Gary Wayt Says He Was Pressured Into Proposing to Amber Portwood

You are not alone if you thought Amber Portwood and Gary Wayt’s engagement was a bit strange when it aired on Teen Mom: The Next Chapter. Many fans were quick to point out how awkward and tense the proposal seemed. Gary Wayt, Portwood’s ex-fiance and a former missing person, has stepped forward to explain the proposal and its inherent awkwardness. He recently revealed that he was pressured into popping the question.

Gary Wayt felt pressured into proposing to Amber Portwood

Gary Wayt is speaking out for the first time since ending his engagement to Amber Portwood. Wayt chatted with TeenMomFanz, an Instagram account dedicated to the franchise, about his relationship and what ultimately led to him disappearing suddenly. He explained that he wasn’t ready to propose when he did.

Wayt told the publication that MTV staged the proposal, and he felt pressured to go along with it. He said he agreed to propose to keep Portwood happy. Still, he didn’t feel it was a “genuine” proposal.

Wayt didn’t lose much by walking away from Potwood. The former Indiana resident revealed that he didn’t even pay for the ring used to ask for Portwood’s hand in marriage. He didn’t reveal exactly who footed the bill for the piece of jewelry. Based on everything else he told TeenMomFanz, we can probably assume MTV paid for the diamond he used during the couch-based proposal.

How long were they engaged?

Gary Wayt and Amber Portwood’s engagement was so short that it’s easy to forget it ever happened. After a few months of dating, the duo hard launched their relationship via Instagram early in 2024. Wayt asked Portwood to marry him sometime in late May or early June. By June 11, the engagement ended, and Wayt was listed as a missing person.

Portwood reported Wayt missing on June 11 after last seeing him at a vacation cabin they were sharing two days earlier. Portwood said she and Wayt had an “emotional conversation” about his family before he left the rental and disappeared in his car. He left behind his phone and other personal belongings. Wayt later accused Portwood of holding his phone and other belongings hostage during their “conversation.”

Wayt and Portwood didn’t officially end their engagement until weeks later. By then, Wayt had turned up safe in another state and contacted the police. All told, they were engaged for mere days before calling it quits. Portwood has not spoken much about Wayt since MTV cameras captured the days following his disappearance. Now that he has stepped forward, she might have something to say.