"Process for a while" — Mama June: Family Crisis star June Shannon reacts to Pumpkin dating Josh’s cousin

Mama June: Family Crisis released a new episode on July 18, 2025. In the latest episode, June Shannon learns that her daughter Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird is dating Darrin Kitchens, who is connected to Pumpkin’s ex-husband Josh Efird’s family. Upon hearing the news, June responds:

“I’m about to process for a while. I’ll give you a call later when I talk about this because I need to figure this out.”

During their conversation, June struggles to understand the relationship and questions the implications for the family. Read on to know how Pumpkin's family reacts to Darrin's connection to Josh.

---

Reactions to Pumpkin dating Josh’s cousin during family dinner on Mama June: Family Crisis

Pumpkin confirms new relationship at dinner

The conversation begins during a family dinner when June notices Pumpkin texting and smiling at her phone. The Mama June: Family Crisis star addresses it directly, saying:

“Pumpkin? You’ve been texting someone the whole time we’ve been here. Put the damn phone down.”

This prompts Pumpkin to share that she has been “kind of seeing this dude.” As the rest of the family reacts, June immediately asks if they know the man she is seeing. Pumpkin explains that he has been part of Josh’s family for a long time and adds that he is Josh's cousin, emphasizing that they are not "bloody cousins."

The identity of the man is then disclosed as Darrin. When Jessica Shannon refers to him as "the cousin," June says:

“The divorce ain’t even dried on the ink yet.”

Pumpkin tells them that while Josh’s stepfather raised him, Darrin is not biologically related to him. During a Mama June: Family Crisis confessional, Pumpkin draws a diagram of the family connections and states:

“Josh does know his real dad but doesn’t have a relationship with him… It’s akin to Josh’s stepdad. That is his uncle. No blood. No nothing.”

---

Mama June questions family ties and timing

Despite Pumpkin’s clarification, June expresses discomfort with the situation. She repeats that "it is not" after Pumpkin insists there is no blood relation. When Pumpkin reiterates that there is no biological connection, June remains unconvinced. She also asks Pumpkin when she plans to "tell" Josh, to which Pumpkin replies:

“I don’t know… I’m not talking about it right now.”

June presses further by asking if Pumpkin plans to "hang out" with Josh’s cousin. Pumpkin responds that Darrin gets off work in 30 minutes, implying that she likely will. The conversation escalates as June expresses concern about family boundaries, asking:

“How would you feel like it? What are your sister’s hood up with some of our family?”

Although Pumpkin maintains that the relationship does not cross any biological lines, June finds the situation difficult to accept and reiterates the need for time to process everything.

---

Jessica and Justin weigh in on the situation

Jessica later adds that she expected the dinner to be a positive moment. Referring to her earlier announcement during the chat that she is getting engaged, she says that she thought it would be a "nice little" gathering.

After Jessica exits the dinner, June shifts her focus to her, telling her she is "not done" with her yet, to which Pumpkin responds that she has plans and is "not talking about it right now." Meanwhile, Justin Stroud offers a neutral observation. He tells the Mama June: Family Crisis star:

“You should just be happy for her though. I mean, if she’s happy, I mean, you know, sometimes you let people make their own mistakes.”

---

Catch new episodes of Mama June: Family Crisis on WEtv.

Edited by DEEPALI