Here's How Much Money Honey Boo Boo Is Really Worth
Whether or not you're a fan of Honey Boo Boo, there's no denying that the Georgia native, whose real name is Alana Thompson, sure has made a lasting impact on pop culture. When she was just five years old, she made a memorable debut on TLC's child beauty pageant themed show "Toddlers and Tiaras." After it became clear she was the breakout star on the series, the network gave her and her family their first spinoff, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo."
Despite the show getting canceled after Honey Boo Boo's mom began dating a convicted child molester, the former pageant girl surprisingly didn't lose momentum. She eventually returned to TLC with a reality series called "Mama June: From Hot to Not" while making appearances on different reality competitions. With fame came more ways for Honey Boo Boo to make money even outside of TV, so she cashed in on those opportunities, too.
Becoming a public figure at a young age has come at price as far as her personal life is concerned, but it hasn't all been sour. As Honey Boo Boo told Teen Vogue, "I want to be the best I can be, and I want to make my money." And making money she is. The teen is worth an impressive $400,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth. So how did Honey Boo Boo manage to earn so much cash before even turning 18? We break it down.
Honey Boo Boo got rich off reality TV
It's safe to say that Alana Thompson wouldn't be where she is today without reality TV, seeing as how she kicked off her career on TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras." Before the show, competing in beauty pageants alone probably wasn't lucrative. Winners are said to often earn less than $1,000, which usually only covers the amount they already spend on hair, makeup, and costumes anyway, according to a 2011 Nasdaq report. The artist known as Honey Boo Boo didn't earn a dime for appearing on "Toddlers and Tiaras" either. In 2012, Radar reported the cast apparently wasn't compensated by TLC. An insider dished, "They don't even pay for the families' entry fees into the pageants. But the moms do it because it's good exposure."
For Honey Boo Boo, it was that exposure that led to her first spinoff show, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," and that's where she finally got paid. In fact, according to Celebrity Net Worth, Honey Boo Boo raked in $50,000 per episode. In 2013, Deadline reported that the series brought TLC their biggest ratings ever at the time, with 3.2 million viewers tuning in.
Following the show's end, Honey Boo Boo continued to film her life for TV on her mother's spinoffs, "Mama June: From Not to Hot" and then later "Mama June: Road to Redemption." While it's unclear how much she made from those series, it's clear that reality TV is where the majority of Honey Boo Boo's paychecks come from.
Honey Boo Boo gets paid for TV appearances
While TLC made Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson famous, she did make more money from stints on other network's TV shows. In 2018, she earned an impressive paycheck for competing on "Dancing with the Stars: Junior" alongside Tristan Ianiero. According to TMZ, the former "Toddlers and Tiaras" star was paid $50,000 for joining the show, and made another $25,000 for making it to week four before getting eliminated.
Honey Boo Boo also made appearances on shows like "Family Feud," "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," and "The Doctors" to name a few, per her IMDb. While it's hard to say how much she made from each appearance, it feels safe to assume kept a constant cash flow from doing TV alone. The TLC star steadily landed gigs for over a decade, just by being herself.
In 2021, Honey Boo Boo was back on primetime TV in the Fox reality singing competition "The Masked Singer." However, fans may be surprised to learn that she did that show for free. According to Newsweek, apparently, none of the contestants get paid. Rather, they seem to settle for a chance at winning a trophy and the unique experience of singing on TV in an over-the-top beach ball costume. For Honey Boo Boo in particular though, it did help her fractured relationship with her June Shannon, something you can't put a price on. Mama June told People, "I teared up when we got on stage the night of the performance. Because I was actually doing something with her for the first time... sober."
Honey Boo Boo tried to make money from music
Like many reality stars, Alana Thompson, aka Honey Boo Boo, attempted to expand her repertoire by making music. In 2015, when she was only 10 years old, she released a song called "Movin'" which seemed to chronicle her rise to fame. With lyrics like "Started out as a pageant queen / Then on TV doing my thing / Now movin' up in the world," Honey Boo Boo wasn't afraid to sing about her success.
The song came with a music video that featured some of her family and the infamous "Honey Boo Boo Bop" dance. The video went viral on YouTube, racking up millions of views. However, the song didn't launch Honey Boo Boo's singing career, and in March 2021, the reality star announced in an Instagram post that the tune was up for grabs. She explained, "I've decided to sell my one and only song and music video as an NFT!!"
