Amid online criticism of the relationship, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson is in love and wants the world to know it.

The Mama June: From Hot to Not star recently shared a first official photo to her social media account.

The post comes amid scrutiny over their relationship.

Honey Boo Boo posts photo with boyfriend amid online criticism

The 16-year-old made her and Dralin Carswell love social media official with an Instagram post. Carswell is 20-years-old. He reportedly attends a tech school in Nashville, TN, and lives in close proximity to his girlfriend and her family. 

The couple have been getting major backlash due to him being four years her senior and them being in an interracial relationship.

Things appear to be so bad from some critics that the high school junior turned comment options off for the photo. Carswell will appear in the newest season of the popular reality series.

Mama June approves of the relationship

One person who does give the OK to the relationship is Honey Boo Boo’s mom, Mama June.

“Pumpkin and Josh were the same age as they were [when they began dating],” she said in a recent interview, per Meaww. “Alana is getting a lot of hate because she is in an interracial relationship, he is older. But at the end of the day, people got to remember that Alana is not that six or seven-year-old child y’all fell in love with 11 years ago”. 

 

 

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Watch the trailer for the new season below: