FAMILY FEUD
What happened between Honey Boo Boo and Mama June?
Mama June and Honey Boo Boo have documented their tumultuous mother-daughter relationship on reality TV for over a decade
MOTHER-daughter duo Honey Boo Boo and Mama June garnered fame for their appearances on reality television.
Mama June has not always seen eye to eye with Honey Boo Boo and the rest of her daughters, and their ups and downs have been documented on several reality TV shows, including Mama June: Family Crisis.
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What happened between Honey Boo Boo and Mama June?
On March 23, 2019, June Shannon – known as Mama June to the public – was arrested for drug possession alongside her then-boyfriend, Geno Doak.
Geno was also arrested and was charged with third-degree domestic violence, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Around the same time, June's addiction resulted in the fallout between her and her daughters.
Mama June is the mother of four daughters, including Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell, Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon, Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird, and Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson.
In May 2019, Honey Boo Boo moved in with her older sister Pumpkin.
Honey Boo Boo had given her mother a request to ditch her crime-ridden boyfriend Geno and get sober – or else she'd move out.
Mama June stayed with Geno, and Pumpkin became Alana's legal guardian.
The next couple of years saw June estranged from her daughters until she revealed her breakup from Geno on August 16, 2021.
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Viewers were able to see how far the hurt went between the mother and her daughters on an episode of Mama June: From Not to Hot.
Back on May 31, 2019, the family staged an intervention for June, which saw Alana speak out regarding June's drug addiction and arrest.
The reality star told her mother: "Do you not understand that I am staying with my sister, and that's not by choice!"
Mama June banned from visiting daughter Alana Thompson at college after teen accuses her of stealing reality TV earnings
As she broke down, Honey Boo Boo tearfully expressed that it was "not her choice" to move in with Pumpkin.
Older sister Pumpkin came to Alana's defense and confirmed that the fallout was "not by choice" and "she did not feel safe in the house."
She also shared her struggles with being a mother and caring for her sister and said, "It's hard taking care of Alana and taking care of Ella. It feels like I'm drowning."
Alana spoke through the tears and added: "I'm scared; I'm not going to lie to you. I am scared to stay at your house."
The family matriarch admitted she had done thousands of dollars worth of drugs a day in the past.
In June 2024, the matriarch finally admitted that Honey Boo Boo's accusations were true – she had taken her daughter's hard-earned cash from appearances on shows like Dancing With The Stars: Juniors and The Masked Singer, and spent it.
"That time was, like, honestly a dark place in my life," Shannon told Rachel Smith, referring to the $30,000 Alana Thompson accused her of stealing five years ago.
"I worked really hard for what I have and the money that I have, so I was assuming or under the assumption she put 100 percent of the money in there, but that's not how that worked," Alana said.
Even Mama June's new husband, Justin Stroud, agreed that she should give the money back during the premiere episode of Mama June: Family Crisis, on Friday, June 14, 2024.
“Make it right!” he shouted before storming out of the house, as reported by .
“I can’t keep making up for past mistakes," June responded.
Did Mama June reconcile with Honey Boo Boo and her other daughters?
On April 9, 2021, Mama June reunited with Honey Boo Boo and Pumpkin for the reunion episode of Mama June: Road to Redemption.
During the episode, Alana told June: "You don't know how many nights I cried myself to sleep just hoping and praying that you didn't overdose."
"God, please don't let my mom die. Please just hold onto her. Just please!"
"I just wanted you there, and even if I texted your phone, I wouldn't even get a text back, so hell, I never knew if you were alive or dead anyways."
June shared her side of the story and said: "I couldn't take care of myself."
"I know I was selfish when I went to rehab, and to be honest with you, I'm still a little bit selfish in my recovery."
"But I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get you all back in my life, and that's the reason why I'm here today."
Months later, on June 7, all four daughters reunited with their mother for Pumpkin's second baby shower.
She welcomed her son, Bentley, in June 2021.
June and Alana also competed in the sixth American cycle of The Masked Singer.
On November 3, 2021, the mother-daughter duo were unmasked as Beach Ball.
Ahead of the season six premiere of her eponymous series, June gave an update about her relationship with Alana, Lauryn, and her two older daughters.
On Monday, May 9, 2022, she told : "It [is] always is a work in progress."
"For people to be able to move on, you’ve got to stop."
She further disclosed: "If you keep on living in the past, all you’re gonna do is keep looking back, and you’re not gonna see what’s in the front windshield."
"We see each other. We talk. They know when they need me, I’m here."
While referring to Alana, she mentioned, "She can be a brat and a diva all in one."
"And so those stages that Alana gets quiet and there are stages that she talks … she’s all over the place."
She also referenced Lauryn's pregnancy news and said: "You just have to watch the show to see...we don’t ever believe everything you hear on Google."
The sixth edition of Mama June: Road to Redemption premiered on May 13, 2022.
The series captured her resilience to stay sober, her family relationships, and her romance with Justin Stroud.
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Are Mama June and Honey Boo Boo still on good terms?
Cameras continued to roll as the family filmed Mama June: Family Crisis in the latter half of 2022 and 2023.
The series documented Mama June's wedding to Stroud and showed her reconciling with her daughters.
During one episode, Mama June, Pumpkin, and Honey Boo Boo sat down for a family therapy session.
A clip shows Mama June telling her youngest daughter: “I'm glad that we was able to hang out today...and I hope that we can do it really soon and I love you.”
Honey Boo Boo responded to the family's matriarch, saying: "I love you, too."
The two then shared an emotional embrace, hugging each other while fighting back tears.
In a confessional, Honey Boo Boo revealed: "This is the first time Mama’s actually really gave me a hug in probably about five or six years."
“And it feels good to get an actual loving hug from your mama. It really did feel nice, I'm not gonna lie,” she added.
In an interview with , Mama June also revealed that all four of her daughters attended her February 2023 wedding.
"All four of my girls walked me down to Justin and his mom walked him down the aisle," she said.
She added: "This was the first time the family had all been together since 2014."
"So it was really special to get married in a place where my family and I have had so many memories!"
Mama June continued working on her relationship with Honey Boo Boo, congratulating her daughter for graduating high school.
She : "well today alana closed one chapter of her life n I know we have been through ALOT and I know the road hasn’t been a easy one for you for one but girl u done it now we are moving into the next chapter of your life getting u ready to go off to college."
The two also became closer after the tragic loss of Mama June's oldest daughter, Chickadee.
Anna Cardwell passed away on December 9, 2023, leaving the family shocked – but ultimately bringing them together.
Along with their family, both Mama June and Honey Boo Boo were spotted standing next to each other outside of Chickadee's funeral service on December 13, 2023.
Just days before, Mama June posted a story on her Instagram of her daughter, Chickadee, helping her put on jewelry for her wedding day.
She wrote: "This has been one of the toughest weeks of my life I wish all this was a nightmare I could just wake up from n you b here with us."
Honey Boo Boo also took to Instagram to .
She wrote: "This is one post I wish I didn’t have to make."
"Last night we all surrounded Anna with love & let her know it was okay to go. Unfortunately around 11pm Anna took her last breathe."
"Anna was in so much pain last night but now as a family we all know she is at peace now."
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Time will tell whether Honey Boo Boo and Mama June will be able to keep the peace.
For now, the duo have each other to lean on for support during these difficult times.
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