Honey Boo Boo Defends Age Gap with New Boyfriend

Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson doesn’t care that people criticize her four-year age gap with her boyfriend, Dralin Carswell.

The 16-year old is not fazed when it comes to people criticizing her 21-year old boyfriend. She says she is annoyed over the backlash of people saying, ‘you are 16 and he is 21’ or ‘he’s black and you are white’.

“I don’t care because, like, at the end of the day, my sister approves, his mom approves and we’re happy, so what fans got to say or what haters got to say, I don’t really care,” Thompson said

The reality star’s older sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon, who was granted sole custody of Thompson in April, also defended the controversial relationship.

“She’s not getting married, she’s not having a kid, she’s doing very good in school,” Shannon, 22, said, adding that despite their age difference, Thompson and Carswell are on the same wavelength.

Thompson and Carswell have been dating since mid-2021 but did not go Instagram-official until the end of September.

The two sparked engagement rumors when Thompson was photographed wearing a diamond ring in June, but her rep shut down the speculation, saying it was just a ring.

Thompson’s mother, “Mama” June Shannon, has also defended her daughter, saying the teen is old enough to make her own decisions.

“She is getting a lot of hate because she’s in an interracial relationship and he is older,” the “Mama June: Road to Redemption” star, 42, said in May. “At the end of the day, Alana’s not that 6-, 7-year-old child y’all fell in love with 11 years ago.

“Alana has grown up, she’s graduating high school next year, guys! People need to realize that she’s going to be 17 in August.”

Alana and her beau most recently made headlines when she announced their plans to travel to New York City in August to undergo a $13,000 weight-loss surgery.