Whitney Thore’s Path says he went to a dark place after encountering online hate from fans and followers of My Big Fabulous Life.
Speaking to ET’s Deidre Behar ahead of the season 12 premiere on TLC, the reality star, 40, opened up about the mental health challenges she’s faced due to harassment on social media.
“After season 11 premiered, the amount of hate I was getting was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced in my entire career, and I was almost suicidal because of it. Especially because a lot of it was about my mom,” Whitney tells ET.
TLC’s personality lost his motherBarbara “Babs” Thore died of cerebral amyloid angiopathy in December 2022. Babs had suffered a stroke a year earlier in December 2021. According to Whitney, many of the mean messages included people telling her that her mother would be angry and disapprove of the choices she was making after Babs’ death.
While Whitney didn’t share with ET exactly what decisions fans made to harass her, she did say that some viewers took it to the extreme. One person, she claims, even left her a physical note that left her shaken to the core.
“I think it said something like, ‘Your mother is turning in her grave,'” Whitney explained of the letter she received.
She added: “I read the most horrible things about myself on a daily basis. But when my mother died and people started saying things to me like this – ‘Your mother hated you,’ ‘Your mother would be disappointed in you, Whitney,’ ‘I don’t like that you’re doing this, what would your mother think?'”
Whitney says the online vitriol was just the tip of the iceberg too. Viewers took it upon themselves to break in and try to scare her at home, so much so that the police had to get involved.
“It’s scary. Like the night my house got egged,” she began. “I have the security system and everything, but there were times years ago when the police showed up at my door at 3 in the morning and told me there was a death threat and that someone had threatened to kill me with a knife that night and they were just doing a welfare check.”
Whitney called the harassment “insane” and shared that she only installed a security system in her home after having other alleged scary incidents. It’s all over the top, she says.
“Just because I do reality TV,” Whitney tells ET, expressing her disbelief.
While she has taken physical measures to protect herself and her loved ones, Whitney also says that the ongoing hate — whether it’s for her appearance, the way she’s edited on the show, or the decisions she makes — has always made her reconsider the TV show.
“Every season I think about quitting,” she tells ET, adding that she’s resigned herself to the idea that it won’t change much. “I’m going to be a public person forever. The internet lives forever — those things don’t go away. At this point, I don’t think quitting would diminish any of that in my life, and there are so many good things that come from this television show.”
Whitney continues, “No, I have no control over how I’m edited or presented or anything like that. That’s true — I don’t. It’s also a choice that I made, and I think there’s a lot more positive than negative that comes out of it. And, you know, on the other hand, doing this television show has been one of the best times of my life.”
She’s right about that. Since the show began, Whitney has gained 1 million followers on Instagram, released a book called I do this with the lights on and has helped millions of others find self-acceptance in their bodies. She has also traveled the world, visiting foreign countries with her family — including a trip to the Swiss Alps in season 11 and another exotic trip set to take place in season 12.
As for the upcoming season, Whitney says she’s excited to be back with fans after a year away — especially since Season 11 had a dark spine following Babs’ death. ET previously published an exclusive teaser for season 12, which included a first look at Whitney’s love life heating up.
“OK, so no one freaks out,” Whitney tells her brother, Hunter, and the rest of the Thore family in one clip before a clip of her kissing a mystery man plays. “I met someone.” She continues in the clip, “This could literally be the man I’m going to marry. I know I sound crazy.”
Fans will just have to tune in and see if she has indeed found love. Staying tight-lipped about her relationship status, she told ET in the new interview that regardless of what fans end up seeing in the new season, her goals for the years to come are crystal clear.
“I want a partner, that’s true. (I) have no shame, no embarrassment to say that,” she says. “I think I could accept not having children. It would be very hard for me to accept, you know, another five or 10 years without a partner. That doesn’t sound like fun to me.”
We hope Whitney finally finds what she’s been looking for in the next block of new episodes.
My Big Fabulous Life Season 12 premieres Tuesday, July 9, on TLC. New episodes air Tuesday nights.
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