It’s been a tough year for troubled Teen Mom star Ryan Edwards.

Edwards is currently behind bars awaiting trial on a slew of charges.

He’s already been sentenced to a year in jail for stalking and harassing his estranged wife, Mackenzie Standifer.

And since we was on probation during his latest bender and the arrest that brought to a halt, it’s likely that Ryan will be locked up for a very, very long time.

Obviously, that’s bad news for Ryan, but it’s likely welcome news for Mackenzie, who’s spent years being terrorized by her soon-to-be ex-husband.

For most of this year she kept a low profile, but Mackenzie returned to TikTok last week to assure her fans (and haters) that she’s thriving in her new life as a single mom.

Mack was instantly reminded of why she took a hiatus in the first place, as fans promptly resumed speculating wildly about her personal life.

Specifically, they began alleging that Mackenzie has entered a romantic relationship with a longtime friend named Josh Panter.

Now, in a new interview with In Touch, Mackenzie has denied the rumors, insisting that she’s single and focusing on her duties as a working mom.

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“I do not have a boyfriend. I’m focused on my career and my children,” Mackenzie tells the outlet.

“I’m working on myself to give them the life and future they deserve.”

Panter echoed the statement, telling UK tabloid The Sun that he and Mackenzie are just friends.

“I have known Mackenzie for 10 years or so, then earlier this year we got reconnected,” Josh tells the outlet.

“Mackenzie and I are friends and enjoy each other’s company. Neither of us are worried about ‘titles.’ We both just came out of a marriage.”

The rumor seems to have originated with a Facebook post from Josh’s mom, in which she shared a photo of Mackenzie’s kids and gushed about them in the caption.

“My blonde bandits … I love them littles,” Cindy Green Panter wrote.

Many took the fact that their families were on vacation together as confirmation of the Mackenzie-Josh romance.

But it seems that the two newly single divorcees are just enjoying one another’s company in a platonic way — for now, at least.

Neither party has ruled out the possibility of a future romance, but it seems that Mackenzie has enough going on in her life these days without adding a new love affair into the mix.

But hey, they say the best romantic relationships start off as frienships!

Whatever happens, it seems that with a very dark chapter behind her, Mackenzie’s future is looking extremely bright!

Mackenzie Standifer Responds to Rumors That She’s Dating Someone New With Ryan … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.