'MBFFL' Star Whitney Way Thore on Her "Seamless" Bond With Half-Sister Angie (EXCLUSIVE)
"I don't want to be alone in the world, and now I won't be because I have other family now," Whitney told us.
Updated July 10 2024, 1:37 p.m. ET
The long-running TLC show My Big Fat Fabulous Life has followed Whitney Way Thore's highs and lows since 2015. She receives plenty of love and support throughout the series, but Whitney is also no stranger to intense reality show-worthy moments.
The 11th season of MBFFL provided tons of drama for Whitney and her family. In addition to mourning the death of matriarch Barbara "Babs" Thore, Whitney also uncovered that she had a half-sister from her father Glen.
The family eventually met Angie Vincent but are Whitney and her newfound sister still chummy today?
In an exclusive interview with Distractify, the reality star spoke about her and Angie's relationship and whether fans will see more of her in MBFFL Season 12.
Whitney Way Thore was revealed to have a half sister in Season 11 of 'My Big Fat Fabulous Life'.
In Season 11, Episode 2, it was revealed that Glenn had met with Whitney and her brother Hunter during Babs' final moments to drop a major bombshell.
He revealed that in 1968, he had had a romantic affair with another woman named Jackie while he was training to serve in the Marines. Before he was shipped out to Japan, the woman revealed to Glenn that she was pregnant. The baby was subsequently given up for adoption.
Whitney, Glenn, and Hunter eventually drove to Alabama and met her sister, Angie Vincent, and her daughter Jamie. Since then, the sisters have bonded off-camera, though Whitney exclusively told Distractify to expect more of her sister and niece on MBFFL Season 12.
"Angie's on this season and my niece gets married on this season, so that's really exciting," she said.
Whitney feels "lucky" for her "seamless" relationship with her newfound half-sister.
While most families might need a moment before they're ready to accept the life-changing news the Thores received, Whitney told us that hasn't been her situation.
She described getting to know Angie and her extended family as "seamless." Part of the seamless transition is largely due to Whitney being open and willing to meet her sister while not faulting her dad for not telling her about Angie sooner.
"I had so many people reach out to me like, 'Oh, I had a similar situation or the same situation,' but we just got really lucky," she said. "There was no infidelity or something sordid, there was nothing like that. It was just, that we didn't know and only my mom knew."
Whitney also shared that, even though Glenn held on to his secret for over 50 years, she didn't feel the need to punish him for it and chose to move forward.
Additionally, she said Angie and Glenn are slowly finding their groove, although she admitted he was "especially nervous" to meet his eldest daughter last year.
Their connection is growing organically, as Whitney said her family never wanted to "force" a relationship with Angie.
"It's been really easy for us," she said of bonding with Angie. "And I know that that's probably not the case for a lot of families."
"Angie has parents, she has a wonderful father that raised her and so my dad never wanted to, like overstep those bounds, or anything like that," Whitney added, before advising, "I would say don't force [a relationship] but like, just stay open, be flexible."
And as she considers her life as a single, plus-size woman in her 40s, Whitney said she's glad to know she has more family outside of Glenn and Hunter.
"As a single woman, I take so much more comfort in knowing that I have, my nieces and my nephews and Angie," she declared. "My dad's almost 80 and I don't want to be alone in the world, and now I won't be because I have other family now. And so that's like, really comforting. I'm very, very, very grateful."
New episodes of My Big Fat Fabulous Life premiere every Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST on TLC.