About Mama June

June Edith Shannon, who is well-known as “Mama June”, was born in August 1979 and is the matriarch of the famous Shannon family. As many would know, the reality TV heavyweight has four daughters named Anna, Jessica, Lauryn and Alana and shot to fame thanks to the success of her children in the competitive beauty pageant circuit.

The small-screen star, who was born and raised in Georgia, dropped out of school when she learned she was pregnant, and gave birth to her first daughter mere days after her 15^th birthday. Over the next few years, June would pursue relationships with unsavory men who were later convicted of sex offenses; Michael Anthony Ford, who fathered her daughters Jessica and Lauryn, was found guilty of trying to sexually exploit a minor online, whereas her short-term boyfriend Mark McDaniel was convicted of abusing her eldest daughter.

June struggled with her morbid obesity in adulthood, and weighed up to 460 pounds before undergoing bariatric surgery and a sleeve gastrectomy. A combination of surgery, dieting, and rigorous workout regimes with the famed trainer Kenya Crooks helped June lose over 300 pounds (135kgs); she also revamped her image by splurging $75,000 on cosmetic enhancements such as veneers and facial work.

Although June is currently married to her former long-term boyfriend Justin Stroud, she was also entangled with a convicted criminal named Geno Doak who previously served jail time for criminal damage to property, burglary, and theft. The lowlight of June’s public life was her arrest for felony drug possession in March 2019 while travelling with Geno. Thankfully, the famous matriarch found the strength to enter rehab, get clean, and break up from Geno after he relapsed.

In April 2023, June shared an unfiltered and unedited photo of her real skin on social media. The Instagram snap was promptly reported on by news outlets and online gossip pages, as netizens were taken aback by her red and sore-looking skin and chapped lips. Although it’s refreshing to see someone in the public eye show their followers the real version of themselves, June’s fans were concerned about her appearance and wondered if it had something to do with her recent health issues.

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Fortunately, there’s nothing wrong with June’s skin – but the Georgia native also made headlines recently after admitting to regaining weight, and falling off the healthy lifestyle wagon. June was criticized by her Instagram followers after uploading a promotional video for a restaurant in which she ate generous helpings of brisket, and jerky, apple pie and strawberry cheesecake apparently in one sitting. Although the same followers were quick to link June’s latest bare-faced selfie to possible health woes, it would appear to be an unrelated issue.

Despite claiming to be happy with her current weight of 240 pounds, the TV personality previously said that she wouldn’t mind undergoing more gastric surgery if necessary. However, June would definitely have to take her wellbeing more seriously, as she was hospitalized in September 2022 after experiencing a series of dizzy spells and bad headaches. No more details of the health scare were made public after June checked herself out of the hospital.

In happier news, June and her husband Justin recently celebrated their one-year anniversary. The milestone meant a lot for their relationship, as the pair have overcome many hurdles together in a short period of time. June commemorated the special day with a sweet Instagram post in which she wrote: “A lot of people didn’t want us together or thought we wouldn’t make it, but we’ve been through a lot to say the least… We have done it together, and have figured out every situation together. I’ve never experienced that before so it has been very nice.”

June and Justin’s secret courthouse ceremony, which took place in summer 2022, came as a shock even to their nearest and dearest. In fact, June’s daughters had no idea of what was going on until June and Justin told them. The courthouse affair was described by June as a pretty “spur of the moment” decision; in February 2023, the couple married again, this time in a more romantic setting by the sea.

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June’s daughters are believed to have a good relationship with Justin, who is proving himself to be a much more reliable partner than some of the TV star’s exes. Despite not being a celebrity and not sharing many details of his private life, there’s plenty of information on Justin online. According to June, the Alabama native didn’t know who she was when they met, and the pair started off as best friends before becoming something more.

In February 2022, Justin was arrested after violating probation for past drug and burglary charges, but was released a month after his arrest, and has kept on the straight and narrow ever since. Despite his criminal record, Justin is a gainfully employed auto mechanic and tattoo artist with a bright professional future ahead of him, provided he stays clean, of course. People were skeptical of the relationship at first, claiming that Justin wasn’t single and that June wasn’t his type, but until now they’ve proven the naysayers wrong.

