Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon may eventually take another trip down the aisle, but the Mama June: Family Crisis star claims that if she does, it won’t be anytime soon.
While speaking to Access Hollywood this week, Pumpkin– joined by Mama June Shannon and Jessica Shannon– gave an update on her relationship with boyfriend Darrin Kitchens, who happens to be the cousin of her ex-husband Josh Efird.
When asked this week if she saw wedding bells in her and Darrin’s future, Pumpkin didn’t rule out the possibility, though she did reveal that she and her ex-husband’s cousin are taking things slow for now.
As The Ashley previously told you, Pumpkin went public with her relationship shortly after she and Josh called it quits in August 2024 after six years of marriage and four children together. Pumpkin and Josh’s divorce wasn’t finalized until September; however, both were quick to move on to new relationships, with Pumpkin dating Darrin and Josh dating a woman named Keely, who at the time, was pregnant with Darrin’s child (allegedly).
After Josh and Keely split, Josh went on to begin a relationship with Breanna Godwin, who gave birth to his fifth child, daughter Sadie, in May.
Meanwhile, Pumpkin and Darrin have seemingly kept their relationship going strong since last summer.
“Honestly, we’re taking it day by day,” Pumpkin said. “Like, I don’t want to rush anything. I really felt like I did that in my previous marriage and maybe that’s where I went wrong. So like, with this [relationship], I really, really do like him, so I do want to just take things easy and take things slow.
“I’m not rushing anything,” she added.
Pumpkin later revealed in the interview that “things are going really good” in her relationship, noting that she and Darrin both have 50/50 custody of their children, which allows them to all spend time together on certain weeks. On the weeks that she and Darrin don’t have their children, Pumpkin said the two enjoy a date night or spend time “doing things in the garage together.”
Though she may not be ready to jump back into marriage yet, Pumpkin revealed that she walked away from her divorce having learned a lot about herself and caring a lot less about what others think.
“ … I have just learned that it’s OK to pick myself sometimes and it’s OK to make myself happy, you know?” Pumpkin said. “Like, it’s not all about, realistically, what everybody else wants … .
“I could post a video on social media tomorrow and everybody’s like, ‘You should have never left Josh, you should be with him, you should be with him,’ and like, as much as I get that and I know that you guys would love for me to be with Josh, unfortunately that didn’t work out … ,” she continued.
Pumpkin went on to say that she wishes people would move on from her and Josh’s relationship, insisting that both she and Josh already have.
“He’s in a much better place, I’m in a much better placed and like, realistically, I think we do better co-parenting than we really ever did in our marriage as far as communication,” she said.
New episodes of ‘Mama June: Family Crisis’ air Fridays on WeTV.
Watch Pumpkin, Jessica and June’s full interview below.
(Photos: TikTok; WeTV; YouTube)
5 Responses
People need to realize that Whatever Josh and Pumpkin are doing, It’s not for any of us to judge. If everyone would just stay in their own lane. Why do people want to dig skeletons out of their closets, when they have themselves, a dang graveyard in theirs. As long as they are doing right by their children, Nothing else Matters 🤪😋😜
I think I’m more pissed that she didn’t keep the same last name as her kiddos
Pumpkin makes no sense! She is just like June bug, sugar bear, Geno, Justin. Pumpkin has 4 kids with Josh, now moving on with Darrin, she says if people will just understand her life is better without Josh? Nope she will have more kids, break up more families and cause another generation of dysfunction. Think about the kids Lauren!
I think it’s funny that she has said multiple times that she is “taking it slow” with Josh’s cousin. Meanwhile she actually moved in with her “cuz-band”.