Entertainment TV Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson Says She Doesn't 'Care' What People Think About Her Relationship “My sister approves, his mom approves, and we're happy, so what fans got to say or what haters got to say I don’t really care," the reality star said of her relationship with boyfriend Dralin Carswell By Stephanie Wenger Stephanie Wenger Instagram Twitter Stephanie Wenger is a TV Writer/Reporter at PEOPLE. She joined the brand in 2021 as digital news writer, spanning across the site's verticals. She previously contributed to E! Online, HollywoodLife, Discover Los Angeles, Oscar.com and Hollywood.com. She appeared on air at AfterBuzz TV. She began her journalism career as an intern at Good Morning America and Access Hollywood. She graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor's in communications and received a Master's in journalism from the University of Southern California. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 21, 2022 07:39 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: honeybooboo/Instagram Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson is defending her relationship with her 21-year-old boyfriend, Dralin Carswell. The Toddlers & Tiaras alum, 16, admitted that she is not concerned about criticism over the pair's age difference in a recent Entertainment Tonight interview with sister Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon. "In our relationship, the two most things that everybody is always talking about is our age gap and definitely because he's Black and I'm white and we're an interracial couple," she explained. Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson, 16, Isn't Engaged to 20-Year-Old Boyfriend Despite Wearing Diamond Ring However, the backlash won't stop the reality star from being happy in her relationship. "I don't care," she said. "Because, like, at the end of the day, my sister approves, his mom approves, and we're happy, so what fans got to say or what haters got to say I don't really care." Despite the age gap, Alana revealed that she and Dralin are "always talking about something — it's never like an awkward moment, silence or none of that." Mama June's Daughter Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Shannon Gets Full Custody of Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson Pumpkin — who was granted sole custody of Alana earlier this year — showed her support for her sister's relationship during the interview. "She's not getting married, she's not having a kid, she's doing very good in school," said Pumpkin, adding that the pair are "on the same wavelength." In June, the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo alum's rep confirmed to Page Six that Alana was not engaged to her boyfriend after she was spotted with a ring on that finger. Her rep added the diamond seen on Alana's finger was "just a ring." RELATED VIDEO: Mama June's Daughter Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Shannon Gets Full Custody of Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson Mama June Supports Daughter Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson, 16, Dating a 20-Year-Old: She's 'Grown Up' In May, Mama June Shannon spoke out about her daughter's relationship with Dralin in an interview with TooFab. "Yes, I've met Dralin. They've been together for over a year," the Mama June: Road to Redemption star shared. "People need to realize that she's going to be 17 in August and that [Alana's older sister] Pumpkin and Josh were the same age as they were." "She is getting a lot of hate because she's in an interracial relationship, he is older," she added. "But at the end of the day, Alana's not that 6-, 7-year-old child y'all fell in love with 11 years ago. Alana has grown up, she's graduating high school next year, guys!" Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight the same month, Mama June shared one concern about her daughter's boyfriend. "He's good. He needs to hold down a job a little bit more," she said. "I mean, he's not bad. He doesn't treat her bad or anything like that." She added, "They're [young] and they've been together over a year. So, if they last? Fine. If they don't, it can be her first love."