Reality TV child star Alana Thompson - known better as Honey Boo Boo - is
all grown up nowadays, though she's just as funny as a teenager as she was when she was
a little spitfire. We're here to check in on how she's changed over the years.
We first got a glimpse of Honey Boo Boo when she was just a child on season 5 of TLC's
Toddlers and Tiaras. The show chronicled the everyday lives of children from
various backgrounds who compete in the beauty pageant circuit. They all went for the gold,
but it was Alana who stole the hearts of viewers everywhere with her sass and witty jokes.
She became the show's breakout star thanks to her confidence and hilarious bluntness.
She was never afraid to speak her mind, and was always dropping now-famous catch-phrases.
"You better Redneckonize"
Clearly Alana was more than just an adorable little girl in a tiara.
At just 6 years old on the show, she had more attitude than most
grown women. It was equal parts hilarious and cringe-worthy, and yet, somehow, respectable.
Alana was so lovable on Toddlers and Tiaras that she caught the attention of TLC executives,
who ended up giving her her very own reality show, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. The show, which had a
solid run for three seasons, was about her home life in Georgia with her wacky family. It featured
her mom, June "Mama June" Shannon, her dad, Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson, and her sisters Lauryn
"Pumpkin" Shannon, Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon, and Anna "Chickadee" Shannon. Of course, the family
had plenty of drama that made watching the show addictive. Sometimes, it was so bad it was good.
Alana is infamous, largely because of the random things she tends to blurt out
whenever she pleases. While on TLC, she often tended to share deep, critical thoughts like:
"I wish I had an extra finger, then I could grab more cheese balls."
Likewise, she was constantly spreading optimism and girl power, with lines like:
"Miss Georgia 2011 is very pretty, and I don't think she farts."
The kid always spoke her mind, never holding back her blunt and often unsolicited opinions.
Alana's frankness landed her plenty of interviews, but her impulsive actions and misbehavior during
those interviews only brought her more fame. Like the time she pretended to sleep while Dr.
Drew was interviewing her. Or when she pulled out some cheerleading moves on Jimmy Fallon's show.
TLC's Here Comes Honey Boo Boo didn't last terribly long,
and was cancelled shortly after allegations surfaced about Alana's mother,
June, being involved with a convicted child molester. A spokesperson said:
"TLC has cancelled the series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and ended all activities around the series,
effective immediately. 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."
In the wake of the cancelation, Thompson told the Oprah Winfrey Network that her
departure from reality TV was bittersweet, in her own way..
"I was kinda happy about that news, and at the same time I was sad. So I was sa-happy."
Though Alana's child star days on TLC are behind her, she's still a reality television star.
Her mother, June, got her own show called Mama June: From Not to Hot on WE TV,
and Alana, of course, appears from time to time.
The show first premiered in 2017, and shares the story of June's weight loss
journey. She shed pounds, got a new boyfriend named Geno Doak,
and seemingly turned her life around. However, Geno was cheating on June, stealing from her,
and allegedly mentally, emotionally, and physically abusing her, according to the show.
Subsequently, Mama June: From Not to Hot has a much different vibe from Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
Additionally, Alana is more complex on the show, often taking viewers on an
emotional journey. Instead of being silly all the time, we get to see a more mature,
real side of her as she navigates life as a young kid in a broken family.
It's no secret that Alana is one seriously funny girl. She had viewers cracking up for years,
so it only makes sense that she try her hand at stand-up comedy, right?
Alana had a comedy club howling with laughter when she took the
stage during an episode of Mama June: From Not to Hot:
"How many dancers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? You ready? Five, six, seven, eight!"
If Alana's career as a reality TV star ever falters,
at least she now knows that she could take up stand-up comedy gigs as a back-up plan.
On Mama June: From Not to Hot, June got herself involved in serious drama — so much so,
that Alana had to move in with her older sister.
The reason? June ended up in rehab after getting arrested for possession of crack cocaine. She
was detained by authorities with a pill bottle with crack cocaine inside, a number of needles,
a glass pipe, and a marijuana bong outside of a gas station in Alabama. Meanwhile,
her boyfriend, Geno, was charged with domestic violence for allegedly threatening her life.
Clearly, it was not the best idea for Alana to remain in her mother's home. On the show,
she tries to have an intervention with June, begging her to take a step back
and look at how her relationship with Geno is breaking up the family.
Sometimes with kids, bad grades and poor behavior in school can be a sign of trouble at home.
But even though Alana is going through a lot of family drama on From Not to Hot,
that hasn't stopped her from being a good student. She tells her older sister Lauryn
that school is "good" and that she has all As and Bs in her classes.
