My 600-Lb Life: What Happened To David & Benji Bolton?
Some sibling duos who appear on "My 600-lb Life," such as the Assanti brothers, Steven and Justin, make Dr. Younan Nowzaradan's life pretty difficult during their time in his program. However, that's not the case for David Bolton and his younger brother Benji Bolton, who are introduced in Season 6 of the series. Weighing around 750 and 580 pounds, respectively, the two are ready to get their lives on track for the sake of themselves, their partners, and their daughters.
At first, David is the one thriving in his wellness journey and even puts off bariatric surgery to give Benji more time to catch up. Yet by the end of their Season 6 "My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?" follow-up episode, it's Benji who is further along in his journey. After his first skin removal surgery, he weighs 176 pounds, whereas David, whose weight is unknown, doesn't think he wants skin removal.
As of April 2020, Benji is maintaining the success he achieved on the show. In a photo posted on his now-deleted Facebook page (via Distractify), he's looking happy and healthy next to his daughter, Lorali. David, who split from girlfriend Mary due to her being less than supportive of his journey, also appears happy and healthy next to his new partner, Carrie, in a photo posted to his Facebook page in September 2023. Still, their lives haven't been completely perfect post-TLC.
The Boltons brothers became estranged, and David filed a lawsuit against Megalomedia
In David and Benji Bolton's "My 600-lb Life: Where Are They Now?" episode, the latter reveals that he's estranged from his older brother, who seems to have left the program. Benji, who first grows upset with David when he leaves Mary, whom he describes as part of the family, offers, "Because we're still on separate paths, and that's probably not going to change for a while."
Unfortunately, the episode doesn't feature a conclusion to David's story — possibly because of what was happening behind the scenes. A couple of months before it aired, David filed a lawsuit against the show's production company, Megalomedia (via Starcasm), that makes similar claims to the lawsuit filed by the family of James "L.B." Bonner, a former participant who took his own life.
According to David's lawsuit, Megalomedia failed to help him battle the depression he felt post-surgery and was only concerned with maintaining a filming schedule and getting high ratings. Additionally, the company allegedly didn't cover all of David's medical bills, despite promising to do so, which added to his psychological distress. It's unknown if the brothers have since reconnected, nor if the lawsuit played a part in their estrangement.