MTV TO PREMIERE "AMBER BEHIND BARS: AN MTV SPECIAL" ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9 AT 10:00 P.M. ET/PT

Amber Portwood Shares Her Story in New Half-Hour Special

New York, NY (September 24, 2012) - MTV today announced that it will premiere "Amber Behind Bars: An MTV Special" on Tuesday, October 9 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. In this exclusive half-hour interview, Dr. Drew sits down with Amber Portwood inside the Rockville Correctional Facility for an intimate discussion about what life has been like behind bars, the status of her relationship with her daughter Leah, ex-boyfriend Gary, and her family, and her hopes for the future. As Amber reflects on her situation, she gives viewers an open, honest look inside the intense ups and downs she's faced during this journey.

Viewers first met Amber Portwood when she and several young women bravely shared their stories of teenage pregnancy in the groundbreaking MTV docu-series "16 and Pregnant." In "Teen Mom," they watched as Amber, Maci, Farrah and Catelynn navigated their teenage years and early 20's with toddlers in tow, and Amber strived to give her daughter the best life possible while facing emotional struggles and a turbulent relationship with on-again off-again boyfriend Gary. In the final season, events escalated and Amber ultimately entered rehab in hopes of healing herself and finding balance. After rehab, she continued to struggle and her legal woes intensified, and she was sentenced to five years in prison. During the "Teen Mom" season four finale special taped earlier this year, Dr. Drew read a statement from Amber (excerpt):

Right now I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing with my life. I guess I just got lost. I went to jail because I had an addiction to opiates. You live and you learn, and that's real. It's time for me to stop partying and realize that even though I'm 21, I'm not a normal 21-year-old -- I'm a mother. Which means I have to grow up quicker and start acting like a mother.... Right now my number one priority in life is dedicating my life to being sober, to being a sober person. And to show my daughter that people make mistakes but you can always come back. If Leah learns anything from me she should see how becoming a teen mom can change you. How everything is postponed... I want to show everybody that I can do it, I can start living a straight life and getting my family back in order.

This special marks the first time Amber has shared her story since she entered the Rockville Correctional Facility in June 2012.

In addition, MTV will also air an hour-long, "Teen Mom Farewell Special" on Tuesday, October 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. "Amber Behind Bars: An MTV Special" will premiere the following Tuesday, October 9 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, prior to the half-hour "Teen Mom: Ask the Moms" special which will debut at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Viewers seeking additional information on substance abuse, emotional health issues and resources for getting help can visit halfofus.com.

"Amber Behind Bars: An MTV Special" is Executive Produced by Morgan J Freeman and Dia Sokol Savage. Lauren Dolgen is Executive Producer, MTV. Larry Musnick is Supervising Producer. Andrew Portnoy, Jessica Zalkind, Nick Predescu and Sara Cohen are Executives for MTV.

Executive Producer Morgan J. Freeman is the founding partner of 11th Street Productions. Aside from showrunning MTV's "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom" franchise, Freeman made a name for himself as the Sundance award-winning writer/director of "Hurricane Streets," a film centered on the trials and tribulations of teenage life. Freeman's other film work include Kate Hudson and Casey Affleck's "Desert Blue," the thrillers "American Psycho 2" and "Homecoming," and "Just Like The Son" which stars Mark Webber and Rosie Perez.

About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.