Obviously, it wasn’t all smooth sailing at first; in a May 2022 interview, June confessed that it took her daughters a while to warm to the new man in her life. “Me being in a toxic situation and me being in drug addiction, and then getting out of that relationship, even though I got clean in the relationship… Then fast forward to six months later, almost eight months later, getting into this new relationship, that was jarring for them at first,” she explained. This is, perhaps, the reason why she and Justin tied the knot in secret after dating for a mere five months.

June has certainly proven to be an example of how you can turn your life around if you put in the hard work. From suffering in toxic relationships and being arrested and addicted to drugs, to having her own TV show, a thriving family, and apparently being happily married, June has come a long way in the last few years. We’ll be sure to keep you updated with any important news about her and her family.

Although there were minor indications that Ashley may return to Dimitri after their tumultuous relationship ended in 2021, no one thought that would happen. However, after some time apart, during which she turned to Christianity to learn forgiveness, Ashley revealed to InTouch Weekly in November 2022 that she’d reconciled with him despite the severe allegations of abuse that Christeline Peterson came forward with. Here’s what happened.

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Christeline revealed serious abuse

Dimitri and Ashley, who debuted during the inaugural “Seeking Sister Wife” season, had a solid marriage for three seasons. Although they had two failed sister wives, Vanessa and Tayler, chaos unfolded after Christeline filed a restraining order against Dimitri in 2021, for forcing himself on her, i.e., committing physical and sexual abuse. She alleged that he slammed her head into the bed and the headboard during intercourse, and continued even when she asked him to stop. She also alleged that he choked her during intercourse, which wasn’t consensual.

Other sister wives supported Christeline’s accusations

Ariadne Joseph, another sister wife, confirmed some rumors by describing her experience during the marriage, and moving in with Ashley and Dimitri. She testified that the couple required her to walk around naked, and that Ashley insisted on watching during her intercourse with Dimitri.

Furthermore, Dimitri didn’t allow her to leave the family home unless he was with her, and she had to sleep in the same bed. Moreover, as with other sister wives, Ariadne allegedly had to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) despite a personal story of assault, meaning TLC was partially responsible. On one occasion, he shoved her, making her fall onto a table full of guns. Moreover, according to her, he also forced himself upon her at least once.

Ariadne concluded her emotional admission by saying that Ashley is also an abuser, particularly a manipulator, and that the two ‘gang up on sister wives and are happy when they are terrorizing someone.’ Their third sister wife, Tayler, didn’t share a personal story, but has asked TLC to cancel “Seeking Sister Wife.” Unfortunately, the executives disregarded her complaints, as they did Ariadne’s. Finally, Vanessa stated that Dimitri was a liar who needed professional help.

#SeekingSisterWife In a disturbing new interview with @JohnYates327, former Snowden sister wife Ariadne Joseph speaks out about abuse she suffered while living with Ashley & Dimitri. She says she & other exes told TLC, but they kept filming new seasons. https://t.co/UoigdBe9nu pic.twitter.com/Fl5MwTd06F

— Starcasm (@starcasm) May 6, 2021

Ashley broke up with Dimitri in mid-2021

After the abuse allegations, viewers indirectly pressured Ashley to leave a bad situation, or prove that Christeline or Ariadne’s claims were false. She posted a response on her Facebook page in July 2021, noting that social media misinformation is harmful. She also gave her fans some advice, including not asking people they don’t know personal questions and that no one owes them an answer only because they are curious. She thanked the fans who supported her and appreciated her as a person through direct messages and comments.

She defended him but took a year to recover

Ashley’s decision to leave Dimitri seemed definite at the time, but viewers saw that she remained on his side in the abuse case. Also, she was accused and complicit, whether through emotional abuse or not reporting Dimitri. Moreover, they have been together for over a decade and have had three children. Thus, deep down, the people at home expected the couple to get back together for the fourth reason, and speculated that money or fame would be an additional financial incentive.

That did not happen, but over a year after their breakup, Ashley said, ‘He’s a good human being, no matter what you may have heard or read or what you think you see or saw. I know who I chose and why I chose him.’

