Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird announced her engagement to Darrin Kitchens in a TikTok post on Thursday.
The “Mama June: Family Crisis” star, 26, shared a photo montage from the rooftop proposal that showed Kitchens down on one knee presenting her with a ring. The couple has been dating for two years, according to the announcement.
“ENGAGED,” Efird wrote in the caption, adding ring and heart eye emojis. “I am literally STILL over the moon.”
The romantic moment drew family support from nearby. Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, 19, and her boyfriend, Dralin Carswell, were present for the proposal, standing by as Kitchens popped the question.
The engagement marks a new chapter for Efird, who filed for divorce from her ex-husband Josh Efird last year. The former couple shares four children together and had been married since 2018 before their split.
Kitchens happens to be Josh Efird’s cousin, a connection that has drawn public attention and some criticism since the relationship became known. The family tie between Pumpkin’s new fiancé and her ex-husband has made the pairing a talking point among followers of the WE tv reality franchise.
Efird has been open about prioritizing herself following the end of her marriage. In previous interviews tied to her divorce, she spoke about learning to put her own needs first after years of focusing on others.
The engagement news arrives nearly two months after Efird first went public with Kitchens on social media, sharing photos of the couple together. That debut post confirmed months of speculation about her dating life post-divorce.
Kitchens has addressed the cousin connection himself, revealing in previous comments that his relationship with Josh Efird remains strained. The two cousins are not on speaking terms, he indicated, as the romantic overlap has created family friction.
Mama June Shannon, Efird’s mother, has also weighed in on the unconventional pairing. In an exclusive statement, she expressed bewilderment at the situation, asking rhetorically why her daughter would pursue the relationship given the family connection.
Despite the external commentary, Efird has defended her choices directly to followers. She declared her love for Kitchens in a social media post, acknowledging the attention their relationship has generated. “Many Have An Opinion About Us!” she wrote, making clear she was aware of the discourse.
The “Mama June” franchise has chronicled the Shannon family’s complicated dynamics across multiple series, from “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” through the current “Family Crisis” iteration. Efird has appeared throughout, evolving from a supporting player to a central figure as she became a mother herself and navigated her own relationships.
The rooftop setting for Kitchens’ proposal offered a departure from the family’s typically down-home Georgia backdrop, suggesting a more polished approach to the milestone than some past family celebrations.
Efird’s engagement follows another recent family betrothal. Her older sister Jessica Shannon also recently announced plans to marry her girlfriend, Shyann McCant, adding to a season of relationship transitions for the reality TV clan.