How Former TLC Star Honey Boo Boo Really Lost So Much Money

"Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" all but defined early 2010s reality TV, so one would be forgiven for thinking the show's star, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, made a decent chunk of money from the series. But that couldn't be further from the truth. In addition to the Honey Boo Boo stars not being as rich as one might think, Thompson also lost a ton of her earnings as a result of her mom's drug addiction.

It's not exactly a secret that June Shannon (aka Mama June) used a lot of her daughter's money to fund her addiction. Quite the contrary, the mother and daughter had a massive blowup on "Mama June: Family Crisis," with Shannon throwing out the equivalent of "sorry, not sorry." "It's gone! I used it in my drug addiction! Whoo!" she yelled of not being able to pay her daughter back (via People). In the same clip, Shannon also noted that some of the money went toward taking care of Honey Boo Boo, though her second-youngest daughter, Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird called that out, too, noting that as a parent, the onus fell on her to take care of the day to day, regardless of her daughter's income. "What kind of parent actually makes their kid pay for their wellbeing?" she questioned in a confessional (via Entertainment Tonight). 

It bears mentioning that Honey Boo Boo ultimately did get a $35,000 check from her mom. That said, speaking to People, the "Toddlers and Tiaras" alum shared that was as far as it went. "She gave me money and was like, 'Oh, here's your money.' No, I don't think she ever was like, 'I'm sorry.'" Yikes. Making matters worse, according to Celebrity Net Worth, Thompson should really be worth around $100,000. 

Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson revealed one particularly sad detail about her family's money drama, saying she doesn't even want access to everything owed to her. Au contraire, she told People she felt better not having it in her back pocket. Noting that her sister set up a trust fund for her "Masked Singer" earnings, she explained, "I'm in the mindset of like, if I don't actually need it, like, I might as well just let it save up and when I do actually need it ... it'll be there for me."

Even worse, Honey Boo Boo only learned about just how much money was missing when she was gearing up for college. June Shannon notably refused to pay for her, lest she drop out, prompting a zinger and a half from Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird. "You lost $500,000 to a bag of f***ing crack, b***h ... God forbid I want to drop out of college and waste 10 grand," she chirped. 

Despite all the drama, Honey Boo Boo began studying for her nursing degree in the fall of 2023. And as she told Entertainment Tonight in May 2025, "I pay for my education all by myself." As for her relationship with Mama June, Honey Boo Boo told People that her sister Anna Cardwell's heartbreaking death helped bring everyone together again. In fact, she laughed that Pumpkin and their mom started doing Sunday night dinners together. Even so, we're glad that as an adult, Honey Boo Boo controls her own finances now — and judging by her current money mindset, something tells us she'll manage just fine.