Is Whitney Thore Still With the Frenchman? The 'MBFFL' Star Offered a Major Update

Season 9 of TLC's My Big Fat Fabulous Life introduced viewers to Whitney Thore's new love interest: the Frenchman. Whitney and her mystery guy — whose face is blurred and name omitted from the TLC show to protect his privacy — hit it off on a language exchange app, and their relationship gradually became more flirty. By the end of Season 9, Whitney was embarking on a trip to the City of Light to finally meet her beau face-to-face.

Now that MBFFL is in Season 10, fans are curious: Is Whitney still with the Frenchman now? Let's take a deep dive into their relationship.

In November 2021, Whitney took to Instagram to share about her trip to meet the Frenchman in person for the first time. "I spent six weeks in Paris," she captioned a post featuring photos of her travels. "I did fall in love. I am in a relationship and I’m incredibly happy!"

As producers did in the show, Whitney made sure to blur out the Frenchman's face in her photos in order to protect his privacy. (He doesn't want his identity publicly known because of the terrible threats Chase Severino fielded online after he and Whitney broke up. And who could blame him?)

Those who follow Whitney on Instagram might have assumed that she and the Frenchman had broken up, considering she hasn't posted any photos of them together in months. But perhaps they just haven't met up face-to-face in a while? It's also possible that Whitney doesn't want to spoil anything for Season 10.

On the Season 10 premiere, Whitney specifically stated that she and her boyfriend were still very much an item. She also stressed there was nothing romantic going on between her and her ex, Lennie, who she had recently hired at No BS Active.

"I just really want to clear up, though. Like, our relationship is not even weird. It's not even inappropriate," she told producers, before turning to address Lennie. "Of course, luckily my boyfriend is very not jealous and very not worried about you at all. I showed him a picture of you and he was like, 'Oh, never mind. I'm fine.'"

Whitney also specified that she was not in an open relationship; she and the Frenchman were exclusive.

"We talk a couple hours probably like two, three times a week," she told her friend, Todd, on the same episode. "I can't believe it turned out how I wanted it to, that he was who I wanted him to be. I'm still pinching myself because I feel like it really went too perfectly. But I'm going to enjoy it while it's lasting — before it all goes to s---, as things often do."

Whitney had arrived in St. Lucia on vacation with her brother, Hunter, and friends, Lennie, Jessica, and Isaiah. They were riding in a van when she shared a major update about her relationship with the Frenchman.

"We didn't break up but basically, I was trying to figure out when we could see each other next and we got to talking about things. And basically, we've instituted a new policy — a don't ask, don't tell," Whitney explained. "... So now I've entered into an unconventional relationship."

She further elaborated to producers: "The Frenchman and I, we're realistic about the amount of time we actually get to see each other physically. So we've officially loosened the bonds on our relationship physically. Just in the event of me maybe having a vacation adventure."

Since Whitney and Lennie were supposed to share a beachfront room on their vacation, we can only assume he was her potential "adventure."

In a teaser for the next episode, Hunter told cameras, "I thought that maybe something would happen between Whitney and Lennie. But I didn't expect it on the first morning." Viewers also saw footage of Lennie and Whitney waking up in the same bed, hinting that things did end up getting physical between them.

So there you have it! At the time MBFFL Season 10 started filming, Whitney was still exclusively dating the Frenchman. But by Episode 10, the long-distance lovers decided to explore an open relationship. With Whitney's boyfriend so far away and Lennie right there in front of her (and clearly not completely over her), it didn't come as a huge surprise for many viewers.

Catch new episodes of My Big Fat Fabulous Life Tuesdays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC, or on the Discovery Plus app.