Carly’s Song on ‘Teen Mom’ Raises Painful Questions for Catelynn and Tyler

The Teen Mom OG reunion had its share of emotional moments, but none hit harder than the moment involving Catelynn Lowell, Tyler Baltierra, and their biological daughter, Carly.

As cameras rolled, MTV producers surprised the couple with a recording of Carly singing during a church service — an unexpected gesture that was supposed to be a gift. Instead, it turned into one of the most emotionally fraught scenes of the season. The song Carly sang on Teen Mom has since sparked intense online debate and reopened complex questions about adoption, consent, and emotional boundaries.

Catelynn and Tyler later said they were never opposed to hearing the song. In fact, they were moved by the idea of it. But the way it was presented — on camera, without warning — left them feeling caught off guard and emotionally unprepared. Turns out, they asked to listen to it privately first. That request was denied.

According to Ashley's Reality Roundup's recap, when Dr. Drew Pinsky offered to play the recording, Catelynn and Tyler hesitated — not out of disinterest, but out of a need to process something so personal without a production crew in the room. Later, in a public Instagram post, Tyler shared a letter the couple wrote to Carly’s adoptive parents, Brandon and Teresa Davis.

In the caption, he explained that they were told the only way they’d be allowed to hear the recording was if they did so on camera — and that they wouldn’t be given a personal copy afterward.

“We were so confused and hurt about why they would say they have this beautiful gift to give us only to never plan on really giving it to us in the first place,” Tyler explained on Instagram.

The situation was made even more painful by the fact that, according to them, the idea of the gift didn’t originate from the adoptive parents but from MTV producers. The couple emphasized that they never involved Dr. Drew or requested this moment. It was pitched by the show to appease Carly’s adoptive parents, who reportedly didn’t want to speak about the adoption directly on camera.

The song Carly sang was “Whole Heart” by Mission House — a spiritual ballad that many viewers felt was deeply symbolic. Clips of her performance quickly circulated on TikTok, where fans flooded the comment sections with emotional and polarized reactions. Some praised the choice of song, noting how beautiful and powerful Carly’s voice was. Others questioned whether the lyrics — rich with religious meaning — carried unintended weight in the context of her adoption story.

One viewer commented, “She’s so talented, but this just broke my heart,” while another wrote, “That song ... With everything going on? It’s hard not to feel like it was a message.”

While the meaning behind the song was likely innocent, the timing and setup made it feel loaded for fans who knew the full backstory.

In their Instagram statement, Catelynn and Tyler expressed frustration with MTV for engineering the moment in a way that felt exploitative. They described it as “something so special just dangled in front of us, to then have it ripped away.” For many viewers, the behind-the-scenes details changed the tone of what first seemed like a touching gesture.

MTV and the Teen Mom franchise have long walked a delicate line between real emotion and reality TV production. But for Catelynn and Tyler — who have always been open about the pain and complexity of their adoption journey — this moment crossed a line. They ended their post by stating they would no longer publicly speak about Carly or her adoptive parents.