Whitney Way Thore and Lennie Alehat’s relationship, although short-lived compared to 10 seasons the show aired between 2015 and 2022, remained at the forefront. They only dated for roughly a year, but stayed in infrequent contact until 2021, when Lennie walked into her life with an unexpected visit to her home, and they reconnected. We studied how their relationship in “My Big Fat Fabulous Life” (MBFFL) started, what caused its end, and if they rekindled the old flame in the 10th season.
Whitney and Lennie recently reconnected
Lennie and Whitney split after a year-long relationship, but harbored no anger or bitterness; she decided the relationship made her feel stuck and that their lives would be better apart. However, after moving on romantically, the two occasionally supported each other as friends and business partners.
For instance, Whitney hired Lennie to work for her in 2022, and inadvertently got TLC to feature him, starting with season eight. Their chemistry sparked curiosity about the couple’s reconciliation, which was problematic. Whitney had been in a serious long-distance relationship since 2020, but “opened” it in late 2022 if she meets someone else in person, and viewers think she had Lennie was that person.
Lennie and Whitney dated for two seasons of “MBFFL”
Whitney Way Thore, born on 14 April 1984, got a reality TV show after TLC saw a viral video of her dancing. However, she only started dating Lennie Alehat early in the second season, after which the pair enjoyed a fun-filled relationship on TV.
Lennie never took himself seriously and even showed up on their second date to meet her parents in a coconut bra and a grass skirt, akin to a hula girl. His humor and the ability to laugh at his expense won them over. However, things turned sour in the ninth episode of the third season, in which Whitney explained to the camera that ‘she has needs that Lennie can’t or doesn’t want to meet.’
She then tells Lennie that she desires a relationship in which she doesn’ot have to ask a person to change, and rumors circulated that he cheated. A noticeable contrast in personalities marked their relationship; she was a bubbly, entertaining extrovert, while Lennie preferred to deliberate before saying very little in a monotone voice. Fans agreed with Whitney, and frequently commented that both needed a better-fitting partner to be truly happy.
https://www.facebook.com/TLCIndiaOfficial/posts/pfbid0yq6Yf7GTsN6KvNkWc9pAQ4h4DVbBzHWbMdygmURdRnZ5yc8qe5jN5h46tdjqu9KWl
She had a pregnancy scare in 2017
Not long after they separated, Whitney felt something was off physically, and suspected that she might be pregnant. After taking three pregnancy tests, the line confirmed her suspicions, but still she held off on telling Lennie, because she was unsure how he would react to her ‘immaculate misconception,’ as she branded it. He responded, ‘I never expected this to happen. I’ve never experienced it before. It’s not a bad thing, I feel. It could be a wonderful thing.’
She didn’t want to tell her parents, especially since her mom thought that she was dating her friend Donna, but assured her that she wasn’t lesbian. Additionally, her roommate Buddy Bell, thought Lennie was untrustworthy, even though he claimed he’d support the baby, but never contemplating whether their baby would bring them back together. Whitney felt conflicted about how quickly things changed, too. After all, she went from telling him, ‘I’m not in love with you,’ to ‘We’re having a baby!’ in a few months.
However, doctors soon discovered that her pregnancy wasn’t real; her polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) likely created a hormone imbalance, giving the false positive results. Nonetheless, this gave her hope that she might conceive despite PCOS, and Whitney reported feeling the loss as if she had been expecting.
Whitney dated others after breaking up with Lennie
Unsurprisingly, Whitney continued to date after Lennie, and had several relationships. For example, Chase Severino had some secrets, including getting someone else pregnant while he was engaged to Whitney. However, her French boyfriend captivated the viewers’ attention the most – she met him when the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020.
At first his identity was irrelevant, because they kept things professional; he only taught her French using the language learning mobile application. However, they quickly agreed that their chemistry merited a try at something more than a business transaction or good friendship. Although Whitney went to Paris to meet him face to face in the summer of 2021, the Frenchman never publicly revealed his identity, and declined to appear in the show.
Restrictions during a pandemic between European countries and the US prevented them from spending more time in person. Therefore, he never got a chance to meet her family and friends on vacation in Maine in mid-2022, and only saw her one more time. However, the couple is still supposedly in a long-distance relationship as of the first quarter of 2023.
Lennie had one prominent relationship
In contrast to Whitney, Lennie kept his life private after the split and had a single public partner, which became more problematic than he had hoped. In 2018, Lennie appeared in the 22nd episode of the seventh season of MTV’s show “Catfish.” A viewer who followed his TV show, Chelsea Sawyer, and was an artist, who lost over 200lbs or 90kgs, sent him a direct message to praise his support for Whitney. Lennie responded, and they exchanged messages daily for over a year, but he never wanted to meet in person.
That was understandable – she was from Salt Lake City, Utah, and he lived in North Carolina. However, he also refused to video chat or confirm his identity, making her think that she wasn’t talking to the real Lennie. After the hosts helped them meet, it seemed that they had chemistry, but they never became a couple.
