Mama June Shannon says it’s not fair that her 17-year-old daughter, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson gets so much criticism for her relationship with 21-year-old Dralin Carswell. The Mama June: Family Crisis star went on to state that she believes people have more of a problem with the fact that Dralin is Black and Alana is white, than with the couple’s age difference.
However, it was the words that June chose to articulate this that are causing quite a stir. In several recent interviews with the media to promote the new season of her WEtv show, Mama June used several phrases that are questionable…if not downright offensive.
After stating that her teen daughter “gets a lot of backlash” for her relationship with Dralin, June went on to reveal that interracial relationships are nothing new in her family, stating that she has several relatives who are “that way.”
“There’s a lot of chocolate vanilla swirl in our family,” June said. “There’s been chocolate vanilla swirl in our family for multiple years. I have two sisters that have been that way, a niece.
“[Alana] should not get hate for that,” June added.
Of course, many of the negative comments regarding Alana and Dralin’s relationship are due to the couple’s age difference, and the fact that Dralin is a 21-year-old adult while Alana is still underage. (By the way, in Georgia— the state that the couple lives— the age of consent is 16, so the relationship is legal.)
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June said that she has no problem with the couple’s age difference, telling In Touch Weekly last week that Dralin is immature for his age.
“I feel like Dralin is not on the maturity level of a 20-year-old because he is very childish. I mean, very childish to me,” Mama June said.
June’s husband, Justin Stroud (who is only 14 years old than Dralin), added that Dralin is still very young.
“They’re still kids,” Justin said. “It ain’t like he’s 28, 29 years old. He’s still a child himself, so he’s not gonna get everything right at the beginning. You know, just like none of us did. We had to figure it out as we go.”
June then brought up the relationship of her older daughter, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon— who began dating her now-husband Josh Efird when she was just a young teen. (Pumpkin would go on to get knocked up by Josh a few years later, giving birth to their daughter, Ella, when she was just 17.
“[Lauryn] was 15 and Josh was almost 20 [when they got together] … y’all didn’t have a problem with that,” June said. “They have been together almost eight years…”
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(Mama June’s calculations aren’t exactly accurate. Pumpkin was born in January 2000, while Josh was born in July 1996, making Josh only about 3.5 years older than Pumpkin, not 4.5 years as Mama is stating.)
Anyway, June says she is supportive of Alana and Dralin’s relationship for however long it lasts.
“[If she] chooses to be with him for the rest of her life, then that’s fine,” she said. “If not, then hey, it was her teenage fling.”
RELATED STORY: Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson Shuts Down Rumors That She’s Pregnant & Claps Back at Fans Criticizing Her ‘Blaccent’
(Photos: WEtv; Instagram)
14 Responses
Nothing to do with race June, stop with that bs…
I know they say men are less mature than women but don’t act like he didn’t CONSCIOUSLY go into a relationship with her. He did. Knowing she was 17. And she’s a teen and got attention from a man, ofc she will fall in love. There’s no way this relationship will last.
And no June, it has nothing to do with his skin color and you just made a fool out of yourself, lol.
It’s bc hes a criminal, a kiddie diddler, hes possibly slow, he’s a drug user and bc he sees a payday behind this.
Sorry June, but we do and have done this to EVERY TM boyfriend or girlfriend that comes down the pipeline, too..
We dont trust any of them, really.
They’re all opportunists to us.
Just like Mama June and Sugar Bear, Dralin does have the ‘slow’ look to him. And they have all made some very poor choices and including trouble with the law, so nothing to dispel the speculation that any of them are anything but slow. Dralin fits in great with that family – no wonder why they defended him after he was arrested.
Alana is way too young to be this serious. She’s gonna end up pregnant just like her mom
Swirl.
1) 21 year olds are not “just kids”. They are adult individuals that can vote, get married and drink alcohol
2) for most people, this has nothing to do with him being black, it’s the fact that he’s 21 and she’s 17
3) June, don’t compare Dralin to Josh. Josh is a MAN that took (and takes) care of his children, his wife and even YOUR daughter. Dralin was driving recklessly WITH YOUR DAUGHTER in the car and has a record
So true! I love Josh. He’s a great person. He’s funny too.
YES!!! He is my favorite on the show
But June is usually so articulate, sharing her pearls of wisdom with the world in the most eloquent ways, so genteel and refined! Whatever could have caused this slip of the tongue?
She is 17. How is calling her obese, in the context the word was used in, necessary, productive, or acceptable? Stop using weight as an insult. Let’s see pictures of what YOU look like!
A 21 year old who is “still a kid” is never a good thing. I can live with a bit of age difference in young couples, but maturity is always a good thing, essential actually.
This comment is what is a disgrace. In 3 ways.
It’s hard to believe Pumpkin is only 23. It’s even harder to believe Alana’s boyfriend is straight.