Additionally, in an Instagram Q&A, Alana told her followers that life is good.
"[I'm] making good grades, have amazing friends, honestly can't complain."
It seems that the former pageant star isn't just a beauty queen; she has beauty and brains. Besides,
school probably offers a much-needed respite from the chaos of her home life.
Alana has had a pretty rough run with her mom, June. While the pair had a close
relationship on Toddlers and Tiaras, things have gone downhill as Alana has gotten older.
Mainly, Alana has had to watch her mother struggle with substance abuse and a toxic relationship.
Sadly, she said her mom doesn't seem to be the same person who raised her.
Alana confessed in an episode of From Not To Hot:
"I don't even know who she is anymore.
I don't know if things will really go back to normal because,
as long as Geno is around, he is just going to keep manipulating mama and everybody else."
Meanwhile, Alana is trying to cope with the whole situation the best way she knows how:
by using humor.
Unfortunately, Alana doesn't have the best relationship with her dad,
Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson, either. She told OK! Magazine that the only time
she sees him these days is when she's filming with him, saying,
"I tell myself all the time, I'm not going to put effort into something
when there's no effort already being put in by the other person."
While Alana tries to tell her father that she wishes they had a better relationship,
he doesn't seem to care. Also, she said that he tries to buy her love with Christmas presents,
but probably doesn't even remember her birthday. He barely even texts her.
What's the reason for the distance? Alana thinks that her father doesn't have a close relationship
with her because she's a girl. Apparently, she was told that he always wanted a son,
so she assumes that he's disappointed to have been blessed with only daughters.
Alana, along with all of her sisters, has been through a lot.
They've often had to lean on each other for support. So, it's no surprise that
Alana moved in with her sister Lauryn when things hit the fan with her mother.
Lauryn also has a daughter of her own,
whom Alana is extremely fond of. She gushed in an Instagram post:
"Being able to love on my niece like she is my own is so amazing."
Alana then went on about everything she loves doing for her niece, from making sure that the
car seat is strapped in properly before every trip to watching her breathe while she sleeps.
Additionally, Alana said that being an aunt is super fun.
"An aunt is a person you go to when you think you're in
trouble or when you want something mom and dad said you couldn't have."
She added that aunts are the people who take you out for ice cream and
to the park after a meltdown, and that she can't wait to do that for her niece.
Alana was a pageant queen as a child, and subsequently has a
lot of practice in the spotlight. So if there's one thing that's for sure,
it's that she can handle herself on a well-lit stage before a massive audience.
That's probably why she blew everyone away on Dancing with the Stars:
Juniors. In an Instagram post, she said:
"I'm on Dancing with the Stars: Juniors [...] and I'm just so excited to announce this.
I mean this is such an amazing experience. I had so much fun and [met] so many amazing people."
She crushed the competition with her "princess" performance.
"Looks like you're a professional dancer, but I'm not a professional dancer. So…"
After this, judges said that she only got better and better each week. It's obvious that she was
born to be famous! Letting loose in front of an audience — whether she's modeling as a pageant
queen, cracking jokes on television, or dancing on stage — just seems to come easy for her.
When Alana isn't filming for reality TV shows, she's selling her own merch on her eponymous
website. She also has her own Cameo account, which apparently pulls in some serious cash.
The shirts and other clothing items that Thompson sells read "Back it up,
Boo Boo." She also sells dog bandanas, face masks, mugs, and more. Alana markets her
merch on social media, where she's always posting selfies rocking her own clothes.
Meanwhile, she reportedly can't keep up with the sheer number of requests she gets on her
Cameo account, a video-sharing platform that allows celebrities and famous influencers to
send personalized video messages to their fans. In other words, Alana has been keeping herself
quite busy building her empire. She's still only a teenager, but at the rate she's going, she'll be
a boss one day in the foreseeable future. She certainly has the attitude to be one, anyway.
The world may know Alana Thompson has the adorable "Honey Boo Boo" from TLC, but in
real life, she's just your average teenage girl. Accordingly, in an Instagram post, Thompson wrote:
"I may not be perfect but at least I'm not fake."
And her caption couldn't be truer.
Alana has shared a lot with fans over the years, living her life -- along with all
of her family drama -- on television for the world to see. And while she's certainly had
her fair share of ups and downs, Thompson's realness has always shone through. She is,
and has always been, shamelessly herself. In a reality TV world that's often far from reality,
that's a rarity. We appreciate her for it.
Nowadays, Alana posts selfies on social media. She gushes about her
best friends. And she lives her best life despite all of the challenges she faces.
She may have changed a lot over the years, but her sass and admirable confidence have
remained. Alana may be all grown up, but she's still the same wild child we all love.
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