Honey Boo Boo, 17, is moving in with boyfriend Dralin, 21
Alana Thompson, also known as “Honey Boo Boo,” is achieving two significant milestones simultaneously: starting college and moving in with her boyfriend.
The 17-year-old star of “Mama June: From Not to Hot” revealed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that she will be attending Regis University in Denver, Colorado, in the fall to pursue a nursing degree. She also shared that she will be living off campus for security reasons and because her boyfriend, Dralin Carswell, will be joining her.
Thompson expressed that her 21-year-old beau is more excited about the move than she is. He has spent his entire life in the same town in Georgia and is eager for a new experience.
While Thompson admits to feeling nervous about moving halfway across the country and living with Carswell for the first time, she is mostly excited about the new chapter in their lives.
She believes that the experience will be beneficial for their relationship and anticipates it to be enjoyable.
Although Thompson and Carswell have discussed their future together, she emphasized that she does not want to rush into marriage.
She shared that she cannot definitively say if Carswell is “the one” because life is unpredictable. However, she hopes for a future together and acknowledges that they still have some matters to figure out in the long run.
In terms of having children, Thompson stated that she does not want kids, while Carswell does.
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Thompson’s half-sister and mother, who were present during the interview, expressed their full support for her decisions.
Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, who has had sole custody of Thompson since June 2022, stated, “You don’t truly know somebody until you move in with somebody.” June “Mama June” Shannon added, “I told her it’s either gonna make or break her and Dralin.”
Regardless of the outcome, Shannon, 43, assured her former beauty pageant princess that she can always come back home if she doesn’t enjoy the experience. Efird, 23, added that the most important thing to her is how Carswell treats Alana, his respectful behavior, the love her kids have for him, and his supportive family.
Thompson and Carswell made their relationship public on Instagram in September 2021.
Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson is hitting two major milestones at once: going to college and moving in with her boyfriend.
The “Mama June: From Not to Hot” star, 17, told Entertainment Tonight she will be attending Regis University in Denver, Colo., in the fall to study nursing, adding that she will be living “off campus for security reasons and because Dralin [Carswell] is [going] with [her].”
“I think he’s more excited to move out there than me,” Thompson said of her 21-year-old beau, whom she’s dated for “going on three” years.
“He’s been in the exact same town [in Georgia] that I live in now for his whole life, and I think he’s just ready to experience something new, too.”
Though part of her is admittedly “nervous” to move “halfway across the country” and cohabitate with Carswell for the first time, she’s mostly “excited.”
“I think it’ll be good for us, honestly,” the TLC personality explained. “And I mean, I think it will be fun.”
Though Thompson and Carswell have “definitely talked about the future,” she said she doesn’t want to rush into marriage.
“I can’t say that [he’s the one] because I don’t know what life holds — any day now, anything can happen — but I mean, I hope,” she shared, adding that the two still have a few things to “figure out in the long run.”
“I don’t want kids, but he wants kids,” she elaborated.
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The “Toddlers & Tiaras” alum’s half-sister and mother, who were present for the sit-down, have given her their full support.
“You don’t truly know somebody until you move in with somebody,” Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird — who’s had sole custody of Thompson since June 2022 — explained, prompting June “Mama June” Shannon to expand, “I told her it’s either gonna make or break her and Dralin.”
Regardless of the outcome, Shannon, 43, assured her former beauty pageant princess that she “can always come back home if she doesn’t like it.”
Efird, 23, added, “All that matters to me is that Dralin treats Alana right, he’s respectful, my kids love him, his family is great — that’s all that matters to me.”
Thompson and Carswell made their secret relationship Instagram-official in September 2021.
Since going public with their romance, they’ve had to defend themselves against those who question their four-year age gap at such crucial times in their lives.
“I don’t care because, at the end of the day, my sister approves, his mom approves and we’re happy,” Thompson — who took Carswell to her senior prom in April — told ET last July.
“What fans got to say or what haters got to say, I don’t really care.”
Thompson graduated from high school in May.
