Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagicJenelle Evans is ready to begin the next chapter of her life.
Just hours ago, the former Teen Mom star announced her split from David Eason, her husband of two years. Following months of scandal, Jenelle revealed that she and her children had "moved away" from David and were working on rebuilding their lives without him. So what was the final straw in Jenelle and David's relationship? A source tells E! News exclusively that the 27-year-old left North Carolina out of concern for her and the kids' "safety."
Explains our insider, "She is looking out for her own welfare and the welfare of her children. She has had a lot of relationships and she really wanted to make this one work and did everything she could, but David really just dragged her through the mud. Some people just cannot be helped."
Jenelle has three kids of her own; 10-year-old Jace Evans, 5-year-old Kaiser Griffith and 2-year-old Ensley Eason. She temporarily lost custody of them when David killed their family dog in April, which also led to her firing from Teen Mom 2.
We're told that even those closest to Jenelle don't know her exact whereabouts and is keeping details surrounding the divorce proceedings private. "It's for her and the kids' safety," the source says.
"She also knows she would not be able to go any further in her career with David in the picture," the insider adds to E! News. "She is now trying to recapture the old Jenelle, which is an improvement."
Jenelle herself touched on the scandals she's worked to overcome since entering the public eye. "I've lived my life on camera since I was 17 years old. And a lot of it hasn't been pretty," she shared in today's statement. "...With time away from Teen Mom I've started to look at my life differently and I know I need to make changes. I'm starting that now."
Take a look at a number of those controversies in our gallery below:
In April 2019, Jenelle accused her then-husband, David Eason, of killing her French bulldog Nugget. He later admitted it, and has maintained that the dog threatened their daughter, Ensley. Following the incident, MTV fired Jenelle from Teen Mom 2 and the couple temporarily lost custody of their little girl, the star's son Kaiser and David's daughter Maryssa for several weeks. They later split and then reconciled after a few months.
Back in Feb. 2018, David was fired from MTV for his alleged homophobic tweets. "David Eason's personal comments do not reflect the views of MTV," a network spokesperson said in a statement to E! News. "With six weeks left of production on Teen Mom 2, effective immediately, we are ending our relationship with him." Jenelle Evans would later clarify that her husband "doesn't hate" people from the LGBT community. "He agrees he will keep his comments to himself from now on," she said.
Many viewers won't forget the custody battle Jenelle and her mom Barbara Evans were involved in over Jace. In May 2017, the family reached a custody agreement that provided mixed emotions. "I'm really happy we could get to a decision for Jace but it doesn't change my feelings towards my mom," Jenelle explained to E! News. "She still isn't giving up my son to me but I will fight again in the future when the time is right. I'm happy but devastated at the same time that I didn't take it to trial. But in the world of Jenelle, you learn to pick and choose your battles."
While Jenelle and Barbara have become much more closer in recent months, the mother-daughter duo had many years of highs and lows including a custody battle. "I think our relationship's lost," the Read Between the Lines author told E! News in July 2017. "I don't ever think there's really coming back at any point in time." Ultimately, the pair have bonded on the most recent season of Teen Mom 2 with Barbara being one of her daughter's biggest supporters.
In Oct. 2018, Evans claimed in a 911 call that she was "assaulted" by Eason after he pinned her down. Jenelle would later tell E! News that the incident was a "drunk and dramatic misunderstanding." David also added, "We have never been happier, thanks for asking!"
Before marrying, cameras rolled as the bride-to-be threatened to call off the entire ceremony. "I don't even know if I'm doing a f--king rehearsal because everything's f--ked up right now," she said in a 2017 episode. "We can just cancel the whole f--king wedding." Uh-oh!
"Until he acts like I exist, then I'm not filming anymore. I want him to talk to me. I want him to ask me what's wrong with me right now. He doesn't care!" she continued.
During this season of Teen Mom 2, Evans found herself in a feud with Kailyn Lowry after Barbara joked about killing her. "It was only a joke," Barbara shared. "I was being sarcastic and everyone freaks out like I want to go kill the girl. C'mon I've known the girl for 10 years. That's crazy s--t." Kailyn would later share: "I heard barb wants to kill me. Are drunk words sober thoughts?"
During her time on Teen Mom 2, Jenelle had threatened to quit the show for multiple reasons including poor editing. "Yes, me and David have our ups and downs but yesterday's episode was uncalled for. Because David didn't feel like explaining another argument or drama on camera they make it look as if David is hiding some weird ass shit from the public as if he was hurting me in some way?!" she shared on Instagram back in Oct. 2017. "I have decided after this season I'm probably calling it quits for filming this show. I told Morgan it's getting to out of hand and it's not healthy for us anymore, just harming us mentally. They treat all of us as if we are in a freak show and in cages. We aren't human beings to @mtv what-so-ever."
In 2018, Evans and Blue Apron made headlines when it was determined they would no longer be working together. As for whose decision it was, it truly depends on who you ask. "I decided not to work with Blue Apron because of bad tensions with a previous co-worker they decided to work with as well," Jenelle told E! News. "After breaking the news to Blue Apron, they got on their social media account responding to fake accounts about me telling them they were firing me. My husband got upset by this and [led] to him tweeting them."
In a Feb. 2018 podcast interview, Jenelle admitted she tested positive for THC—a chemical found in cannabis—in the hospital after giving birth to her daughter, Ensley. "I'm not going to lie about that. I tested positive for THC, and Ensley did not test positive. I did," she explained on Vince Russo's The Brand podcast. "So [Child Protective Services] were like—I was in the hospital—they said, 'Did you smoke when you were pregnant?' I said, 'I did within the past 30 days. I said I have really bad esophageal spasms and I throw up every 5 minutes, I can't even eat.' And they said, 'OK, some moms do that. We are not here to judge, we are writing down your information.'"
David has yet to comment on Jenelle's statement.