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Barbara Evans has had just about enough of Jenelle Evans’ drama. While the Teen Mom grandma has remained mostly quiet in recent years about the goings-on inside her complicated family, she’s not staying quiet anymore. After filing to change the custody agreement for Jenelle Evans’ eldest child, Jace Evans, she’s speaking to the media. The septuagenarian feels confident that a judge will side with her.

Barbara Evans speaks out about her upcoming custody battle

Jenelle Evans ran over to X (Formerly Twitter) to tell the world that a North Carolina judge denied her mother, Barbara Evans, emergency custody of Jace. Jenelle insisted that she still had legal custody of the teen, who has been living in an inpatient mental health facility for several weeks. While that might be true, her mother doesn’t think that will be the case for long. Barbara is ready to battle for control over decisions for Jace, who was born during season 2 of 16 and Pregnant back in 2009.

In a very rare move, Barbara was willing to speak to the media. TMZ connected with Barbara this week, and she was more than happy to offer some insight into the situation. The North Carolina resident seems unbothered that her bid for emergency custody was denied, as she’ll be back in court in just over a week to present evidence that she should have custody of the 16-year-old and not his mother. She seems pretty confident that it’s going her way, too.

The elder Evans also told the outlet that Jace’s father is expected to present evidence. While Andrew Lewis was mostly uninvolved in the teen’s life, he did spend a few weeks with him in 2025. It’s unclear what type of evidence he might provide the courts. Still, based on the context, it seems likely he might have information about Jenelle’s treatment of the teen around the time he agreed to take him in for the summer.

Barbara Evans has been his most consistent caretaker

Barbara Evans has been Javce Evans’ most consistent caretaker since his birth in 2009. While he spent a couple of years living with his mother most recently, the first 13 years of his life were spent in the care of Barbara Evans.

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Barbara gained temporary custody of Jace when he was just an infant. She returned to court regularly to ensure he remained in her care. In 2017, a judge issued a permanent custody order, granting Barbara control over the then eight-year-old Jace.  Things were pretty quiet regarding his custody agreement until 2023.

In March 2023, Jenelle Evans was granted custody of Jace after Barbara agreed to the switch. He only lived with his mother, then-stepfather, and two half-siblings for a few months before trouble began. In August, Jenelle reported the teen missing. He was reported missing two more times before he was removed from the home when his then-stepfather, David Eason, allegedly assaulted him. While his mother regained custody in 2024 and moved him and his sibling to Las Vegas, he moved back to North Carolina of his own accord in August 2025. He had been back in the care of Barbara until a February 2026 incident led to his hospitalization.

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