Far from reality? Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson and her family knew how to stir up controversy on their former show, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
The reality series aired on TLC from 2012 to 2014. The family initially became famous after Thompson appeared as a beauty pageant contestant on Toddlers & Tiaras before landing their own show.
The network canceled Here Comes Honey Boo Boo in October 2014 after a report that Thompson’s mother, June “Mama June” Shannon, was dating a registered sex offender. “TLC has canceled the series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and ended all activities around the series, effective immediately,” the network told Us Weekly in a statement at the time. “Supporting the health and welfare of these remarkable children is our only priority. TLC is faithfully committed to the children’s ongoing comfort and well-being.”
The family returned to reality television in February 2017 in the WE tv series Mama June: From Not to Hot. Shannon faced legal trouble in March 2019 when she was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. She avoided jail time and agreed to complete 100 hours of community service.
Ahead of her 16th birthday, Thompson posed for a photo shoot with Teen Vogue and reflected on her former status as a child star. “They are completely two different people,” she said in August 2021 of her past persona and present self. “I would say that I do like this Alana now, rather than the younger Alana.”
The TV personality insisted that she did “not care” if the world accepted her more mature appearance as she continued to grow up. “I guess people still expect me to be little Honey Boo Boo, and I’m not anymore,” she explained. “Just because I’m from the South, people expect me to be all country bumpkin, out riding four wheelers all the time, but that’s not really how it is. … As long as I like myself, I’m good.”
Stardom at a young age impacted Thompson’s life for years to come. “To be honest, I do not have many friends. At all,” she told the outlet. “Because I feel like folks are so much like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m friends with Honey Boo Boo.’ I don’t trust nobody really, so I don’t have friends.”
The Toddlers & Tiaras alum reintroduced herself at the time too. “My mama did not name me Honey Boo Boo,” she declared. “My name is Alana.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see where the stars of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo are now.
