A couple of years have gone by since fans were first introduced to Gary Shirley during Teen Mom’s inception in 2009. Gary Shirley is Amber Portwood’s baby daddy who experienced several troubles in his relationship with the teen mom.
From assuming full custody of their daughter to dealing with sometimes a completely absent mom (like when she was arrested following domestic assault charges), he had to bear the brunt of raising their child at a young age.
Now having found his footing after getting married, having a second child, and heeding a decent life, it is only natural that fans are curious about details in the Teen-dad’s life, including how he makes his money.
Below, we reveal the several interesting ways Shirling has earned a living, including creating his condom line!
What does Gary do for a living?
For Teen Mom OG fans, it feels like yesterday when we began watching Amber and Gary’s relationship in 2009 take many turns as they faced the news that they were expecting their first child together.
Today, their child Leah Leann Shirley is 12 years old, Gary has moved on from Amber Portwood, marrying Kristina Anderson, who also features on the show, and Portwood went on to have a second child with her ex-boyfriend Andrew Glennon.
With a growing family, fans remain curious about how the reality star has supported his family over the years.
Well, according to Heavy, the Teen Mom star is currently an Indiana police officer. While filming for Teen Mom OG, the star never revealed that he wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement.
However, his career plans came to light when Kristina Shirley posted a picture on July 2, 2019, showing Gary’s sworn in as an officer.
“Words cannot describe how proud I am to be his wife,” she captioned the photo.
“His dream, hard work, and dedication became a reality. Tonight, this handsome man was sworn into duty as a police officer,” she continued. “Thank you to ALL our friends and family who have supported him, kept this a secret and most of all believed in him.”
Gary’s previous side hustles
Gary has tried his hand with many business ventures before, and while most of them have not been quite impressive, they are still worth mentioning as some of the ways he has earned a living. Gary’s business ventures have dabbled along the lines of creating different branded items.
His first was making cookies, which had a personalized quote written on the box.
Then Gary went on to producing condoms with his face on the packaging and a phrase that read “Put your Gary on! 99% “Gary” Nteed.”
The reality tv star also sold t-shirts that included his face and his catchphrase “it’s Gary time!” printed on the front.
We get the sense that Gary loves himself, considering all his side ventures quite literally centered around him.
Gary Shirley’s real estate empire
While branded items businesses did not seem to do Gary any good, he has done pretty well for himself, with his real estate empire, valued at $500k.
According to the Sun, Gary Shirley currently owns four homes and two plots of land in Indiana.
His first purchase was a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home for $69 900 in March 2015. In 2016, Gary added a one-bedroom, one-bathroom home to his empire, followed by a $30 000 home purchase in 2019.
Gary also owns two plots of vacant land, both worth $30 000.
But the highlight of his properties has to be his Pendleton, Indiana farmhouse which he bought in 2017 for his wife and children.
Their home boasts five bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a custom kitchen featuring a kitchen island and granite countertops.
According to The Sun, Gary’s home has hardwood floors and carpeting throughout. The acres of land include a barn perfect for animal lovers, a workshop, and a detached three-car garage.
The baby daddies from “Teen Mom” are all putting in the work
Gary Shirley is not the only teen dad from the MTV reality series putting in some work to support his family. Most of the other Teen Dad’s seem to be working hard at attaining a decent fortune and supporting their children.
For example, Cole Deboer, Chelsea Houska’s husband, is a traffic control specialist for South Dakota.
Cole has also used his following from the Teen Mom series to become an influencer on Instagram, endorsing many products from clothing lines to fitness supplements.
Maci Bookout’s husband, Taylor Mckinney, was a motocross racer before becoming a co-owner of the couple’s clothing line.
Kailyn’s baby daddy, Jo Rivera, who was previously slammed by her ex-husband Javi Marroquin for doing absolutely nothing, now works in real estate.
Teen Mom’s 2, Briana DeJesus’s ex Devoin’s Austin’s finances took a dip amid the coronavirus pandemic, but it does not mean he has not put some effort into making an income.
Devoin, working as a server at a local Bonefish Grill, explained to Briana that the food industry was severely affected by the pandemic.
Adam Lind is a personal trainer and bodybuilder who has bagged a couple of good sponsorships over the years.
Jenelle Evans’ ex Nathan Griffith had it pretty good when we first met him on the show. Then, he was a swimsuit model and part of the marine but has since left the two to focus on fitness and bodybuilding.
While the show continues to feature dads who are sometimes dead-beat, it’s good to know a lot are involved in their children’s lives, and a couple of guys, like Gary, are soaring both at being a dad and in his career.