Whitney’s boyfriend wasn’t worried about Lennie
After being friends for years, Whitney and Lennie sparked rumors in season eight. In one episode, Lennie arrived at her house unannounced, stating that he was in the area and wanted to ensure that she was okay after breaking off her engagement with Chase. However, his intentions became more evident after he explained that he still had uncertain feelings for her. Although nothing romantic happened, fans learned that Whitney hired him as a producer for her company, No BS Active, and he began filming workout videos in her dance studio around August 2022.
Whitney also had a strange way of confirming they were only friends. In late September, she posted a birthday shoutout via Instagram, emphasizing every word’s “ex” portion. She started the message with, ‘Happy birthday to the most ex-cellent, ex-traordinary, and ex-ceptional ex-boyfriend there ever was. I could give a million ex-amples of the ways I love you.’ Her birthday wish made her followers doubt her loyalty, but she insisted in the season 10 premiere that she doesn’t consider their relationship weird or inappropriate.
Moreover, Whitney noted that the Frenchman wasn’t jealous and had remarked, ‘Oh, never mind. I’m fine,’ when she showed him a picture of Lennie. Unsurprisingly, viewers immediately thought his confident statement would come back to bite him.
Whitney opened her relationship in season 10
Things changed drastically during the vacation to St. Lucia with her brother Hunter and friends Isaiah, Jessica and Lennie in late 2022. Before embarking on that trip, Whitney clarified that she established a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy with the Frenchman, i.e., settled on an open relationship. She then told the cameras that they had to be realistic about their limited time in person, and ‘loosened the physical bond on the relationship in the event of her maybe having a vacation adventure.’
Not long afterwards, she told Lennie, ‘I know that I love you … I know that I love someone else too. It feels confusing sometimes.’ He felt the same, but neither knew if they were in love. They spent some time in a mud bath and kissed, after which Lennie stated there was ‘maybe a spark they need to figure out.’ The show’s producers decided to stir the pot and started the next episode with her brother saying, ‘I thought that maybe something would happen between Whitney and Lennie, but I didn’t expect it on the first morning.’
The editing then shows a segment where Lennie and Whitney wake up in the same bed, and her trying to tame her ruffled hair. Nonetheless, both repeated that nothing happened, that they merely shared a hotel room and slept through the night together.
#MyBigFatFabLife Season 10 to premiere August 9! Get details on what to expect this season, including serious health issues for @WhitneyWayThore's mom Babs, Buddy's engagement, and the return of Lennie! #MBFFL https://t.co/GO0g1teOn7 pic.twitter.com/pUfDcQ80oW
— Starcasm (@starcasm) May 16, 2022
She still considered rekindling the old flame
When she talked to Lennie about how he re-entered her life, Whitney confessed that they didn’t have this level of intimacy a year before and that it returned naturally. She also started ranting about exploring things with Lennie, to see if they would be different if she weren’t in a relationship. However, she quickly interrupted those thoughts and exclaimed, ‘What am I thinking? I’m an actual insane person. No. We work together; we have a great friendship going!’
However, when they were packing to return in the 12th episode, Lennie ditched her to go out with a girl he had a crush on, and her heart sank. Although Whitney had said he could date whomever he wanted since they were friends, her expression was solemn. That reminded viewers of the short segment that showed a beach party, and Whitney looking hurt when a local girl remained close while dancing with Lennie.
He loves her parents
Lennie’s love and appreciation for Whitney’s parents also played a crucial role in their relationship. He was on good terms with them when they dated, and continued to be there for them afterwards. That was noticed and appreciated, since Whitney praised his willingness to ‘drop everything to do anything for my mother and father, my pets, and me’ in her birthday text.
Lennie was also in her life whenever she asked for help, when her mother had a stroke in 2022 – her third since 2017 – then battled COVID-19. Barbara “Babs” Thore recovered and moved to a senior living community, before having another health emergency and ending up in the hospital again. She was then diagnosed with an untreatable progressive condition, cerebral amyloid angiopathy – Lennie was by Whitney’s side when Babs died on 7 December 2022 aged 76. He even shared a painting he made in Barbara’s honor which Glenn, Whitney’s father, loved.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmIbDrUjQIo/
Whitney and Lennie will have a great relationship
Whether Lennie and Whitney have started dating, are only interested in the physical side of a relationship, or are simply comfortable with sleeping in the same bed will be the topic of season 11. Using her Instagram account, Whitney confirmed that she’d started filming the new season around February 2023, and so would soon be back on TV.
Additionally, in March 2023, she shared a picture of Lennie with her cat Henchi, indirectly showing that they are still close. How things go is likely irrelevant, since Lennie and Whitney proved that they can maintain a strong and consistent bond even when dating others, or being single. Moreover, her family likes him, and the feeling is mutual.
Leave a Comment