After a year of self improvement and now, a second baby on the way, Lauryn āPumpkinā Shannon is looking to make another big change in her life.
The Mama June: Road to Redemption star, who has maintained custody of her 15-year-old sister Alana āHoney Boo Booā Thompson since 2019, told ET that after a decade on reality TV, she feels ready to put that life behind her and start a career.
āHonestly, I want to go ahead and say goodbye if Iām being completely honest,ā Lauryn said. āOnly because Alana grew up doing this and you donāt really have a normal life during production.”
“We have two days off a week and I canāt get my life together in two days,” Pumpkin said, admitting that she does have fun filming…and getting those WEtv paychecks.
“I enjoy doing the show. I enjoy the income that it brings. I enjoy the lives that we impact.”
Pumpkin says she has dreams of becoming something other than a reality TV star.
āUltimately I want to go and be a nurse at a hospital,ā she continued. āI want to go and make an impact in a hospital somewhere. TV is not something that I think any of us really want to do anymore, but we just keep pushing ourselves.ā
Lauryn added that it can be hard sharing her familyās raw story on TV because āpeople have their own opinions,ā but itās the support from the fans that keeps them all going. Lauryn said last season of āMama Juneā was particularly difficult to watch because she āhates going back to the past.ā
ā ā¦ You donāt want to hear that your mom spent a million dollars on crack, ya know, [for] a year,ā she said. āThatās not something you really brag about or can bring up in a conversation because itās kind of embarrassing really.ā
Mama June Shannon‘s drug addiction playing out on TV has also hindered Laurynās ability to find employment.
āIāve had things happen, especially during Mamaās addiction where like, I was trying to apply for jobs and they wouldnāt hire me because they see what was going on with her,ā Lauryn revealed. āOne specific job ā¦ I was going to work at an outlet place and the lady, like, thatās the first thing she brought up. She was like, āYour mom is all in the media and I donāt want that brought to work.ā But itās like, just because my mom is a certain type of person, doesnāt mean that I am.ā
Lauryn, whoās expecting her second child with husband Josh Efird, recently shared her pregnancy news with June, who initially told the 21-year-old she didnāt need another child. In addition to being Alanaās guardian, Lauryn is a mom to three-year-old daughter Ella.
āBut I think that I do pretty good, as far as taking care of Ella and also managing, taking care of a 15-year-old,ā Lauryn said. āBut [Mama is] excited.ā
Still, Lauryn admits there are challenges to the responsibilities sheās taken on, as she reminds fans that she and her husband work normal jobs and still struggle financially.
āWeāre not millionaires, weāre not Kim Kardashian, ya know?ā she said. āWe donāt make that kind of money. And it is stressful when, like, some months we had to let bills pass because Alana needed a new pair of shoes, or sometimes we had to let a bill pass because Ella needed new clothes. We always make sure that the kids have more than we had at their age.ā
Lauryn said there isnāt a timeline for when she plans to leave reality TV, but when she does, she will likely continue sharing content with fans on YouTube.
āMama June: Road to Redemptionā is currently airing on Fridays on WEtv.
(Photos: WEtv; Instagram)
17 Responses
She needs to get a professional to look at that contract, or they must be handling the money wrong. And always pay your bills, buy second hand, people also give stuff away, no matter what you always pay your bills first, letting them pass is a slippery slope ..
I get why she wants out. And im glad to see she gives an honest reason to why she still does reality tv ??
Pumpkin must not have a good negotiator for her contract ..thereās no way she should be deciding on paying a bill or buy an outfit for her kids? And her husbandās making good money working in South Carolina doesnāt add up. Doddy got brand new teeth and so does June for that matter their easily 40,000.
I feel bad that she pays for her lousy parents mistakes. I find her funny and her abs her husband are funny and amazing for stepping up and taking her sister in.
It blows my mind that June had the audacity to say Pumpkin doesn’t need another kid, when Pumpkin is currently raising one of June’s kids.
Thatās because June is a disgusting slob. The freak show that makes us watch her trashy show. I feel bad for Pumpkin tho, she took on a lot because of her mom. Iām glad she has a nice home. I find it hard to believe that she has to let bills āpassā and sheās on a TV show.