'Teen Mom 3' Star Briana DeJesus Isn't Afraid of Being Criticized

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

When MTV aired its 16 & Pregnant episode featuring Briana DeJesus, they weren't just showing the life of one Florida teenager. Briana has a sister, Brittany, who also got pregnant in her teens. But while Briana chose to carry her daughter Nova to term, her sister had an abortion. Their story showed two very different choices with two very different consequences, and now we get to see the two paths these sisters have taken on Teen Mom 3.

Briana has joined the cast of the show premiering on August 26, and so has Brittany, albeit in a supporting role as she is not technically a teen mom because of her choice. Briana sat down with The Stir to talk about what she has been up to in the year since the show was taped and why she isn't worried about Teen Mom haters:

On her decision to join the Teen Mom 3 cast:

I did 16 & Pregnant for a reason; I had a story to tell. My sister had an abortion; I decided to keep my baby, and my episode basically shows the viewers you have choices, and every choice you make, there's still gonna be hardships.

After 16 & Pregnant aired, I had such positive feedback, and MTV decided people really liked my story. I'm pretty sure people still want to see me grow, so they offered me the position, and I was like, might as well go with it.

On her fears about the viewers criticizing her:

I know myself, and I know I'm responsible, respectful. I know I'm a good mom.

On her sister, Brittany, being forced to open up about her abortion for the show:

That was hard for her; that's a sensitive topic that she doesn't really like to talk about. I'm glad that she was able to open up, and now she's the best sister, the best aunt to Nova. She's so supportive. I thought she would be very sad to see me with Nova and grow, but she's actually happy for me and Nova. She's happy for herself that she can still watch a baby grow up.

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On being compared to the other Teen Moms:

I don't like that. I feel like I'm Briana, that's Katie, and Alex, and Mackenzie. I don't feel like ... we're the same, but we're different in so many ways.

On her relationship with ex-boyfriend (and father of her daughter) Devoin Austin: 

Devoin is Devoin, still the same old Devoin. He's still up and down; he doesn't know if he wants to be a father or not. There are days where he'll try and then there are weeks where I won't hear from him. It came to the point where I was like if you're not going to put your full attention and your all into your daughter, you're wasting my time and you're wasting her time.

Kids need structure, and if you don't have any of that, there's no reason for you to have kids.

I don't need him. I have my mom, my sister. Nova's going to be OK. I'm going to teach Nova when she grows up that you don't need a man; you can do this on your own, and it's a living proof when she sees those videos.

On the strong women in her life, helping her:

I don't know what I'd do without my mom. My mom is like my lifeline. If I didn't have my mom, where would me and Nova be?

My mom supports me, but she doesn't raise my child. What she put through my head when I told her I wanted to keep her was "I will help you when I can, but this is your child, and you need to take care of her. I'm not taking care of her." Still to this day, she doesn't overdo it.

She's a busy woman and it's not my mom's responsibility to take care of my child. It's my child, my responsibility.

Did you watch Briana on 16 & Pregnant? What are you looking forward to seeing on Teen Mom 3?

Image by Jeanne Sager