Why Kailyn Lowry Felt “Villainized” for Years Amid Co-Parenting Drama

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Kailyn Lowry is getting candid about the realities behind her co-parenting journeys.

Kailyn Lowry, who has six children – 16-year-old Elliott with Jo Rivera, 12-year-old Lincoln with Javi Marroquin, 8-year-old Lux and 5-year-old Creed with Chris Lopez, and 3-year-old Rio with twins Valley and Verse (age 2) with Elijah Scott – is very familiar with the challenges of co-parenting. She’s learned that patience is key.

In an interview with TopMob News, Kailyn explained that co-parenting is a long-term process, not a quick fix. She emphasized that there will always be difficulties, but it requires consistent effort and adaptability. She also shared that she’s currently adjusting to a new co-parenting situation with Lincoln’s father, who recently moved to another state, and they’re both working to stay connected for their son’s sake.

She’s eager to share her side of the story about her relationships with her children’s fathers and correct any misunderstandings people might have.

She explained that she feels she’s been unfairly portrayed as the bad guy for a long time, partly due to how things were presented on Teen Mom. However, she insists she doesn’t argue with her children’s fathers nearly as often as the public believes, and her life isn’t centered around them.

Kailyn has a lot going on! Besides being a mom to seven children, she’s launching a 21-city tour in June called “Fatherless Behavior.” It’s a live podcast where she’ll discuss relationships, the impact of fathers, motherhood, and the challenges of everyday life.

Kailyn is used to sharing everything on her three podcasts—Coffee Convos, Karma & Chaos, and Barely Famous—but being so public also has its downsides.

She’s been dealing with a lot of public reaction to her personal life, particularly after she started dating Isaac “Ike” Knighton just two months after ending things with Elijah. She’s admitted that the criticism, especially about her relationships, is difficult for her to handle.

Social media can often create a false impression of someone’s life, and that’s true for her relationships as well. She explained, “Compared to most people, I haven’t actually dated many people, but because I’m in the public eye, it feels like everyone knows my personal life.” She also pointed out that time isn’t always clear on social media – something from the past can suddenly appear new, or information can be revealed unexpectedly, either earlier or later than intended.

Kailyn feels that people often misjudge her, assuming she’s had many relationships. She points out that, considering her 17 years in the public eye, the number of partners she’s actually had isn’t that high. Despite the public chatter, Kailyn is prioritizing what’s most important: her family. Read on to learn more about her large family…

Oh my gosh, I still remember when Kailyn first became a mom! It feels like yesterday, but it was back in 2010 – January 18th, to be exact. She was only 17, still in high school, and she and Jo Rivera welcomed their sweet little Isaac Elliott Rivera. I was instantly obsessed with their family!

Despite divorcing a year after the wedding, Kailyn and her ex-husband, Jo, have found a way to successfully co-parent their children. Kailyn shared on X (formerly Twitter) after attending Jo and his wife, Vee Rivera’s, wedding in 2018, that she’s grateful for Vee, saying she couldn’t ask for a better stepmother for her kids. Kailyn also noted that both she and Jo have matured a lot since they were young.

She shared that she’s watched her oldest son grow up alongside her, but feels he’s sometimes even more mature than she is. In an Instagram post for his 13th birthday, she described him as a kind, intelligent, and humorous person – though occasionally a bit cheeky. She also noted his passions for Olivia Rodrigo, music, and basketball, and praised his compassionate nature.

She explained that what she admired most about him was his willingness to question conventional thinking. His curiosity and open-mindedness allowed him to develop his own unique perspective.

In June 2025, Elliott shared on his mother’s podcast, Barely Famous, that he prefers to be called by his middle name and also came out as gay. Kailyn praised him, saying he’s accepting of others for who they truly are, not who they’re expected to be, and that more people should follow his example.

As a lifestyle expert, I remember when Lincoln Marroquin came into the picture! He joined the family on November 16th, 2013, not long after his dad, Javi Marroquin, married his mom, who was a well-known star on Teen Mom 2 at the time. It was such a happy time for them!