After being accused of having battered wife syndrome, and ignoring all the glaring issues out of fear or intentional unawareness, she stated that the decision was a long time in the making and that she felt it was the best thing for her family. Ashley clarified that it ‘took them time, therapy, tears, acknowledgment, and apologizing repeatedly’, and that they examined many unsettling events during their year apart.

Ashley ended her statement by saying that she no longer wants to carry resentment and hurt at that point in her life, and that they are moving on with love and appreciation.

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She cited being on a healing, religion-driven journey

Ashley also revealed that getting back together with Dimitri was ‘a blessing, specifically tied to her faith walk with Christ, as part of understanding the responsibility of forgiveness.’ She added that she has undertaken a healing reconciliation journey with Dimitri, which includes working on being true to who they are, and filtering out the noise of the entitled people who think they can intrude. To wrap the interview up, she confirmed that she is still doing wellness coaching and selling plant medicine on Etsy, while Dimitri is providing ‘experience design,’ which involves media, tech and product design on his website, DimitriSnowden.com.

Dimitri and Ashley may remain in a monogamous marriage

Although Dimitri emailed a client in June 2021, saying that he wants to ‘pay what he owes by working on a farm, building or fixing a website, or providing his body or mind because he is homeless,’ he bounced back afterwards. While it’s unclear whether he still lives in the California home they had during the show, his online business is operational.

Since all the wives had a negative story to share about Ashley and Dimitri, and they all divorced Dimitri in their respective seasons before his first wife also broke things off, the chances of finding a new sister wife are slim to none.

In a way, they deserve each other. Ashley not only ignored Dimitri’s bad traits but seemed to enjoy contributing to his abuse, including not reacting when he punched walls and furniture and yelled in front of the kids. She also disregarded all claims from Christeline, Vanessa and Tayler and labeled them ‘egregious attempts at defamation.’ Ashley even took Dimitri back without addressing all the concerns, explaining it with, ‘We want God to forgive us for the things that we do and the hard heart that we’ve had, and yet we are so unwilling to forgive each other.’

Ashley showed signs of brainwashing

While Ashley is an adult who’s allowed to make decisions, some viewers were worried for her after remembering the long heartfelt letter that she allegedly wrote to Dimitri in July 2021 before breaking up. Ariadne leaked it during the “Seeking Sister Wife: EXPLOSIVE Tea with John Yates on the Snowden’s, Part 3” podcast. According to Ariadne, Dimitri frequently shared the messages Ashley sent him with other sister wives, and one of them sent it to her.

Among other things, Ashley mentions that she got over the alleged cheating. Dimitri had a wife before her, Claudette, and returned to her, presumably for physical intimacy, while dating Ashley. She wrote, ‘I feel we are out here living a lie. No woman on this planet would knowingly accept the things I’ve accepted with regards to infidelity.’ She admitted that he often contradicted himself, and attacked her physically and emotionally at times. Yet, she took him back and kept feeling the pressure of judgment from others for staying with him.

Toward the end, she stated that she had no one to talk to, and that he ignored her suggestions to take a break from seeing more women and work on their relationship. She even agreed to take a break from their marriage if he promised to use protection while having intercourse, and that he could get a chance to try some sexual positions she was unwilling to try. She finishes the letter by saying that she feels ‘stuck, terrorized by her shadow, numb and depressed,’ but that he never acknowledged those feelings.

The most worrying was the last part of the letter. Ashley apologized for ‘making their marriage uncomfortable by being affectionate and not listening better, and saying that she would feel bad if her long message angers him.’ Those closing words showed how much Ashley feared his reaction, and how emotionally manipulated she felt. Many of her fans stopped feeling pity afterward; she knew how poorly Dimitri treated her, but swept all the red flags under the rug, and took him back.

Whitney Way Thore went through a lot during her time in “My Big Fat Fabulous Life,” her show on TLC. After her dancing video went viral, the production company gave her a platform to prove that being overweight doesn’t always have a negative emotional and physical impact. However, after fans discovered her fun personality and saw her get into drama-filled and toxic relationships, the format switched to a reality TV show. Moreover, Whitney eventually shifted her focus to entrepreneurship with her business, No BS Active, which picked up speed in late 2020. However, there were some untold truths and interesting speculation over the years, and we’ve listed them.

