Why Teen Mom OG's Dakota Meyer Doesn't Have A Relationship With Bristol Palin's Son

Tripp Palin Teen Mom OG MTV

Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Teen Mom OG episode "Modern Families." Read at your own risk!

Bristol Pallin's divorce drama continued on Teen Mom OG, as a question remained as to whether the couple's custody agreement should include Bristol's son Tripp. Though Tripp is not biologically Dakota Meyer's child, Meyer was the boy's stepfather for two years following the couple's marriage in 2016. Currently, the two don't have a relationship, and Meyer explained why, saying this:

I don't because I don't want to confuse him. I don't know what his mom's telling him. It's not like she's saying, 'Here's what the plan's going to be with him.' Like I just worry that if I reached out or tried to build a relationship or go forward more that would do more damage to him than anything. I'm here if he needs me, but I'm not going to push anything because I don't know what she's doing.

Dakota Meyer seemed open to allowing Tripp to be a part of the custody agreement that included he and Bristol Palin's shared daughters Sailor and Atlee, but he's not sure if that's possible. It's an answer he may not get insight on soon, as the Teen Mom OG dad admitted he doesn't have a dialogue with Palin. Meyer admitted he "loves Tripp to death" but with no legal claim to the boy, he knows the decision to visit is Bristol's.

Meanwhile, Bristol Palin was struggling with whether or not Tripp Palin wanted to be included in the custody agreement or not. The Teen Mom OG newcomer spoke to her son about it not hurting her feelings if he wanted to see Dakota Meyer even if he isn't his biological father, but later confided she didn't know if Tripp's response that he was fine was genuine. Palin also expressed concern that Dakota Meyer had not contacted Tripp since the divorce proceedings.

That was, like, his dad for so long and then and he's just out of his life. And I don't know if Dakota doesn't realize, like, it doesn't cross his mind that this affects more than his kids. It affects Tripp too... my son's suffering.

It's the latest chapter in the saga of the Teen Mom OG former couple, who split in February and finalized their divorce in August. Bristol and Dakota aren't the only ones struggling this season, as Tyler and Catelynn announced in the episode prior they would be living separately on a trial basis, and in the same episode did a gender reveal for their incoming child.

Teen Mom OG airs on MTV Mondays at 9:00 p.m. ET. For a look at what else is happening in television in the next couple of months, be sure to visit our fall and midseason premiere guides.

Mick Joest
Content Producer

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.