Here's What Mama June Looks Like In Real Life Vs Instagram
Most reality stars and D-listers have been accused of occasionally going heavy on the Insta-filter. It's little surprise that everybody's favorite working-class Kim Kardashian — and June Shannon, aka "Mama June" — is one of them.
She's come a long way from when she first graced our screens in TLC's smash hit show, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo." The reality TV matriarch is almost recognizable. Mama June has kicked her drug habit, dropped a startling amount of pounds, and undergone a radical makeover. The carefully coiffed long blond locks, designer duds, fluttery eyelashes, and flawless make-up would definitely look out of place at the annual redneck games. And the new look is here to stay. Mama June has vowed she's never returning to being overweight again. To ensure she keeps her promise, the reality star regularly hawks weight loss products on social media.
It hasn't been all supplements, though. In 2005, Mama June underwent gastric sleeve surgery, helping her to go from 460 pounds to a size four. While some weight returned over time, she's not mad at it. "I've kind of stayed at 230, 240 pounds, so that seems like where I'm going to stay, I guess," Mama June told The U.S. Sun. "If I lose more weight, then that's amazing. If I don't and I don't go any higher than where I am, I'm pretty cool with where I'm at right now." So, let's get down to business. Remove the filters and Photoshop; what does Mama June look like in real life vs. Instagram?
Glam mam
It transpires that Mama June doesn't look all that different in real life vs. Instagram — when she's glammed up. In fact, she usually looks better than she does on social media, where she mainly posts candid, barefaced TikTok videos.
Mama June was snapped out and about in Manhattan in May 2023, stopping by the "Good Day New York" studios to promote Season 6 of "Mama June Family Crisis." The mom of four was casual but classy in a blue and white floral summer dress and denim jean jacket with a pink leather designer purse slung over her shoulder. Mama June's long blond hair was blow-dried straight, and she was made up with a smoky eye, pink lips, and long lashes.
"Family Crisis" Season 6 was an emotional rollercoaster, documenting Mama June's recovery journey, attempts to reconcile with her estranged daughters, and wedding to Justin Shroud. The "intimate oceanfront ceremony" was the second time down the aisle for the love-struck couple. Taking a break from ongoing hostilities, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird, Jessica "Chubs" Shannon, and Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell were all in attendance. Mama June's grandkids, Stella, Sylus, and Bently Efird, were also there for her big day. "This was the first time the family had all been together since 2014," she announced in a We TV press release (via E! News). "So it was really special to get married in a place where my family and I have had so many memories!"
Emotional rollercoaster
Season 7 of "Mama June Family Crisis" promises to be even more emotionally turbulent than Season 6. The show, which premieres February 2023, shows Mama June and her family coming together to support Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell following her stage 4 adrenal carcinoma diagnosis. "I can't say if my daughter's going to be here in five years because I don't know," a tearful Mama June admits in the Season 7 trailer. Tragically, Chickadee died in December 2023. She was 29. "With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us," Mama June announced on Instagram. "She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM."
"This is one post I wish I didn't have to make," Chickadee's little sister Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson captioned a family pic. "Last night, we all surrounded Anna with love & let her know it was okay to go." Thompson said the family was taking solace in the fact the mom of two was no longer in pain and shared that her "heart is completely broken."
Mama June's relationship with her remaining three kids remains fractured. However, the matriarch is determined to do what is right by Chickadee. TMZ reported that she's been embroiled in a bitter custody battle with Chickadee's husband, Michael Cardwell, for custody of the couple's oldest child, Kaitlyn Cardwell. Mama June was awarded temporary custody of the 11-year-old, who isn't Michael's biological daughter, in January 2024.