Pumpkin On Mama June Relationship: She Has No Idea Where Mom Is

Pumpkin has no idea where her mother Mama June is, the 20-year-old tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. The mom-of-one confesses that the last thing she heard about the reality TV star’s whereabouts is that the matriarch was snapped by the paparazzi in a casino in Florida. And she only knows that because a reporter told her. “I don’t know if that’s where she currently is. I’m not specific on her whereabouts,” the Mama June: From Not To Hot star says.

It’s a heartbreaking update from a woman who was once so close to her mom that TV viewers rarely saw one without the other. But June Shannon’s relationship with Pumpkin and the rest of her family tanked after the 40-year-old’s life spiraled out of control. In the last season of From Not To Hot, fans witnessed June’s family desperately try to get the mother-of-four into rehab, before the blonde bolted after agreeing to get treatment. Meanwhile, a year ago in March 2019, she made headlines for all the wrong reasons after she and her boyfriend Geno Doak were busted in Alabama for alleged “possession of drug paraphernalia” and a “controlled substance,” according to the Macon County District Attorney. Now, Pumpkin – who is raising June’s youngest daughter, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, 14 – says she rarely speaks to her mom.

“It’s hit or miss,” Pumpkin, whose real name is Lauryn Shannon, says when asked if she can just pick up the phone and call her mother. “I’ve been keeping in contact with her but…this addiction and her [willingness] to get healthy is going to be ultimately up to her. So, of course we still keep in contact, but we do it from a distance.”

Their relationship, when they do talk, is “definitely rocky,” Pumpkin says. “The thing about my mom is that she just expects things to go back to normal and there is a lot of damage there. She’s done a lot in the past year… Only time will tell, but I do hope that maybe she gets it together for all of us.”

Pumpkin, Mama June — Pumpkin and Mama June – pictured in an earlier season of ‘Mama June: From Not To Hot’ – were once close. (Courtesy of WE tv)

Mama June, Alana Thompson, Pumpkin — Mama June and her daughters Alana and Pumpkin in happier times. (MEGA)

In the meantime, Pumpkin is trying to make the best out of her life, which involves carrying a lot of responsibility on her young shoulders. With the help of her husband Joshua Efird she is raising their 2-year-old daughter Ella as well as Alana. “It’s definitely much different than raising a 2-year-old,” Pumpkin says of being a mom to her teenage sibling. But, with the support of her other sisters, Jessica (aka Chubbs), 23, and Anna, 25, and her aunt Doe Doe, she’s somehow making it work. “Being around my family makes me happier, makes my mind clear,” she says.

As for what fans can expect to see in the upcoming season of the show (which has since been renamed Mama June: Family Crisis) Pumpkin teases that there will be “a lot of heartbreak and tension” and, yes, June will return. “It’s definitely a lot… So buckle up and grab tissues,” she says. Mama June: Family Crisis premieres on WE tv on March 27 at 9pm.