Lauryn ‘Pumpkin’ Efird Shares Family’s Reactions to Her Dating Ex Josh’s Cousin: ‘Shocked’

Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird shares how her family reacted to learning that she’s dating ex-husband Josh Efird’s cousin Darrin Kitchens during an exclusive interview with In Touch.

“That’s a lot of the stuff that they’re gonna, like, uncover obviously on the show and stuff. ‘Cause, I mean, that obviously is, like, a big headline,” Lauryn, 25, tells In Touch about her relationship with Darrin while promoting season 7 of Mama June: Family Crisis. “I feel like everybody kind of, like, throws it out there. But I think throughout the show and stuff, you’ll see how the family dynamic and the family tree really … plays out and then people will be like, ‘Oh, well s–t.’”

Meanwhile, Lauryn’s sister Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon says that the relationship “shocked everybody” because they had “known him for a while.”

Lauryn adds that her relationship with Darrin is “not as crazy as [the headlines] are making [it] out to be,” though Josh, 28, “obviously was not very fond” of the situation.

The mother of four says that she and Josh were at different points of their divorce when she started dating Darrin, explaining that she was “done” with their marriage while Josh was “still trying to process it.”

When it comes to where she stands with Josh, Lauryn explains that they’re “cordial in a sense right now.” As for Josh’s relationship with Darrin, Lauryn says she hopes they can one day get to a place of being “cordial enough to have conversations” at family events.

Lauryn and Josh got married in 2018, and they welcomed daughter Ella in 2017, son Bentley in 2021 and twins Sylus Ray and Stella Renae in 2022. They initially seemed like a solid couple, so fans were left in shock when Lauryn filed for divorce in August 2024. Their divorce was finalized one month later in September 2024.

She announced her relationship with Darrin on August 10, 2024, when she shared a photo of them at a Zach Bryan concert via Facebook, and his connection to Josh was revealed soon after.

In addition to sharing her family’s reactions to her new relationship, Lauren also opens up about how her divorce led to her accidental weight loss.

“A lot of people think that I’m on like a weight loss shot or, like, I had a weight loss surgery. I haven’t had any of that,” she tells In Touch about how she achieved her slimmer figure. “The only thing I’ve ever had done was, like, my gallbladder got removed and I did have, like, incisions where someone, like, who did get lipo or something would have those, but I only got my gallbladder removed.”

Lauryn explains that she “stressed” herself out while trying to create a “pretty picture” of her and Josh’s marriage amid their secret issues.

“I think that that caused me a lot of stress. And I was, like, overeating at the time,” she continues. “So, I did become overweight and then when I did file for a divorce and that kind of weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I just kind of felt like it just, like, literally just fell off.”

Mama June: Family Crisis season 7 is currently airing on WeTV Fridays at 8pm ET.