Jenelle Evans Misses Her Kids ‘Terribly’, Hates Seeing Them Happy With Mom & Ex Nathan
Avery Gonzales
Updated on February 02, 2026
Jenelle Evans hates seeing her kids happy and smiling while they're with her mom, Barbara, and ex, Nathan Griffith. She's 'glad' they're doing well, but it hurts to not have them in her life right now.
It’s been a few weeks now since Jenelle Evans and her husband, David Eason, lost custody of their three children: Jace, 9, Kaiser, 4, and Ensley, 2. Since then, fans, as well as Jenelle, have witnessed the kids smiling and having a good time with their temporary guardians. And while the former Teen Mom 2 star loves that they’re doing well, it hurts her to see them loving life without her. “It’s been an empty feeling for Jenelle to see how happy her kids are now that they are living with Barbara [Evans] and Nathan [Griffith],” a source close to Jenelle tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY.
Most recently, Nathan’s girlfriend shared photos of his son, Kaiser, smiling from ear to ear while playing in a pool with his dad. “On one hand, Jenelle’s glad they seem like they’re doing well and not staying with strangers while she fights for custody, but she misses them terribly and feels unsettled about them not being home with her. It feels like an empty home without her kids,” our source adds.
It doesn’t help that Nathan’s friend recently told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that she’s noticed a positive change in Kaiser’s attitude since he moved in with Nathan. Katlyn McCormick, 28, told us, “I FaceTime with Kaiser often and he’s in such a good place. His demeanor as a little boy has changed so much since being with Nathan. Kaiser is so happy and he even told me he isn’t scared anymore. [Nathan has] really been able to take Kaiser out of his shell and change everything that he went through.”
As for Kaiser’s siblings, Jace and Ensley — they are currently staying with Jenelle’s mom, Barbara. And just a few days ago, she, too, posted a picture of Jace and Ensley looking happy while at an aquarium. So it seems pretty clear that the kids are happy in the current environments. And that hurts Jenelle.
The decision to remove the kids from Jenelle and David’s home came after David admitted to shooting and killing Jenelle’s dog, Nugget, while the children were home. Since then, they’ve been fighting to regain custody of their kids, but so far, a judge has not ruled in their favor. The pair are reportedly in therapy, while David is reportedly set to undergo a psych evaluation, as part of the process to get the kids back. Jenelle has also made it clear that she will do whatever it takes to get her kids back. “[I] will do anything necessary to get hem back and that is all I want everyone to understand,” Jenelle said. “I love being a mother and David and I will get through this. We are staying strong and united.”