Kailyn described the boy as a big sports fan on her 2022 Barely Famous podcast. He spends a lot of time playing basketball and football, and for his 10th birthday, he had a party themed around his favorite NBA player, Allen Iverson.

It’s no surprise Lincoln helped name his youngest brother. Kailyn shared in a February 2024 TikTok that the name “Verse” came from Allen Iverson, a basketball player Lincoln admires. As a big basketball fan, Iverson’s name was naturally on his list of possibilities.

She described her brother Lincoln as wonderful, writing in a 2022 birthday post that he’s dedicated, intelligent, good-looking, and simply the best brother anyone could ask for.

Lux Russell Lowry enjoys a diverse range of interests, including football, wrestling, solving Rubik’s Cubes, and the music of Michael Jackson.

Kailyn and her ex-boyfriend, Chris Lopez, had their first child, Lux, on August 5, 2017. Although they continued a fluctuating relationship for a while, Kailyn shared with TopMob News in 2020 that they weren’t currently speaking. She expressed hope that they could improve their communication eventually, and wished for a positive outcome for their children, whatever that might look like. She emphasized she didn’t have any bad feelings towards Chris.

Lux is a remarkably quick child! Kailyn celebrated his sixth birthday with a WWE party, sharing that he’s been full of energy and keeping everyone active since the day he was born. She expressed how much she loves her energetic little boy.

Before her son, Creed Romello Lowry-Lopez, was born on July 30, 2020, Kailyn revealed she had been grappling with a difficult choice. She told TopMob News that she kept her pregnancy a secret because she wasn’t sure if she would keep the baby. She described that period as a very challenging and emotional time.

Despite a difficult relationship with Creed’s father, Chris, seeing his ultrasound picture immediately made up her mind.

Kailyn shared with TopMob that, just like her other children, she instantly fell in love with the new baby. All three of her older kids were eager to hold him and shower him with affection.

She celebrated her son Creed’s third birthday, which he shared with his sibling Lux, by listing all his nicknames: Creed, Romello, Mello, Romey, Rome, Biggie, and Bigs. She wrote that no words could truly capture how much she loves him, and she’d share those feelings in person instead.

Kailyn chose to keep the birth of her fifth son, Rio, private for a while after he was born in November 2022 because she wanted to share the news when and how she felt comfortable, as she told People magazine.

Despite a difficult start to life – he needed to spend time in the NICU because of breathing problems and fluid in his lungs – she says he’s been a wonderful baby.

New father Elijah Scott is also earning praise. His ex-fiancée shared that he’s been a different kind of partner than her other children’s fathers. While he works a physically demanding job pouring concrete, he’s also deeply committed to family – both his own and theirs. She feels they’ve been a great team and a good match.

Kailyn says having Rio helped her embrace motherhood again and enjoy life. She jokingly admitted that raising her fourth child was actually more challenging than raising five. “My fourth is a bit of a handful,” she explained, “but my fifth is an absolute dream – if all my kids were this easygoing, I’d have even more!”

Cut to…

In late October 2023, Kailyn became a mother to twins, Verse and Valley, joining her other children with Elijah. This marked a new chapter for her as a mom of three.

Valley, named after the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania where Kailyn spent her childhood, needed a bit more time in the NICU than her brother because she was having trouble with feeding.

Kailyn shared on her January 2024 podcast, Barely Famous, that she’d never encountered a baby who didn’t show any interest in feeding. Her daughter would sleep right through scheduled feeding times, never displaying typical hunger cues, and wouldn’t even take a bottle when offered.

Even though Kailyn is concerned about how the twins will reconnect after being apart for so long – she hopes to help them regain their close connection – she’s overjoyed to have her whole family together at last.

She expressed immense joy and contentment, saying, “We’re even adding to our house because of everything!” She described her babies as wonderful and felt incredibly lucky.

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2026-05-09 01:18