly was, like, two years ago,” Lowell shared with Us Weekly in January 2025. “It’s very hard. At the end of the day, I really just want whatever she wants and whatever that looks like for Carly, that’s all that I want.”
Teen Mom stars Tyler Baltierra and Catelynn Lowell have hit back at critics who claimed they’re “bashing” daughter Carly’s adoptive parents. Lowell, 32, shared an Instagram Story on Tuesday, February 4, originally posted by Baltierra, 33, that defended the pair’s decision to speak openly about the child’s adoptive parents, Brandon and Teresa Davis, in recent […]
Although Lowell and Baltierra initially agreed to an “open” adoption with Carly’s adoptive parents — meaning they could receive photos of and information about her daughter in addition to seeing their daughter in person once a year — the Teen Mom stars claim things began to change over time.
“They basically have closed the adoption on us,” Lowell alleged. “That’s hard. I’ve kind of just jumped into this new place with my adoption to where now I’m speaking to lots of adoptees and I am learning what would’ve helped them, what would’ve benefited them. Now I’m doing a lot of education about that and teaching other people about the statistics of adoptees and if you’re going to make this decision ever in your life, be knowledgeable about what you’re making.”
As Lowell and Baltierra continue sharing their story on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter and PodcastOne’s “Cate & Ty Break It Down” podcast, the Davis family has remained private and has not publicly addressed their claims. (Us has also reached out for comment.)
Keep reading to learn more about the changing relationship both on and off camera:
Carly’s Televised Adoption
Although the Davis family hasn’t appeared in the Teen Mom franchise in many years, it wasn’t always like that.
MTV cameras rolled when Brandon and Teresa met Lowell and Baltierra for the first time.
“I’m standing there with this sweet young girl who’s handing that child to me,” Teresa recalled while appearing on the Teen Mom OG reunion special in 2019. “It’s definitely an experience like no other.”
Before then, viewers watched Brandon and Teresa share their fertility journey with Lowell and Baltierra in front of their adoption counselor, Dawn.
“When we got married, we tried having children and just have not been able to have children,” Teresa shared in 2009. “I’ve just felt for several years that there’s a child that we’re going to have through adoption and that’s the right plan for us.”
While trying to hold back tears, Lowell replied, “I just want her to have better than what I had … I know that you can provide for her a lot more than I can.”
From an Open to an Alleged Closed Adoption
Although Teen Mom once documented reunions between Carly and her birth parents, the MTV franchise has been unable to capture special moments in recent years because of the changing relationship between Lowell and Baltierra and the Davis family.
“Adoption is crazy. I’m blocked all because of me sending updates and pictures of her sisters,” Lowell — who is also mom to Nova, 10, Vaeda, 5, and Rya, 3 -– claimed via her Instagram Story in September 2024. “When you’re a [biological] mom you have no say … no control. All I can do is show Carly in the future how much I tried and continued to do so.”
In a March 2025 episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Lowell alleged that Brandon and Teresa told Dawn that they blocked her for their “mental health.”
They also asked Dawn to tell Carly’s birth parents that they were not allowed to send gifts anymore.
Why Tyler and Catelynn Continue to Speak Up
As the Teen Mom stars continue to share their experience with adoption, Lowell explained why it’s important to her to speak out.
“I want Carly to know that if she’s the one that still wants contact and it’s not happening, I will fight for that til the day I die or until she tells me it’s too hard for me to have contact,” Lowell shared with Us in January 2025. “But until that day, I want her to know that I am always here and always willing to do whatever I can.”
During a February 2025 episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, however, Dawn suggested they take a “step back” from the process.
“Just allow yourself to take a pause,” Dawn suggested. “We don’t know what tomorrow brings. We don’t know what three months from now is going to be.”
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