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Whitney wasn’t always overweight

While her life is anything but dull, and she does her best to empower women to be comfortable and confident in their bodies, Whitney used to be of average size and even skinny and athletic at times. However, her problems with polycystic ovarian syndrome  (or PCOS) began affecting her in her late teens. From being slim until she was 19, Whitney gained about 100lbs or 45kgs, then almost double that amount in college.

Even worse, she only got diagnosed at 23, and was the first time that she’d heard about the condition. Despite not dancing for almost a decade due to her weight gain, Whitney gained fame with her popular show on TLC between 2015 and 2023, showcasing her skills, tight-knit family, and a slew of toxic relationships. A new season may even uncover a secret that her father has hidden for over five decades.

Her show had a different name

Many new fans don’t know that Whitney Way Thore caught TLC’s attention by posting a video entitled “A Fat Girl Dancing”, to the YouTube channel of 107.5 KZL radio station, on 27 February 2014,  where she worked at the time. After several interviews with media outlets such as NBC, ABC, and Huffington News, the show TLC offered to film “Whitney: Fat Girl Dancing,” according to the BBC. However, the executives changed it to “My Big Fat Fabulous Life” when it premiered 10 episodes starting in January 2015.

Her family struggled to accept her weight

Although Whitney always emphasized that her parents and brother supported her decisions throughout her life, her sudden weight gain still shocked them to a degree. For a while, she felt ‘a bit of a disconnect,’ especially with her father, Glenn Thore. Despite telling him that she still felt confident and wanted to raise awareness that you can be healthy at any size, he said, ‘Whitney, I know you’re struggling, but you can’t change the world. You have to fit into society’s mold.’

However, after losing close to 50kgs or about 110lbs and regaining it, Whitney decided to be herself and focus on her health instead of weight. Her father agreed, but warned her that she would run into trouble being so decisive. However, he changed his mind in 2015, and told her that he was convinced of her ability to positively affect the world, which is a story that brings Whitney to tears whenever she tells it.

Two luckiest kids in the world right here! @HunterThore @babzillathore @TLC #MyBigFatFabLife #BabsKnowsBest pic.twitter.com/Id5hoGPutf

— Whitney Way Thore (@whitneywaythore) May 11, 2015

Her brother, Hunter, also distanced himself for a while, because he didn’t know how to interact with her, and she thought that he was embarrassed with her. However, like her father, he changed his tune at one point, and is now fully supportive of her.

Whitney and her brother love theatre

Many people don’t know that Whitney Way Thore has acting experience, which helped her land the position of an on-air producer for the radio show “Jared & Katie in the Morning” in her hometown. First, in 2000. she was accepted into the Governor’s School of North Carolina of Meredith College, and their Theatre Summer Enrichment Program. Two years later, she matriculated from Page High School in her hometown, then majored in Theatre at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. She later changed her majors to Communications and Public Relations, and  subsequently earned a Master’s in journalism.

Her brother Hunter, who fans sometimes call her twin since he’s only 10 months older, is theatrically inclined, too. He attended Terry Knickerbocker Studio, The William Esper Studio, and The Freeman Studio among others, to refine his acting skills. He then moved to New York City and planned to relocate to Atlanta, Georgia, to become a movie and TV actor. Unfortunately, he had to take a break when his mother, Babs, had a stroke on 28 December 2021, and instead spent time at home, and in his mother’s retirement community.

Luckily, his fans saw him on-screen in the ninth episode of the 13th season of the “Blue Bloods” series in January 2023, playing Wayne, a dog-stealing criminal with a beard and a mullet. That was his first co-star role, and he noted that his mother would have been proud of him, especially since he afterwards landed the lead role in a feature film. Moreover, Hunter appeared in TV shows such as “Skye of the Damned” and “Skeleton Crew” and said that as a young teen, performing with Kathleen Turner, a two-time Golden Globe Winner, sparked his passion for acting. Hunter is also a guitarist for the metal punk band, Plague of Jackals.

She’s lived in at least two more countries

Whitney spent most of her time in the US, and chose to stay close to family. However, following her college graduation, Whitney taught English to schoolchildren in South Korea for several years. Moreover, she revealed that she lived in Derry, the second-largest city in Northern Ireland, for a few months in 2005.

She is non-religious

Whitney was surprised that many of her fans assumed that she was Christian; consequently, she received several hateful messages for not ascribing to that religion. She stated that she’s non-religious but that she loves learning about all religions, and is particularly interested in Islam.

Whitney’s sexuality is flexible

Although Whitney dated and becamet engaged to men during the show, many fans forget that she admitted to kissing women in the past. Moreover, she’s candid about loving to be touched by men and women, and enjoying massages from both sexes. When asked about her sexuality, she defined it as “hetero-flexible,” The description became relevant once she announced that she’d opened her relationship with her French boyfriend in October 2022. She promptly went on a holiday to Saint Lucia, where she got close to her ex-boyfriend Lennie Alehat, sparking rumors of rekindling an old flame. Because she seemed excited about her newfound freedom, some fans thought that she might also experiment with women.

Whitney is an author

Whitney published her memoir and first book, entitled “I Do It with the Lights On And 10 More Discoveries on the Road to a Blissfully Shame-Free Life”; in it she discussed self-acceptance and promoted fighting fatphobia, discouraging overweight people from feeling ashamed of themselves to the point of ‘doing it with the lights off,’ among other things.

She may have kissed Buddy for fake drama

One ex-boyfriend who fans didn’t like seeing but couldn’t stop tuning in to watch, was Buddy Bell. He had been her friend since college, and they had an undefined relationship. While he has supported Whitney, she treated him poorly, and even called him fat, which some viewers saw as hypocritical and contrary to her message.

Many people do not realize that besides having a drug problem, specifically using cocaine, which was covered in the fourth season, Buddy has also been addicted to alcohol, and is a criminal. Fans discovered that he was arrested on 30 January 2014 for assaulting a government official, resisting a public officer, public intoxication, and disorderly conduct at the Memorial Auditorium venue during a Queens of the Stone Age concert.

While Whitney wasn’t responsible for his actions, and tried to help, fans were disappointed when she let him move in with her in 2015. That’s because she seemed to force him to air his dirty laundry in public for drama, despite him saying, ‘I’m just tired of looking like a loser in the f*cking show.’

Things went further; Whitney criticized him for mistreating his then-girlfriend, Heather, by drip-feeding his love to keep her hooked. Then, while he was apparently in a relationship during the fifth season, the first episode began with Whitney kissing him. While she said that she had good intentions, viewers thought that they’d fabricated a romance to increase the viewership’ moreover, her pushing to get into a relationship was because she was ‘feeling a vibe being with her “Boo Bear”, wassimply  manipulative. Buddy openly stated that he started going to the bar after breaking up with his then-girlfriend, Chelsea Roark. After he finally sobered-up, his friends and family advised him not to rush into a relationship, as he was still vulnerable, and Whitney knew that.

Whitney cut ties with a business partner

Whitney started rumors in October 2020 that she was moving or quitting her business, when she announced on Facebook that her business, No BS Active, a monthly subscription for fitness, dancing, and lifestyle content, was taking a one-month hiatus. While the moving part was genuine, she never said that she’d broke ties with her business partner.

Several things pointed to discord in their partnership, however. Only six days before Whitney announced her plans, Ryan Andreas teased that he was releasing a mobile fitness app. He released “Training Partners by Natalie & Ryan” with his mother, Natalie Betsko, on 5 October 2020, a day later. As if adding fuel to the flames, he uploaded a picture holding his friend’s newborn baby, Aurora, and said that he was a proud uncle. That wouldn’t be a problem if his friend weren’t Chase Severino, whom Whitney broke off her engagement with in May of that year! Moreover, his daughter was conceived behind Whitney’s back, which meant that Chase had cheated on her for some time, which he later admitted, adding that not living in the same city and slowly drifting apart caused it. Additionally, Ryan knew about it since Chase was his friend from college, but never told Whitney because he reportedly wanted to protect her from getting hurt.

