MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” and subsequent spin-offs are among the most famous reality TV franchises ever created. The show caused lots of controversy once its first season premiered in 2009, but the cast managed to not only become unforgettable, but also teach valuable lessons about teenage pregnancy and life in general.
One of the original teenage moms from “16 and Pregnant”’s premiere season is Whitney Purvis, a then-16-year-old girl from Rome, Georgia, who alongside her boyfriend Weston was expecting her first child while dealing with lots of financial and family issues.
A long time has passed since we last saw Whitney on TV, yet she’s been at the center of controversy several times over the years due to what have become her usual run-ins with the law and other not-so-positive issues.
So what’s going on with Whitney and why was she arrested again in 2024? Keep watching to find out!
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Why Was She Arrested?
Whitney Purvis’s most recent encounter was a good reminder of how easily a reality star can make headlines, even if they’ve been away from the spotlight for years.
The reason Whitney was put behind bars in July of 2024 was because she owed thousands of dollars in child support. As many good fans of “16 and Pregnant” remember, Whitney and her then-boyfriend Weston Gosa welcomed their first son in April 2009, though the show didn’t follow up on the young family to see them welcoming a second son in late 2014.
The couple eventually split up, with a court ordering Whitney to pay $353 in child support for both children in 2018. In early 2023, Weston filed a Complaint for Contempt, affirming that Whitney had refused to comply with said court order, resulting in her owing almost $19,000 by October of that year, according to reports.
All this tense situation resulted in Whitney’s arrest on 2 July 2024, after a Floyd County judge declared her in contempt of child support and ordered her to serve 48 hours in jail, and ordered to keep paying the ordered alimony in the future, plus $20 which is meant to cover her past debts.
Previous Arrests
Whitney’s 2024 arrest was surely a distressing time, but sadly being behind bars isn’t a novelty for her. Her long list of run-ins with the law started in 2012 when she was arrested for stealing a pregnancy test from a store, alongside her then-boyfriend Weston Gosa.
According to reports, Whitney shoplifted the pregnancy test from the aisle and headed to the place’s bathroom, where she used the device before trying to escape. She was caught, taken to a nearby police station, and charged for misdemeanor theft. Later that year, the couple was busted again for smashing electronics at a store.
In 2015, Whitney was arrested again, for hitting Weston with a broom. As TMZ reported at the time, Whitney broke into Weston’s house after breaking his window with a wheel, then proceeded to assault him with the metal handle of a broom. At the time, Weston and Whitney had also been arrested several times for driving under the influence.
The broom incident resulted in charges of trespassing and assault, but that wasn’t the end of the altercations for the couple.
What Happened Between Whitney and Weston?
Despite the many struggles which Whitney and Weston faced in their “16 and Pregnant” episode, the couple seemed to be following the right path when they moved in together and welcomed their first child.
However, the next couple of years were nothing but chaotic for them, as Whitney and Weston not only got into some legal issues together, but also made it a habit to break up on several occasions during the years. They seemed to split for good shortly before welcoming their second son in 2014, but things didn’t go very smoothly for them afterwards.
One year after the custody of the couple’s children was fully transferred to Weston, he filed a contempt case against her for not paying child support, and the following year, filed a protective order against her, after she harassed him and his then-partner.
The order was effective until September 2021, but only one month later Whitney was arrested again for Terroristic Threats and Acts, as she had seriously threatened Weston in very straightforward and scary way.
Besides his continuous issues with Whitney, not much is known about Weston’s whereabouts.
What Happened To Her Kids?
As seen in her episode of “16 and Pregnant”, Whitney Purvis’ first son Weston Owen Gosa Jr. was born on 2 April 2009. Her second son River Blake Gosa was born in October 2014, though this time the information about Whitney’s pregnancy was more limited compared to her time in the show. It’s also worth noting that her now ex-boyfriend Weston Gosa is the father of the kids, who both make appearances on her social media.
Fast forward to May 2023, Whitney welcomed her third son Collin Adonis, whose birth took everyone by surprise as Whitney had not given signs of being pregnant or in a relationship, leaving the identity of Collin’s father unknown.
Regarding the name of her third child, Whitney affirmed on Instagram that his middle name ‘Adonis’ hadn’t been taken too kindly by her family, but she loved the name nonetheless because it meant ‘God’s blessing’ in the Bible. Whitney also revealed that Collin’s birth had led her life to make ‘a big transition’ which had ‘saved her’.
What Else Is Whitney Doing These Days?
Regardless of her many run-ins with the law and the fact that those situations always make headlines, Whitney Purvis generally keeps a very low-profile life these days.
For a start, not much is known about Whitney’s profession. Though her Instagram pictures make us believe that she’s working in the food industry, the truth is that Whitney doesn’t reveal much about it.
As well, in February 2022, she posted an Instagram pic of white flowers with a cryptid caption in which she mentioned to be celebrating four months of taking ‘one of [her] biggest steps forward’. Though that picture hints at something romantic, it’s unclear whether she was celebrating the beginning of a relationship or her wedding.
Last but not least, in June 2024 Whitney took to Facebook to reveal she was in talks with Netflix to appear in a documentary about her “16 and Pregnant” experience, but not much is known about the project yet.
All in all, Whitney has had many intense and negative experiences in the past decade, but here’s hoping that she can get past those issues to build a brighter future for herself and her supposed family.
