Whitney Way Thore is a likable and entertaining TV personality, featured in “My Big Fat Fabulous Life.” Those traits helped her land 10 seasons in the show between 2015 and 2022, and she will return in the 11th season in 2023. However, many people, including family members, have problems with Whitney’s dating life, especially since she seems to pick the wrong kind of men, but fall in love quickly and recklessly. However, they changed their opinion in season 10 and started scolding her behavior instead, including potentially cheating on a long-distance partner she dated for over two years.
Whitney acted out of character in the last season
Whitney’s desire to put her needs above a relationship was not new; she broke up with Lennie for that reason. However, she seemingly found true love with a Frenchman and didn’t mind the physical distance if they stayed in touch daily. However, she pushed the serious thing away, asking for an open relationship in the latest season, only to potentially have an adventure with someone, presumably Lennie, while vacationing.
Fans think she should have known better, especially since she was a victim. One ex-boyfriend, Buddy Bell, was a felon with a violent record. Another, Avi Lang, hid his engagement to an Egyptian woman named Nada, and Chase Severino famously admitted he got another girl pregnant after becoming engaged to Whitney. We analyzed how Whitney might have been the one to cross the line this time, using Lennie while dating her French boyfriend, and mentioned hints of line-crossing in the past.
She chose Lennie for his gentle personality
Most viewers saw nothing wrong with Whitney being assertive, louder, and more animated than Lennie, and he never mentioned it crossed significant lines. However, Lennie fit the stereotype of a burly man sporting a big beard, who looked scary initially yet was a kind soul. He chose his words, spoke in a deep but monotone voice, and never discussed his emotions. Based on her later relationships marked by immoral acts by her partners, it seemed that Whitney chose a stable, quiet man to feel in control, more than she genuinely felt attraction.
Although that’s only speculation from a limited viewpoint, their relationship was short, roughly a year between the early second and late season three. Additionally, Whitney broke things off in 2016, and it became apparent that she’d grown tired of being the dominant partner. After all, she told Lennie she sought a partner she wouldn’t need to ask to change, and explained that he couldn’t meet all her needs or didn’t want to.
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Whitney sometimes treated Lennie poorly
It’s important to note that Whitney’s initial weight gain was not entirely her fault. After becoming roughly 100lbs or 45kgs to 200lb or 90kgs heavier in college and noticing hair loss and facial hair growth, Whitney was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) at 23. She also revealed on World Mental Health Day in 2020 that she was diagnosed with depression at 18, and has atypical anorexia nervosa, generalized anxiety disorder, and bulimia nervosa. She also admitted to attending therapy weekly for years, until mid-2019.
These were legitimate reasons for her struggle to keep her BMI (body mass index) in check. However, some viewers felt it was taking a toll on Lennie, but he didn’t want to share how he felt. Most observed that Whitney could have been kinder to Lennie, and tried to lose weight faster with his whole-hearted support and her therapy and medication.
They did not use protection in the bedroom
Whitney presumably told Lennie that her PCOS makes it nearly impossible to get pregnant; hence he was comfortable with having unprotected intercourse. That is the first action on her behalf that most people can agree went too far, since it gave him a false sense of security.
In early 2017, only months after she told him she was no longer in love, Whitney rang Lennie up and told him three pregnancy tests she took were positive. Although she feared his unfavorable reaction, Lennie was supportive, and promised to be there for her, although he was unsure if they could get back together.
Ultimately, the tests gave a false positive result because of her hormonal imbalance, and they continued their platonic relationship. While they are both responsible for their actions, and Lennie may have secretly wanted a child, this event could have had life-long consequences. Since neither has a child, we assume both are happy with how things turned out.
She may have strung him along for two seasons
Lennie was away from the spotlight between seasons four and eight, and only accidentally resurfaced in her life, according to him. At the beginning of the eighth season, Lennie shows up at her doorstep, claiming he was in the neighborhood and wanted to check on her, after she broke off her engagement to Chase. Not long after, Lennie admitted that he had unresolved feelings. However, she was dating the Frenchman, and Lennie knew that her relationship was exclusive.
Additionally, she publicly made it clear that she only saw him as an ex-boyfriend, yet their relationship grew fonder, and they spent much more time together. She also posted an unusually loving birthday message on 29 September 2022, praising his loyalty, dedication to helping her parents and her, and creativity. She also claimed she ‘loved him in a way that defies explanation.’ Shortly after, she hired him as a producer for her fitness company, No BS Active, and he started filming her dancing videos.
However, even after introducing business to their close bond, Whitney clarified that she didn’t see their relationship as weird or inappropriate, and explained that it was easy to fall back into their old dynamic, since he was an ex-boyfriend. She added that her French boyfriend wasn’t jealous, and said, ‘Oh, never mind; I’m fine,’ when she showed him Lennie’s picture.
