Shekeb may be old enough to pump iron at the gym, but his mom Laila still insists on supervising. In a PopCulture exclusive sneak peek of Sunday’s all-new episode of I Love a Mama’s Boy on TLC, the 31-year-old tries to curb his embarrassment when his 63-year-old mother accompanies him to the gym with a basket of treats in tow.
“Laila, I told you like 10 times. I don’t want to be driven to the gym,” he tells his mother once the two are in the car. “I could drive myself.” Laila responds, “I want to drive you to the gym. What is wrong about it? You should be thankful you have a mama like me.” Shekeb is pretty sure his mom is still feeling upset about him getting back together with girlfriend Emily without telling her, and now’s she making him “pay for it by insisting on being [his] chauffeur.” He’s right, as Laila comments to the camera, “I haven’t seen Emily ever since she [came] to my house, but I’m sure that she’s going to show up again.”
Shekeb then wonders aloud why he’s been saddled with a basket of towels, oranges and water bottles, to which Laila responds he needs “energy.” The realization suddenly hits him that his mom wants to come inside the gym with him as well. “How embarrassing,” he sighs, to which Laila replies, “Don’t be!”
Greeting his friend Pejman inside, it’s clear Shekeb feels awkward as his mom sits down nearby, letting the two grown men know to holler if they need anything. Then she begins to comment, warning her son to “be careful” as he works on his bench presses, asking him if the weight is “too heavy” for him. “Be careful working Shekeb!” she shouts, as he jokes to Pejman, “We should have brought your mom, too.”
Pejman doesn’t hold back telling the camera what he thinks: “I know Shekeb for a long time, but I don’t know why Shekeb let his mom come with him,” he says. “Something new to me. I know she [loves] him, but when you come to the gym, you gotta be focused. You can’t be distracted with oranges and waters, no.”
Shekeb is sure his friend understands, however. “Pejman is also Persian, so he kind of knows the drill with our moms. No matter how old you get, you can be 40, you can be 50, you can be 60. If you don’t call your mother, holy cow, Persian [moms] will chew you up.” I Love a Mama’s Boy airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC