It's Nearly Impossible To Watch TLC's Tribute To Whitney Thore's Late Mom Babs Without Crying
The heartbreaking death of Whitney Way Thore's mom, Babs Thore, which occurred in 2022, is heavily featured in Season 11 of "My Big Fat Fabulous Life." It began airing on September 5, 2023, and that same day, TLC and Whitney posted a tribute video to Babs on Instagram. The clip is captioned: "To the 'Bab-ulous' wife, mother, and friend" and teased that the season includes "a heartfelt tribute to Barbara 'Babs' Thore."
The sweet tribute starts with, "In Loving Memory of Babs Thore" and compiles some of her most memorable moments from "My Big Fat Fabulous Life." One clip features Whitney snapping glamor shots of Babs and telling her to, "Smize, smile with your eyes! Work, work!" Other clips show Whitney and Babs having fun at the swimming pool and trying on wigs together.
The video even showcases old photos of Babs, including with her husband, Glenn Thore, at their wedding. At one point, Babs says, "The secret to 39 years of marriage is to love each other." A lovely mother-daughter moment at the end of the video shows Whitney and Babs lying in bed together. Whitney, visibly emotional, says, "You're the best mommy." Babs replies, "I know. You're the best daughter."
Fans poured their love for Babs into the comments
Fans gathered in the comments of the Instagram post to mourn the loss of Babs Thore. One person commented on the tribute, "I've never cried so hard watching a show then I have over the first 15 minutes of the new episode," with several crying emojis. They added, "Babs was the best." Another wrote, "An absolute[ly] beautiful tribute to Babs. Thank you for allowing everyone to grieve her. I could feel all the love being shared through the TV. She was a bright light in this world and will be missed by so many," alongside a heart emoji.
Some fans shared how they lost their mothers too, understanding the loss Whitney Way Thore and her family are currently experiencing. Unfortunately, not everyone was so supportive. In a previous Instagram post, the reality star begged people to stop sharing hateful comments after the Thores recorded Babs' funeral for "My Big Fat Fabulous Life."
Whitney admitted to People that despite trying to ignore the negativity, "It still is so demoralizing in the sense of I'm just like, wow, people are so horrible. People are awful. People are bullies." After a decade online, her new technique is to call the haters out. Otherwise, "I just want to focus on the people in my life who are important and who I love." In addition to honoring Babs and broadcasting her funeral, Season 11 of "My Big Fat Fabulous Life" teases life-changing revelations for the Thore family, including the introduction of Whitney and Hunter Thore's half-sister.