Leah Messer Forced to Defend 13-Year Age Difference With Boyfriend

Teen Mom 2 star Leah Messer introduced her boyfriend Jason Jordan on the Season 9 premiere that aired Monday night. The mom dished about the new relationship, sharing a hopeful, "So far it's going really well."

While all is well with the couple, some criticized Messer, 26, for dating a man who is more than a decade older than her.

"When you're in my situation, because if I date someone my age, they don't get my life,” Messer explained. “They don't understand three kids, they don't want any part of that, actually."

Jordan, who is 39, has enjoyed getting to know Messer’s three daughters, Aleeah, Aliannah, and Adalynn. "So far it's like we're buddies," he said.

Despite the age gap, Messer and Jordan are actually very similar. Jordan has a son and, like Messer, two failed marriages. While both are confident about the relationship now, initially Jordan felt cautious about dating a younger woman. "I know personally that I don't want to fail again, so that's why I was hesitant in the beginning," he said.

The couple split up in October, an event that was not seen on the show.

"Some things are meant to happen, just not meant to be," Messer wrote on social media at the time. "Some things are meant to come into your life, just not meant to stay."

The separation didn’t last long, as the two began appearing together in photos on social media again in November.

"Wouldn’t have brought the new year in any other way than with my baeee," Messer wrote on Instagram with a photo of her and Jordan on New Year’s Day.

We think they're cute!