For months, concerned Mama June Shannon fans have witnessed her PDA with her random young boyfriend.
What little we know of Justin Stroud doesn’t inspire much confidence.
What we know of June’s taste in men inspires even less.
Now, the two have been spotted ring-shopping … just days after Justin was released from jail. Are they engaged?
The Sun reports that June Shannon and younger boyfriend Justin Stroud were seen shopping for rings at an Alabama jewelry store.
The pair were spotted in the Auburn Mall in Auburn, Alabama, shopping at the fabled land where kisses begin — Kay Jewelers.
The two were spotted dressed casually and smiling, even looking intently into items in the case and, at one point, June tried on a ring.
While June tried on the ring, Justin was described as looking on with interest.
The report is unclear as to whether a purchase was made.
Some couples will go to multiple stores before settling upon a ring. Perhaps they went to Jared’s next.
Earlier in March, June and Justin shared an emotional reunion following his release from jail.
He had been held behind bars for nearly a month.
Justin’s arrest had taken place in boca Raton, Florida … and those familiar with June’s taste in men were hardly shocked by the charges.
Justin was arrested on a warrant related to prior charges involving drugs and burglary.
Justin had allegedly evaded authorities for months before being cuffed and hauled off from a gas station in February.
The warrant was filed in February for violating his probation — following
June choosing to spend months with a man with this (very recent!) history could be dangerous given her own history of drug use.
Production on Mama June: Road to Redemption, her family, her friends, and her fans have encouraged June on her sobriety journey.
Justin is far from the first man with a history of drug use and arrests, prompting cries of alarm that yet another man will drag June down with him.
No one is suggesting that addicts or former addicts are unworthy of love or should never be dated.
However, some are saying that June specifically should not date any man with sobriety troubles of any kind.
A major concern is that, due to self esteem issues or simply her very unusual life experiences, June may not believe that any other man would date her.
To put it bluntly, June grew up eating scavenged roadkill.
She experienced the kinds of extreme poverty that many like to pretend did not exist anywhere, let alone in America.
While June later amassed a small fortune through her reality TV success, decades of poverty leave an indelible mark upon the psyche.
The concern is that, even if Justin is truly dedicated to sobriety, if he or June slip, they could take the other with them.
Some people can and do take drugs without destroying their lives. June has demonstrated that she cannot.
In fact, because she is routinely drug tested in order to remain on television, she will instantly lose her main source of income if she tests positive.
Worse than that is that we know that June spent well over $1 million on drugs for her and Geno during a little over one year.
She and Geno are no longer together, and she no longer has that kind of net worth with which to buy more drugs.
No one wants to see history repeat itself. No one wants to see Justin or any other untrustworthy figure take advantage of June’s life in any fashion.