Things between Honey Boo Boo and her father Sugar Bear are anything but sweet these days.
Mama June Shannon— the mother of Honey Boo Boo (real name: Alana Thompson)— recently spoke to The Sun about Sugar Bear (real name: Mike Thompson) and his lack of interest in being part of 15-year-old Alana’s life…unless cameras are documenting their interactions for Mama June: From Not to Hot.
“The real reality of that is the only time Sugar Bear does have to do with Alana is when he’s in production,” Mama June told the site. “There is no communication, none, none, besides when we are in production.
“It’s kind of like ‘hey,’ do whatever he needs to do and then it’s gone. It’s not, ‘Hey I want to spend time with her after.’ It’s been that way now for 15 years. It is what it is.”
This echoes what Alana said in a 2019 interview, when she said she would like to see her dad “once a month” at least, but Sugar Bear wasn’t interested.
“The only time I ever see him is if we’re filming with him, which is very rarely,” Alana said at the time. “I tell myself all the time, I’m not going to put effort into something where there’s no effort being put in by the other person, or the other person doesn’t even care. So I’m not going to care about something that the other person don’t care about.”
During that same interview, Alana stated that she feels her dad would have wanted to be more involved in her life had she been a boy. She also feels that Sugar Bear spends less time with her than he does his stepson (whose mom is Sugar Bear’s wife Jennifer).
“I feel like [he doesn’t want to be part of my life] because I’m not a boy,” she said. “When my mom [was pregnant and] told Sugar Bear that I was going to be a girl, he didn’t want me. He was just like, ‘I wanted a boy.’ So now he’s with Jennifer and Joseph is Jennifer’s son, and he pays more attention to Joseph than he does me. And I feel like that’s only because I’m a girl and he wanted a boy.”
During the last season of Mama June: Family Crisis, fans saw Jennifer encourage Sugar Bear to try to get custody of Alana (while Mama June was off druggin’ and destroyin’ and whatnot.) Alana’s older sister, Lauryn aka “Pumpkin”, ultimately ended up with custody of Alana and still has it it today.
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“[Alana will] definitely be staying with Pumpkin where she is currently today,” Mama June told The Sun.
As for whether or not Mama June intends to try to get custody of Alana back, she says she’s not sure.
Who knows the possibilities right now. She’s still with Pumpkin honestly. Who knows what will happen in the future?”
In a previous interview, June talked about her struggle to improve her relationship with Alana after choosing drugs and her boyfriend Geno Doak over her family.
“We’re still trying to make that amends and make sure we are straight,” she said, adding that she is also trying to repair her relationships with her other daughters, too. “If I can’t be straight, I can’t be straight for somebody else.”
June and Geno have chosen to remain in Florida—where they went to rehab— rather than moving back to Georgia, where Alana and Pumpkin live. She told The Sun she chose this in order to maintain her sobriety.
“I feel today, now being 14 months clean, if we had went back after 25 days, we wouldn’t have the success we have now.
“Who knows what the future holds?” she said. “We could move back, we could not, who knows? Right now our home is in Florida. I got a lot of sober support. We live 25 minutes from the rehab we went to.”
On the upcoming season of ‘Mama June: Road to Recovery,‘ viewers will watch Mama June’s journey to sobriety, as well as her trying to make her relationships with her family members better.
“Our real life is our sobriety and our amends with the kids and what’s going on in the kids’ lives. That’s what you’ll see. Road to redemption across the board,” she said.
‘Mama June: Road to Redemption’ premieres Friday on WEtv. Watch the season’s trailer below!
(Photos: WEtv; Instagram)
14 Responses
Ummm. Don’t we think it’s time to get off reality tv???
I am kinda rolling my eyes at this article. Mama June calling someone else a shitty parent?! Seriously?!?!
I get that addiction is a lifelong struggle and that she is doing the best she can right now but its not like she hasn’t exercised questionable parenting for all of poor Alana’s life. She chose to resume a romantic relationship with the man that molested her daughter!!!!!
People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
I’m very glad Alana has someone in her life to give her love and stability. It’s sad that Pumpkin has been placed in this position at 21 years old but God bless her for her efforts.
This poor child ?
Alana seems better off living with Pumpkin. At least June seems to understand she needs to make amends, though she hasn’t been a good parent to any of her children even before drugs. Sugar Bear is a disgrace and a POS.
Never watched the show or followed these characters, but I hope Alana has a trust for the money she earned from the show. It would be terrible if her idiot parents pissed away all of the money they made on the back of Alana. For all Alana has gone through, at the very least she deserves some financial security since she never received any sense of security from her parents. Both parents chose other partners over their own daughter. I know someone that happened to – as an adolescent they were dumped on their grandparents. That person was psychologically crushed and wound up being a mess for years but they’re getting their life on track now. I’m rooting for the person I know and Alana. Nobody asks for trash bag parents.
Pumpkin specifically requested in the custody that a trust be set up for Alana. She seems to be the only one who actually has her head on straight and being there for her sister
I agree that June is a no account mother, but all the kids seem to love Mike (aka Sugar Bear). I remember in Here Comes Honey Boo Boo how hard they pushed for Sugar Bear to marry June and he had unsure questioning for which he voiced when being interviewed by production. So my guess is its more of a situation of being scared of June than not wanting to see his daughter.
On a reunion show several years ago, the kids said that Sugar Bear was physically abusive. Apparently there were scenes in Here comes Honey Boo Boo where there were injuries to I think, Pumpkin. They said they made up a story about how she was injured but that Sugar Bear actually hurt her. All of the kids except for Alana have said he was abusive. Alana just says that he is negligent and only cares about her when the cameras are running.
The fact these ppl who don’t even go by real names makes more money than ANYbody posting here is sickening and shows how far we’ve gone down in that hell basket . Nobody should watch these nasty gross ppl .
My boy Sugar Bear certainly has peculiar taste in women, that’s all I’m saying
stay lit
I pray for Alana and Pumpkin. They sure got short-changed in the parents department! Alana is a smart girl, and if she can stay on a good path, she will be in charge of her own life in a few short years. I was on my own at 17, and I was REALLY motivated to NOT be like my bad parents! I hope Alana can find her strength and make a good life for herself.
I wish she had somebody positive and able like you to guide her. And ?? to you! That’s aces!
I have a lot of respect for Pumpkin and Josh and what they’re doing for Alana. They’re the parents she needs.
They are both shitty parents and I use that term very loosely. Alana is better off with Pumpkin who doesn’t put her on the back burner. Mama June and Sugar Bear are selfish and put their own needs and wants ahead of the needs of Alana. And, Mama June does it with all of her children. No more lame ass excuses.