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Whitney opened her relationship, presumably for Lennie
Despite her French boyfriend being unconcerned about Lennie in 2022, he should have been worried. Toward the end of season 10, Whitney goes on vacation with Lennie, two other friends, Isaiah and Jessica, and her brother, Hunter. Before landing in St. Lucia, Whitney ‘opened’ her relationship, i.e., made a deal with her French boyfriend to ‘loosen the relationship bond physically.’ She did so on the off chance a vacation adventure might happen and because their in-person meetings were so scarce. After all, she only saw the Frenchman twice between 2020 and early 2023.
That adventure could have been with anyone, but viewers suspected she may have considered the opportunity to sleep with Lennie ahead of time. They noticed that Whitney told him that she loves him, but also someone else, and that it feels confusing. Lennie agreed, but both stated that they didn’t know if they were in love. To everyone’s surprise, they kissed right afterwards, and then spent some time in a mud bath.
The 11th episode confirmed those suspicions, since it started with Hunter saying, ‘I thought that maybe something would happen between Whitney and Lennie, but I didn’t expect it on the first morning.’ TLC then showed a segment with Lennie and Whitney waking up in their hotel room’s bed, and her adjusting her slightly messy hair, leaving viewers to speculate what happened. However, both affirmed that they only slept beside one another and that their relationship was still platonic, despite agreeing that their intimacy, gone a year before, returned on the trip.
Fans thought Whitney was cheating on the Frenchman
Fans have doubted the legitimacy of her relationship with her French boyfriend. She met him on a language exchange app during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and the relationship turned from teaching to friendship, then to romance. His identity hasn’t been revealed, and he refused to appear in the show, prompting curious viewers of public forums such as Reddit to guess who he might be. After an editing error showed his name on a video call, compelling evidence revealed that he’s a French rapper named Nail Rayner.
Nonetheless, the public needs to find out whether he agreed to her request to open their relationship, and if he knew she considered rekindling things with Lennie when she asked. After all, the viewers only heard her claims during a car ride, and for all they know, she could have broken up from him, and producers are creating a storyline. That wouldn’t be the first time; many people questioned if the show is partially scripted, after viewers pointed out several suspicious situations. Two examples include a random jogger she ran into already wearing a lapel microphone, and her lack of shock when her ex-fiancé Chase Severino lost the engagement ring in the ocean.
We also have Lennie’s limited side of the story. He told Whitney he was happy that he re-entered her life, and that there may be a spark they need to explore. He also concluded that rekindling a relationship with Whitney was weird when her boyfriend was I’ the picture, and that he ‘kind of pretends he doesn’t exist because he hasn’t seen him.’
Whitney Way Thore Defends Her Mystery French Boyfriend – https://t.co/Ltv2ir01vM pic.twitter.com/kTJqxwPt2G
— M8 Studio – WE❤EDM! (@meightstudio) September 1, 2021
She seemed possessive of Lennie
During the St. Lucia trip, Whitney claimed that it was okay if Lennie went off with another girl. However, her face told a different story when he didn’t show up as they were preparing to leave the island, and it was apparent that he might be with a girl he had a crush on. Similarly, viewers noticed that she wanted to get validation from her friends, or to make them or her boyfriend in France jealous.
For instance, when roommate and ex-boyfriend Buddy Bell kissed his fiancé Courtney, Whitney grabbed Lennie and leaned in to kiss him. Though Lennie wasn’t objecting, she described him as a platonic friend, and her action was unprompted. Moreover, she was bothered by other women approaching Lennie, and wanted a local girl who danced close to Lennie during a beach party in one segment to move away.
Lennie is guilty, too
Although we focused on Whitney’s actions, saying Lennie is innocent in the story would be dishonest. For instance, his name is not even Lennie Alehat; online sleuths have discovered his real name is Nathaniel David Lee. Moreover, he has a record for a DUI (driving under the influence) and assaulting the arresting officer and two arrest warrants. Additionally, he’s responsible for accepting getting close to Whitney while knowing that she’s in a committed relationship, even if he pretends her boyfriend isn’t real.
Some fans also remember that Lennie crossed the line in an episode aired in August 2022. He entered her room to ask about a video he was doing for No BS Active, but then jumped in her bed and hugged her from behind over the blanket. Whitney encouraged him to get closer by asking him to scratch her back, at which point he discovered she was nude. Things ended innocently after they both agreed that they’d a strictly working relationship. Regardless, his hasty action with a naked ex-girlfriend, taken or not, crossed a boundary.
They never started dating publicly
Despite all this build-up, on 18 March 2023, Whitney posted a picture of Lennie sleeping on the couch with her cat, Henchi. That showed that the two remained close after the St. Lucia trip, but she never clarified if she got the adventure worth risking her serious relationship for. Furthermore, fans still need to find out if Whitney is dating the Frenchman, as she’s gone been absent from social media for a while. That could be deliberate, as TLC may want to keep the intrigue and resolution for season 11 of “My Big Fat Fabulous Life.”
One thing is undeniable; the line between their friendship, professional relationship, and romantic and physical attraction is blurred. Most worrying is that Lennie’s alleged cheating was the reason for their breakup, yet she feels comfortable stepping out on her long-term boyfriend, even if he approves.
