Leah Messer of 'Teen Mom' in a strapless blue dress in 2017

Thanks, I Hate It

‘Teen Mom’ Star Leah Messer Has a Massive Tax Bill

The 'Teen Mom' star has spoken in the past about how she didn't learn how to make smart financial choices when she was young.

by Megan Elliott

Published on March 15, 2024

2 min read

Leah Messer owes more than $200,000 in unpaid taxes

Messer, 31, currently owes substantial unpaid taxes to both the federal government and the state of West Virginia, according to a new report from In Touch. On Feb. 26, she was hit with a tax lien for $31,349. That’s on top of the $196,804 tax lien from the IRS that was filed on Feb. 12.

The MTV star has a history of tax problems. She has been on the receiving end of tax liens in 2014, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2023, In Touch reports. Some of those liens are still active.

The ‘Teen Mom’ star blamed poor financial education for her money problems

Messer has spent roughly half her life in the public eye. She made her MTV debut on Teen Mom 2 in 2011. As a teenager with small children and little financial education, she says she wasn’t prepared to manage her money properly.

“I didn’t grow up making the income that I do now, [and] I didn’t have the guidance that a girl at 16 should’ve had to responsibly handle money and make healthy financial planning choices,” she told In Touch in June 2023.

At the time, Messer said that she was working with “an amazing accountant and tax attorney” who was helping her sort through her issues. She was also committed to doing better at managing her financial affairs.

“I’m figuring this all out on my own and passing the advice to the next generation of women in my family as I learn,” she said. “Let this be an example for everyone out here: take that boring financial class in high school or college. Your future self WILL thank you for it!”

Messer isn’t the only ‘Teen Mom’ cast member who’s faced financial issues

Jenelle Evans poses for a photo at a fashion week event

Jenelle Evans | Bruce Glikas/Getty Images

Messer isn’t alone among Teen Mom alums in facing serious tax issues. Fellow franchise stars Amber Portwood, Catelynn Baltierra, Maci Bookout, and Jenelle Evans have also faced five- and six-figure tax liens.

Debra Danielsen, the mom of former Teen Mom cast member Farrah Abraham, said the young women who appeared on the show didn’t get good guidance on how to manage the sudden change in their finances.

“They weren’t taught how to handle their money properly,” she told Heavy in a 2020 interview.

“When they set up businesses nobody tells them how to take care of their taxes and stuff,” Danielsen added. She also said that some Teen Mom stars owe the IRS “big hunks of money.”

“I’m not knocking anybody because I love all of these people, so I don’t mean it in a bad way,” she said. “I think the cold, hard fact of the matter is they don’t have good counsel from a business perspective.”

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