TEEN Mom star Kristina Shirley’s reclusive daughter, Karly, has been seen for the first time in a birthday post shared by her sister, Leah.
The 18-year-old is Kristina’s eldest daughter from her first marriage, and she has stayed out of the limelight.
Kristina Shirley’s daughter Karly was seen for the first time in an Instagram post shared by her sister Leah[/caption]
Kristina is Leah’s stepmother after marrying the teen’s dad in 2015[/caption]
Leah has starred in the Teen Mom franchise for her entire life, beginning with the series, 16 & Pregnant[/caption]
However, Leah, 16, gave a shoutout to her big sister in an Instagram post, in honor of her special day.
She posted a slideshow of photos of the duo from their childhood years, as well as recent ones, showcasing the tight bond between the stepsiblings.
Fans pointed out that Karly bears a striking resemblance to her mother, sharing the same brunette locks, freckles, and facial expressions.
“HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY SISSY!!! Remember to have no regrets with wherever life leads you from now on, I love you so much, I hope you had the best day ever,” Leah captioned the post.
“Yay! We have never seen her before, right? Dad wouldn’t allow her to be shown!” one person noted in the comments.
“She is her mother’s twin!!!” declared another.
“Oh yay! I was wondering if we’d get to see Kristina’s daughter once she turned 18. I’m so glad her and Leah are close, Happy Birthday,” said a third.
“Omg she looks just like Kristina,” added a fourth.
“I thought this was Kristina at first,” a sixth echoed.
Karly has never appeared on Teen Mom, although Kristina, Leah, and her half-sister, Emilee, 10, are featured in regular episodes.
Leah is Kristina’s husband, Gary Shirley’s daughter with his ex, Amber Portwood.
MTV cameras have documented Gary and Amber’s lives as young parents after having Leah when they were teenagers on the reality series 16 & Pregnant, as well as its spin-offs, Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.
Kristina joined the show after she and Gary got married in 2015.
The family’s storyline primarily follows Leah’s complicated relationship with her mother, Amber.
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter Cast
In September 2022, MTV blended their long-running shows Teen Mom OG and Teen Mom 2 to one series following the young mothers’ experiences raising their kids and co-parenting with their baby dads. Here’s a list of the entire Teen Mom: The Next Chapter cast.
- Briana DeJesus – Teen Mom 2
- Cheyenne Floyd – Teen Mom OG
- Leah Messer – Teen Mom 2
- Amber Portwood – Teen Mom OG
- Maci Bookout – Teen Mom OG
- Catelynn Lowell – Teen Mom OG
- Ashley Jones – Teen Mom 2
- Jade Cline – Teen Mom 2
- Mackenzie McKee – Teen Mom 3 & Teen Mom OG
The mother-daughter pair were estranged for a significant part of Leah’s childhood, beginning after Amber’s 2010 arrest and subsequent prison stint for a domestic battery incident between her and Gary that MTV cameras filmed.
Leah has since made it known that Kristina had been more of a mother figure to her than Amber had, and the teen even proposed in an August 2024 episode for her stepmother to adopt her.
A source exclusively revealed to The U.S. Sun that Amber wouldn’t allow the adoption, and the twosome has been working on mending their relationship.
This past July, Amber insisted in a TikTok rant that she’s done with the show after claiming that producers forced Leah, who wasn’t in contact with her mother at the time, to text her so they could film her reaction.
Amber called the act “disrespectful” and vowed to quit the long-running series for good.
Before this, rumors had been circulating that Amber had been fired for publicly slamming the show on social media.
However, the entire cast might be out of a job soon, as The U.S. Sun reported earlier this summer that the show was likely to be canceled.
Leah’s dad, Gary, and her half-sister, Emilee, are also regularly featured on the show[/caption]
Leah has been vocal about wanting her stepmother, Kristina, to legally adopt her[/caption]
