teen mom briana dejesus
Briana DeJesus (left), pictured with her former “Teen Mom 3” co-stars, will join a new MTV series. MTV

“Teen Mom 2” will feature a noticeably bigger cast next season. MTV has confirmed that Briana DeJesus from the now defunct “Teen Mom 3” will be joining the show’s upcoming Season 8.

“‘Teen Mom 2’ will return to MTV this summer for another intense season, but this time with a twist. For the first time in ‘Teen Mom’ history, a new mom is on the scene,” MTV announced in a press release shared with IBT on Monday. Briana will join current stars Chelsea Houska, Jenelle Evans, Leah Messer and Kailyn Lowry in the show’s new episodes.

While viewers haven’t seen Briana’s life on camera since “TM3” ended in 2013, MTV reports she’s been busy.

Since the cameras stopped rolling, Briana has juggled raising five-year-old Nova with help only from her mom and sister, while also trying to balance a career and new boyfriend, Luis. She finds herself unexpectedly pregnant with her second child and hopes for the best. But when she hears shocking news about Luis, she is forced to make one of the hardest decisions a mother can face, in order to provide the best life for her new child.

READ: “Teen Mom OG” Stars Reveal When They’ll Quit The MTV Series

Before MTV viewers get to catch up with Briana, the newest “Teen Mom 2” cast member will appear on the network’s “Teen Mom” after show Monday at 10 p.m. EDT. MTV reports Briana, her mom Roxanne and sister Brittany will catch fans up “on the past few years of their lives” during the interview.


Briana was first speculated to be joining the show in April. Later that month, Radar Online reported that the soon-to-be mother of two had already started filming for the new season. “Some of the girls are unreliable with filming and others just are no longer bringing the drama viewers want to see,” a source close to the show said at the time. “They needed someone to spice it up.”

 

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While viewers may be treated to a new cast member next season on “Teen Mom 2,” The Ashley’s Reality Roundup reports the other leads weren’t happy with the addition. “The addition of Briana has made the show’s four original cast members angry for a variety of reasons,” the site reported in March, naming pay as the main source of contention. Jenelle, Kailyn, Leah and Chelsea were speculated to be upset with the idea of Briana being paid close to their $300,000 per season paycheck.

READ: Sex Tape Rumors Surround ‘Teen Mom 3’ Star Mackenzie McKee

“The producers are planning to pay Briana much less than the original girls will make for Season 8. They have decided to pay her the salary that Leah, Kail, Chelsea and Jenelle made for their second season on the show, an amount somewhere around $20,000,” reported the site. “The ‘Teen Mom 2’ girls weren’t happy that Briana was making so much, but the network felt that was a fair amount, given that Briana had one season of a ‘Teen Mom’ show under her belt already.”

Briana is said to have beaten out her former “TM3” cast member Mackenzie McKee, who has had her fair share of drama over the years, for the part. “16 and Pregnant” Season 4 cast member Lindsey Harrison was also speculated to have been considered by producers.

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