NEWS
Honey Boo Boo and Mama June opened up about Lauryn’s emotional divorce.
June 16 2025, Published 8:28 p.m. ET
Article continues below advertisement
Article continues below advertisement
Lauryn ‘Pumpkin’ Efird’s divorce from Josh Efird took center stage in the latest season of ‘Mama June: Family Crisis.’
Article continues below advertisement
“I’m not gonna say I was completely surprised just because, I mean, I lived there, I knew what was going on. I was old enough. They didn’t hide anything, you know?” Alana, 19, revealed.
The former reality star admitted she “knew what was going on,” but “didn’t, like, want it to happen.”
Article continues below advertisement
“I wanted them to fix it every other time they just, you know, fix it. So, I thought like they would just fix it, but it got worse than it normally does,” she continued. “I mean, at the end of the day, Pumpkin wasn’t happy. So, I get where she was coming from.”
Article continues below advertisement
June, 45, reflected on the relationship, stating she “knew for many years” that Lauryn and Josh would likely separate.
Article continues below advertisement
Alana Thompson shared that she wasn’t happy about the divorce, but she had a feeling it was going to happen.
Article continues below advertisement
“[Lauryn] could even say to her own mouth, like, I think Anna passing away opened our eyes to a lot of things that were happening around us that we were just kind of like, ‘Oh,'” the family matriarch explained, referring to Anna Cardwell, who tragically passed away at just 29 years old in December 2023 after battling cancer. “We [were] on back burner when Anna passed away. It was an eye-opener for all of us.”
Article continues below advertisement
Josh, 28, and Lauryn, 25, embarked on their love story when they tied the knot in April 2018. They welcomed daughter Ella in 2017, son Bentley in 2021, and twins Sylus Ray and Stella Renae the following year.
MORE ON:
Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Article continues below advertisement
Lauryn and Josh have four children: Ella, Bentley, Sylus Ray and Stella Renae Efird.
Article continues below advertisement
The couple often shared their marital struggles, which frequently revolved around June’s legal troubles stemming from substance abuse and addiction.
Article continues below advertisement
“I honestly think that our main issue is just everything that’s going on with my mom,” Lauryn told In Touch in April 2021. “We’ve been together since we were kids and now, we’re adults.”
Article continues below advertisement
After six years of marriage, Lauryn filed for divorce from Josh in August 2024, citing their union as “irretrievably broken.” The couple separated one month prior, with the divorce finalized in September 2024.
Article continues below advertisement
Just a month after their split, Lauryn and Josh began dating other people. At that time, TMZ reported Lauryn was seeing her current boyfriend, Darrin Kitchens, while Josh was dating a woman named Keely.
Article continues below advertisement
Lauryn is seeing Darrin Kitchens following her split from Josh.
Article continues below advertisement
On Wednesday, May 28, Lauryn shared with Entertainment Tonight that her relationship was thriving but did not mention Darrin by name. She revealed Josh was living with his girlfriend while she remained in their former family home.
“It’s like a when you know, you know, situation,” Lauryn told the outlet. “The person that I’m with now, compared to what I was getting and what I was perceiving as a happy marriage or happy relationship. Now, I really see that definition.”