Mackenzie McKee recently warned young women not to sign up for MTV’s upcoming version of 16 & Pregnant.
The young reality star, who rose to fame on the fourth season of that controversial series and then appeared on Teen Mom 3, explained that these shows glorify pregnancy to a dangerous degree.
“I do not think MTV should continue to find new teen moms,” McKee said, explaining that she gets literal chills upon thinking some “16-year-old could possibly purposely get pregnant for a shot of fame.”
This is not the first time someone has criticized MTV for the airing of Teen Mom and/or 16 & Pregnant.
Instead of focusing on the struggles of the women at the center of these programs, some impressionable viewers focus on the fame and wealth that has come their way.
But now McKee has opened up to Radar Online about some of the extreme battles she’s faced since stepping into the spotlight, perhaps as a way of discouraging other women from thinking celebrities comes without any big problems.
Just how personal does McKee get in the following interview passages?
The mother of three admits that she formerly thought about killing herself. Often.
“My postpartum was bad,” the 22-year old says. “I would fill up the bathtub and go under water. I would take anxiety meds and hope not to wake up.”
Wow. That’s awful.
How did husband Josh react to McKee’s state of mind? Not well.
Mackenzie says Josh wasn’t remotely supportive, even taking away kids Gannon, Jaxie and Broncs for a brief period of time, leaving his wife all alone to battle her inner demons.
“I was in the bathtub and Josh took the kids,” McKee’s tells Radar, adding:
“I definitely needed him, but I was pushing him away. He would come home from work and I would be crying and I would threaten suicide. He couldn’t handle it.”
Mackenzie and Josh have been through a whole lot over the years.
In January, the latter went off on an INSANE Facebook rant, accusing his wife of infidelity in a very public forum.
“My so called wife always feels like it necessary to go on her social media and post sh!t that makes her look like a god d@mn princess,” Josh screamed online.
“That’s bullsh!t. I have been going to work and I kept getting a lot of red flags that something is going on while I’m gone.
“Come to find out I have always been right!”
Josh proceeded to accuse McKee of orchestrating phony drama just to keep herself in the news.
He even referenced a certain “porn video” and said it was all McKee’s idea.
Mackenzie has sworn all along that she never slept with another man, and she and Josh somehow managed to move past this seemingly huge hiccup just a few days after the Facebook feud went viral.
They remain together, posing frequently on Instagram by each other’s side, large smiles spread across both their faces.
During the worst of it, however?
When Josh refused to believe that Mackenzie only sent some other dude a few texts and nothing more?
“I was suicidal,” she says to Radar. “He said, ‘Go kill yourself, but don’t do it in front of me and the kids.’”
Thankfully, McKee says she’s feeling much better these days.
She has Type 1 Diabetes, however, which means her health is always a question. She can be up one week and down the next.
And while insiders have claimed McKee is pissed that Briana DeJesus was chosen for Teen Mom 2 instead of her, McKee is says she’s happy.
She’s concentrating on her Body By Mac videos and also hopes to pursue a career in motivational speaking.
As for her and Josh?
They are the proud mother and father of three precious kids. No divorce filing is on tap.
And, most importantly of all, McKee only uses a bathtub to clean herself and relax.