Cate & Ty Break It Down - Podcast Rankings and reviews

This podcast is priceless. I teach at a university and we have students often struggling with whether or not to relinquish babies for adoption. Finally, a full spectrum perspective. I will be integrating some of the pods into my courses. Ignore any negativity. You’re doing important work. I’m learning so much. One of my students is listening - she’s a Black woman who grew up with a white adoptive family. Recently she found her bio parents and she’s finally truly happy.

I have always been interested in adoption, which is why I started watching Teen Mom, so I could follow Catelynn and Tyler’s story. I’ve followed them since their 16 and Pregnant episode and seen the ups and downs of adoption firsthand. This podcast has opened my eyes to so many realities of adoption that people have felt for decades but rarely spoken publicly about. Everyone should listen to this podcast to get an accurate understanding of the adoption industry and all the room there is to improve it. Kudos to Catelynn and Tyler for using their platform for good! They are making such a difference! 🩷

This podcast is opening my eyes to privatized adoption in America and I’m learning things I never even considered from all sides, the adoptees, the adopters and the birth parents. I’ve always loved this couple from teen mom but I really feel like they were born to advocate and change things with how adoptions are handled. Wow just wow!

I really like this podcast. It really opened my eyes to adoption and how messed up the industry really is. Now whenever I hear about someone being adopted, my first thought is not, wow that’s so sweet. Instead I wonder if they are able to have a relationship with their birth family and what the situation is there. My only criticism is, all but only a couple guests are all about adoption. I think it would be cool if you had family members even. Maybe Tyler’s mom? Sister? Even childhood friends. I feel like you have both lived such interesting lives I would love to hear from people personal to you guys. I bet you have all kinds of stories. Thanks for keeping me entertained every Wednesday!

While much of what they say about the problems with adoption is accurate, these two are only embracing this cause because they’ve been cut off from their daughter and are angry about it. From when their first 16 &P episode aired, they’ve been told these things from adoptees and mothers, and back then, they told us all we were crazy, and that they were brave for doing what they did and that they made an awesome choice. They were paid promoters of Bethany Christian Services for years. They counseled women on how to give up their children for adoption. They are directly responsible for at least one mother putting her child up for adoption. Now that THEY’RE inconvenienced, their tune has changed. They’re placing blame everywhere else but where it belongs: on themselves. Even their parents tried to stop them from moving forward.

Carly sees, or will see, all of this. She will see that they went on to raise her three half sisters. She will see that they never did anything they said they were going to do that they “wouldnt have been able to do if we had a child” (ie careers, education, etc.). She will see that they kept the people who were supposedly so dangerous (April/Butch/other addict friends/family) in their, and their other daughters’ lives, while giving her away. They’ll see that they constantly patted themselves on the back for giving her away. Most importantly, she will see that the ONLY reason they are financially stable, and the ONLY reason they have the lifestyle they do is BECAUSE they gave her away and used her story to stay relevant on the show.

My prediction is that she will reunite with them as a young adult, go through a honeymoon period because she finally has people in her life that she can relate to on a biological level, and then as she comes to terms with the facts surrounding her adoption, plus their total inability to take responsibility, apologize, or say that they made the wrong decision she will be very angry, and will walk away and never look back.

My heart aches for Carly. This poor child is going to have such a weight to carry, and these two can’t even see it or do anything that would attempt to rectify it.

Woah. Those messages to minor, full of manipulation and gaslighting, are appallingly inappropriate. NOW you “woke speak publicly”?! NOW that your shocking mistake is public? NOW that it’s clear Carly is a smart young woman who makes her own wise decision! NOW that it benefits YOU to be silent while further hurting all the people you’ve said awful awful things, that’s when you decide to be silent? Woah.

Adoptees have been silenced but they now have a loud, proud voice. I find that the main adoptee voices being silenced are voices saying they are happy with their lives. Obviously there’s trauma but whenever I share anything positive, I’m actually silenced and told I’m “in the fog”. In this way, I agree that it’s pretty awful to have your voice dismissed because it’s a different perspective and doesn’t fit someone else’s narrative. I hope that if you do talk to adoptees, you share the voices of ALL adoptees, not just the ones that confirm your opinion and narrative. Adoption experiences vary drastically for dozens of reasons. If you truly want adoptees voices to be heard, let ALL voices be heard and don’t silence those voices with generally positive perspectives