The tragic story of Honey Boo Boo

Honey Boo Boo, whose real name is Alana Thompson, took the world by storm in the early 2010s. A bundle of energy with an offbeat family willing to bear their souls to the camera, most of her life has been in the spotlight. But it hasn’t been all laughs for Alana. Here’s her story.

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When she was just six years old, Alana became the face of the beauty pageant show with her iconic catchphrases and sassy personality. People were amazed that a little girl could be so funny and confident.

Image: ‘Toddlers & Tiaras’ / TLC

As a glimpse into her life, Alana’s mother, June "Mama June" Shannon, said that all pageant moms have a secret concoction to keep their baby beauty queens energetic. In her case, it was a highly caffeinated beverage with a mixture of Red Bull and Mountain Dew. Mama June said it didn’t cause any harm.

Image: ‘Toddlers & Tiaras’ / TLC

After Alana stole the show on ‘Toddlers & Tiaras,’ the family got a reality TV show of its own in 2012. ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’ attracted 2.2 million views in its first episode, making it one of the network’s most popular shows. It became a guilty pleasure for people wanting a glimpse inside the lives of this chaotic but loveable family.

The show centered on Honey Boo Boo but it also focused on the dynamics of the whole family. It started with Mama June, Alana’s dad Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson, and Alana’s three haf-sisters: Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon, Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon, and Anna "Chickadee" Shannon.

Image: 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' / TLC

Not everyone was comfortable with the show that centered on the lives of mostly minors. The A.V. Club called the first episode a "horror story posing as a reality television program," and Forbes slammed TLC for portraying the family as backward rednecks. “You know this show is exploitation. TLC knows it. Maybe even Mama and HBB know it... ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’ is a car crash, and everybody rubber-necks at a car crash, right? It's human nature,” said a critic with the Hollywood Reporter.

Despite criticisms, the show ran for four seasons with some praising the clan for their family values. A fifth season was already filmed, but the network canceled the show in 2014 after reports that Mama June was dating Mark McDaniel, a convicted child mol-e-ster who had allegedly abused Anna when she was younger. Anna was furious, as she shared on the TV program ‘Dr. Phil.’

Image: Dr Phil / YouTube

After ‘Honey Boo Boo’ was canceled, the family managed to stay in the spotlight. Mama June marketed herself as a new person, having undergone weight loss surgery and receiving a makeover. In 2017, the family was back on reality TV in the show ‘Mama June: From Not to Hot’ on a different network. But the good vibes didn’t last long….

Image: WE tv / YouTube

Mama June was spiraling and abandoning her daughters for drugs and men. In 2019, she was arrested alongside her boyfriend for possession of crack cocaine. She would later say that she spent more than $1 million on drugs. First, cocaine, until it made her blind, then she switched to smoking crack. At its peak, the drugs cost her $3,000 per day.

Image: WE tv / YouTube

In 2019, after June was arrested, Lauryn “Pumpkin” obtained temporary custody of Alana when she was just 19 herself. In June 2022, she got full custody of Alana, and the TV show highlighted how June didn’t want to pay child support and was willing to give Alana away for adoption.

The 'Not to Hot' show was quickly rebranded as ‘Family Crisis.’ Even after the arrest and rehab, the audience saw June crashing and burning, lying and being sneaky. It took a huge toll on the family and perhaps Alana especially, right in the middle of her teen years.

Image: WE tv / YouTube

But it wasn’t all darkness. In 2021, Alana was on the cover of Teen Vogue and as sassy as ever. “I know I'm beautiful, and I know I got a banging body, so...I don't care."

In 2023, ‘Mama June: Family Crisis’ the 17-year-old Alana broke down during a (televised) family therapy session, saying that she was devastated how her mom wasn’t with her at her big life events. The therapist told June to hug her daughter and Alana said: “This is the first time Mama’s actually really gave me a hug in probably about five or six years… It really did feel nice, I’m not gonna lie.”

Image: Entertainment Tonight / YouTube

Things took a turn for the worse when Anna, the eldest, was diagnosed with cancer in 2023. In June, Anna, had said the chemotherapy was going well. But in July, Mama June told ET that the cancer is terminal. , "She's stage 4. She's not gonna go into remission. We've all accepted that, so I just tell people one day at a time 'cause you never know."

Image: annamarie35 / Instagram

Unfortunately, Anna eventually passed away from the cancer, leaving her family devastated. “Would’ve loved for you to get to see me graduate college but i know you will forever cheer me on in heaven! We will all make sure your legacy lives on forever,” wrote Alana, adding that her "heart is completely broken."

Image: annamarie35 / Instagram

Anna ‘Chickadee’ Cardwell dies at age 29

In 2021, Alana fell hard for her boyfriend Dralin Carswell, telling Teen Vogue that he might be her only friend because she doesn’t trust people. However, in March 2023, he was arrested for driving under the influence of marijuana and then fleeing the police, with Alana in the car. It also emerged that he had been charged with statutory r a p e for a previous relationship. In 2023, he is 21 and Alana is still 17.

Image: honeybooboo / Instagram

Despite everything, Honey Boo Boo persevered. She graduated high school and is studying to become a nurse at Regis University in Denver. In the first three weeks, she said “she was struggling” already, but told her fans not to worry. “I got this,” she posted.

Image: honeybooboo / Instagram

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