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A month later, in early November, Whitney indirectly confirmed that she’d ended things with Ryan when she introduced Jessica Powell as her new business partner, who long-time fans remember as her fitness trainer. Thus, the business restarted without fanfare, with tweaks to the fitness program, while rumors circulated that the two also went their separate ways after Whitney didn’t immediately congratulate Jessica on her engagement to Isaiah Martin on 11 July 2022. Luckily, nothing happened, since Whitney was merely unavailable as she vacationed in France, so they’re still partners.

Whitney ignores fatphobic comments

Her confidence to post workout videos from the gym, in a bikini or dressed, up surprises many viewers. However, she says that she regularly gets accused of being ‘too fat and not losing weight’ with her workouts, a mix of Olympic weightlifting, CrossFit, and No BS Active programs. She responded to that criticism with, ‘You can lose weight or you can not, but regardless exercise will benefit you in a million other ways.’

With that in mind, she was curious about the reaction when she implemented a new workout routine, and lost 50lbs, over 20kgs between late 2018 and mid-2019. After she found that people continued to berate her instead of celebrating her weight loss, she concluded that their comments were just fatphobic, and resolved not to read/listen to them.

She was accused of photoshopping her images

Another untold truth is that Whitney promised never to digitally alter her appearance outside of improving the photo quality. Thus, many angry viewers called her out for pictures she posted with her then-boyfriend, Chase Severino, in June 2019, in which filters allegedly made her look thinner. In response, she posted a screenshot of her camera roll, showing the unedited photo without filters, which looked identical save for the color hue and saturation. As additional proof of authenticity, a cleavage thumbnail picture was among other pictures of Chase and her family.

Additionally, she is honest about all procedures that she’s done, or does daily. For instance, she had lip fillers at Sōna Dermatology around July 2021, and reported being obsessed with them despite what people say. She also stated that she covers the bald spots from PCOS with Toppik hair fibers, has her eyebrows micro-bladed, dyes and plucks the grey hair strands, and sometimes metaphorically wears 10lbs of make-up.

She got a dog in 2020

Whitney is a proud cat owner, and has called herself “cat mama” for years, thus, viewers often see her three cats, Hench or Henchie, Ollie and Wanda. However, she surprised most people by getting a black poodle named Caniche in June 2020. Her loyal fans knew that Whitney had a history of dog ownership – her family had two dogs, and she had another dog after moving out of the family home. Another surprising fact is that Caniche means “poodle” in French, and she visited her French boyfriend in Paris almost exactly a year later. That may be a clue, or only her affection for the French language.

Whitney progressed a lot

Whitney has been forthcoming about her struggles with food and medical issues, and has come a long way in her journey to advocate for body positivity and self-acceptance. She admitted to having a food addiction that began in middle school, forcing her to try several diets to reduce her calorie intake. Moreover, she had bulimia, and confessed to ‘purging food’. Furthermore, Whitney is open about issues caused by PCOS, which makes her hair fall out, leaving bald spots, and is making her pregnancy nearly impossible. Nonetheless, she used medicine to recover, including controlling her weight. Additionally, she visited a fertility doctor in August 2021 to freeze her eggs, and learned that the number was twice as high as the average for women with her condition.

Although her conditions weren’t the primary cause, they contributed to the format shift from dancing to typical reality TV drama. Nonetheless, fans stuck by her, and TLC will likely greenlight a following season, especially if the news about a third sibling is trustworthy.

Her dad may have a secret child

While the focus has been on Whitney and her celebration of life, and it’s likely that season 11, if it airs, will focus on her relationship with Lennie and getting closer to her father after her mother’s passing on 7 December 2022, some rumors indicate that a new person will enter the family dynamic.

In 2022, an insider came out with rumors that Hunter and Whitney aren’t the only children of their father, Glenn Thore. They speculated that this would be the topic of season 10, since TLC briefly focused on Glenn’s ex-girlfriend, Keiko in 2018, but that Babs’ death interrupted those plans. Glenn even stated, ‘Babs seems to be a bit jealous of Keiko, and I’m not sure why because I’ve been hers for 40 years. She doesn’t even want to touch her.’ According to the insider, Glenn had a boy with Keiko while he was with the Marines in Japan, and he’s between 47 and 57 years old. Based on their information, Hunter and Whitney have only recently learned of his existence, and their shock would undoubtedly spice things up.