Brothers David and Benji Bolton From 'My 600-lb Life' Are Currently Estranged
Updated April 22 2020, 10:30 p.m. ET
TLC viewers first met Benji Bolton when he appeared alongside his brother, David, on Season 6 of My 600-lb Life. Combined, their weight was over 1,300 pounds, but by the time their episode aired in March of 2018, Benji was down 382 pounds while David had lost a whopping 452 pounds.
Two years later, Benji is once again appearing on the show in an effort to drop even more weight, but he won’t have the support of his brother, who filed a lawsuit against the production company behind My 600-lb Life earlier this year. Still, the duo’s transformations are pretty spectacular.
What do David and Benji Bolton from 'My 600-lb Life' look like now?
We couldn’t believe our eyes when we found Benji’s profile on Facebook. If the 34-year-old isn’t at his goal weight yet, than he’s certainly close.
Though he initially struggled with his weight loss, dropping just 14 pounds in the same time frame that his brother lost 141 pounds, Benji ended the 2018 episode at 258 pounds. He now weighs 176 pounds for a grand total of 407 pounds lost.
"Even though the last two years were a lot harder than I thought, I wouldn’t trade it for anything because I’m happy with where I’m at and with the life I have now," the father of one told the camera.
It’s clear that Benji has a great support system around him. Under one of his Facebook pictures, a friend wrote, "So proud of you Benji," while another added, "Benji you look awesome."
David’s current status is harder to pin down. The 37-year-old hasn’t updated his social media pages since February 2019, and according to the April 22 "Where Are They Now?" special, he’s estranged from Benji. It doesn’t help that the older brother has accused show producers of taking advantage of him.
David Bolton filed a negligence lawsuit against the series' production company.
One of the reasons behind the siblings’ falling out is David’s decision to sue Megalomedia, the studio that makes My 600-lb Life. Starcasm reports that the Texan is claiming producers are "focused only on ratings while neglecting the welfare of those who appeared on the show."
Case documents allegedly state that the lifestyle changes required in order for David to undergo weight loss surgery "caused him extreme frustration and depression," yet the show provided "absolutely no mental health assistance" for him.
"Further, Defendants [Megalomedia] promised that they would pay all medical bills associated with Dr. [Younan] Nowzaradan’s care and any surgery," the suit reads. "Although Defendants had promised to pay for all charges, they did not, forcing Plaintiff to pay and for Plaintiff to be subjected to bill collection efforts, adding to his mental distress."
The lawsuit is very similar to one filed a month earlier by the family of L.B. Bonner, who also appeared on My 600-lb Life’s sixth season. The 30-year-old committed suicide in August 2018 after struggling with depression following his appearance on the reality series.
We hope Benji and David will be able to work out their differences. New episodes of My 600-lb Life air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on TLC.