Mama June Shannon has a new man in her life! The From Not to Hot star tells Us Weekly exclusively that she met her new boyfriend through mutual friends, but he initially didn’t know who she was.
“His kids knew, but he didn’t,” Shannon, 38, tells Us. “I was like, ‘Did you live underneath a rock?’ He was like, ‘No.’ He just doesn’t watch reality TV. I mean, you know, he does now watch the show, but he doesn’t care two cents less about the cameras. … Outside of this [show], we are a very normal, everyday crazy bunch.”
At first, the reality star’s beau, who will appear on her WE tv series, was worried that people would think he was dating her “just for money,” she says. “That’s not the case. He makes very good money. He does remodeling and construction work, so he makes good money himself.”
Shannon’s boyfriend has received the stamp of approval from her daughter Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson. “I’m very proud that Mama got with him because she smiles if you say anything about him,” the 12-year-old tells Us. “I’m like, ‘Mama has been so happy!’”
The recently slimmed-down star says returning to the dating scene after her 2016 split from longtime love Matt “Sugar Bear” Thompson wasn’t easy, but she’s happy with the outcome. “[My boyfriend] came into our life when we actually needed someone to say, ‘OK, all men aren’t bad,’” she says. “It’s been a long time. I mean, it’s been a good, probably, 15 years since I’ve been happy. It’s a lot different. He’s one-of-a-kind.”
This time around, marriage may be in the cards for Shannon. “I would say for the first time in my life, maybe,” she tells Us, adding that her new guy has “been married once before.”
Mama June: From Not to Hot season 2 premieres on WE tv on Friday, January 12, at 9 p.m. ET.
