Plenty of people have a lot to say about the age gap between former reality star 17-year-old Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson and her 21-year-old boyfriend Dralin Carswell. Now, her mother "Mama June" Shannon is speaking out about the age difference and telling Here Comes Honey Boo Boo fans how she really feels about their relationship.
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The reality star dished to In Touch magazine while promoting her show.
Mama June was talking to the magazine about the premier of the sixth season of Mama June: Family Crisis when the topic of her daughter's boyfriend came up and it sounds like Mama June has zero worries about her teenager dating a man four years older than she is … even if many people believe she should.
She believes worried fans still think of Honey Boo Boo as a toddler.
Although Alana is now nearly an adult herself, Mama June says many people voicing their concerns likely remember her daughter from her Toddlers & Tiaras years.
"You gotta remember Alana isn't that small [she's an older] girl than y'all have [kept] her in that bubble," the 43-year-old explained.
Age and maturity aren't always linked.
Mama June also said that Dralin doesn't act like a typical 21-year-old. The reality star went on to talk about how immature Dralin can be at times, calling the young man "childish" in comparison to other men his age.
"I mean, very childish to me," she continued.
Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Efird and her now-husband had a similar age gap.
"[Lauryn] was 15 and Josh was almost 20 … y'all didn’t have a problem with that," Mama June continued, adding that the pair now share four children together — 5-year-old Ella, 20-month-old Bentley, and 11-month-old twins Sylus and Stella — and have been together nearly eight years.
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While we get what Mama June is saying, we think there's more to fan concerns.
Yes, many of us watched Honey Boo Boo grow up on television and still picture her as that precocious young pageant star, which makes it hard to think of her dating a 21-year-old … but there is more to it than that.
In addition to the age gap, fans are worried about Dralin's behavior, particularly the high-speed police chase he was involved in while Alana was in the car with him. While we're glad Dralin has earned Mama June's approval, we don't think that fans are quite sold on this romance yet.
