Who was Shirlene's ex-husband? 'I Love A Mama's Boy' Season 4 star calls her son 'reincarnation' of first partner

'I Love A Mama's Boy' star Shirlene's ex-husband died after he was diagnosed with cancer
UPDATED SEP 17, 2024
'I Love A Mama's Boy' star Shirlene traces striking similarities between her ex-husband and her son Austin (Instagram/@awesome_is_austin/@tlc)
'I Love A Mama's Boy' star Shirlene traces striking similarities between her ex-husband and her son Austin (Instagram/@awesome_is_austin/@tlc)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'I Love A Mama's Boy' Season 4 has recently debuted on TLC, and it’s already delivering some of the cringiest and weirdest mother-son moments yet. During the premiere episode, Austin's mother, Shirlene, made some shocking revelations that left viewers stunned.

Shirlene reflected on her relationships and claimed that her first husband died after he was diagnosed with cancer. The TLC show star and her ex-husband were college sweethearts and enjoyed a whirlwind romance during their youth. Shirlene was left devastated by her first husband's death. Afterward, she met Victor and married him. She was thrilled when she welcomed Austin and eventually realized that he had similarities to her ex-partner. Shirlene also claimed that her ex-husband has been reincarnated to her son Austin's body and she couldn't explain her feelings. It seemed that Shirlene had grown extremely close to Austin, partly because she saw traits of her ex-husband in him.

'I Love A Mama's Boy' star Shirlene is extremely close to her son Austin (@tlc)
'I Love A Mama's Boy' star Shirlene is extremely close to her son Austin (@tlc)

'I Love A Mama's Boy' star Shirlene reflects on her close relationship with Austin

'I Love A Mama's Boy' Season 4 star Shirlene and Austin share a close mother-son relationship which sometimes confuses people as a couple. Shirlene supports her son by helping with his chores and spending quality time together. They enjoy activities like going to the gym, sharing manicure appointments, and even visiting gay bars.

Shirlene reflected on her bond with her son Austin, whom she believes is the reincarnation of her ex-husband, and shared, "I can't explain that to anybody but I got a part of him back and how I got this blessing I don't know but I'm taking every minute of it." Austin also supported his mother's feelings and spent as much time as he could with her.

Shirlene enjoys a hot bath with Austin (Facebook/@tlc)
'I Love A Mama's Boy' star Shirlene reflects on her close relationship with Austin (@tlc)

Why did 'I Love A Mama's Boy' stars Austin and Kristopher Johnson split?

'I Love A Mama's Boy' stars Austin and Kristopher Johnson were together for eight years but had to split because of Shirlene. Austin’s mother never liked Kristopher, and their romance was ultimately sabotaged after a huge fight. Kristopher was frustrated with Shirlene’s constant interference in his relationship with Austin and called her nosy.

However, Shirlene was offended by Kristopher's comment and kicked him off from dinner leading to his split with Austin. Despite breaking off, Austin and Kristopher still live together and have been thinking of reconciliation. Kristopher explained the reason for living together after the split and explained, "We live in LA and it's expensive as f**k."

'I Love a Mama's Boy' star Shirlene puts a wedge between son Austin and his boyfriend, Kristopher (TLC)
'I Love a Mama's Boy' star Shirlene puts a wedge between son Austin and his boyfriend, Kristopher (@tlc)

Catch new episode of 'I Love A Mama's Boy' Season 4 on Mondays at 9 pm ET on TLC.

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