Yep, Honey Boo Boo threw her hat in the non-fungible token ring. The TV personality listed her music on Rarible for fans to either bid on it or buy it. This particular NFT is no longer available to purchase, but according to TV Show Ace, it was once up for the NFT equivalent of about $150,000.
Honey Boo Boo uses her social media for business
It appears that Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson knows she has to hustle if she wants to keep making money off her name, and she has done just that by selling merchandise to her fans. The "Dancing with the Stars: Junior" competitor has cashed in on mottos like "Back It Up Boo Boo," creating clothing, phone covers, and even face masks with the catchphrase. In 2020, Honey Boo Boo also created her own "Beauty By Boo Boo" beauty box. She promotes all her goods on her Instagram stories and posts by wearing her clothes or testing out her products. While it's unclear how much Honey Boo Boo pulls in from her commodities, she did write in a post, "My merchandise is doing great and I just want to thank you guys."
Then there's her other side hustle, Cameo, which is an online platform that allows stars to make personalized videos for fans. The Blast reported that after she launched her Cameo in 2020, Honey Boo Boo had nonstop requests for videos. At the time of writing, she isn't taking any requests, but when her Cameo shop was open for business? She was reportedly charing $25 a pop.
Honey Boo Boo brings in additional cash through paid partnerships. She's done sponsored posts for HomeStyle Harvest and Pup Mom Crate, and despite having her own beauty box, she's done several posts for her FabFitFun partnership. Clearly, Honey Boo Boo doesn't rest on her laurels.
Honey Boo Boo protected her money
Alana Thompson's mother, June Shannon, has been open about her struggles with drug addiction, including the impact her battle has had on her finances. "I would say the last year of our addiction, probably a good $900,000. So much money was sent to our dope man," June Shannon told Access Hollywood in 2021. "I went into rehab with $1.75 to my name, and I came out with nothing."
Honey Boo Boo took steps to keep her finances separate from Mama June's. In 2019, TMZ reported that she hired a lawyer who moved the money she made to a different account that her mother could not access.
In 2020, Mama June got sober. While you can't put a price tag on a new lease on life and getting your family back together, the mother-daughter duo seemingly cashed in on Mama June's recovery by chronicling it for the WEtv reality series "Mama June: Road to Redemption." If her paycheck is anything like what she made from their shows in the past, Honey Boo Boo could be making around $50,000 per episode. Yet, the Georgia native still promotes the show on her Instagram to continue to make that coin off her everyday life.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Honey Boo Boo's family's money troubles
Despite their fame, Alana Thompson and her family have faced their share of financial troubles. As mentioned, things got pretty tight for June Shannon while she was battling drug addiction. In 2019, she resorted to putting their home on the market, saying (via The U.S. Sun), "The only reason I sold the house, I was dead f***ing broke." According to TMZ, the mom of four sold it at a major loss too, reportedly getting $100,000 for the place — which happened to be $56,000 less than the family originally paid. The people who scooped the place up from Mama June reportedly went on to list it for $225,000.
In an episode of "Mama June: From Not To Hot" (via The U.S. Sun), viewers watched Honey Boo Boo and her siblings learn their mom had sold off their belongings. What's more, TMZ reported she was seen pawning a diamond ring for only $1,500.
In 2019, Honey Boo Boo moved out of Mama June's house and in with big sister Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon. While Honey Boo Boo appreciates Pumpkin for taking her in, she dished to Teen Vogue, "I should be in my own bed at my mom's house just chilling, you know?" Living with Pumpkin and her family also had its challenges since they were evicted in 2019 for missing rent payments, according to The Sun. Honey Boo Boo, Pumpkin, and her family reportedly stayed in a hotel while they worked out their finances.
If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Honey Boo Boo doesn't spend lavishly
Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson may have become a big TV star as a child, but that doesn't mean she's actually living like one. In fact, in 2021, the Georgia native told Teen Vogue that she looked forward to one day buying herself a car as well as a place of her own. She also wants to go to college and plans to do all that by continuing to film for TV. She explained when it comes to doing reality, "It's definitely something that is good for the time being, [and] good for later on in life."
Aside from big purchases like a car, a house, and college, Honey Boo Boo also enjoys shopping for smaller ticket items. In 2021, she took Inside Edition with her to her "favorite store," Rue21, where she picked out back-to-school outfits. She'll also spend on makeup, eyelashes, nails — she's into all of it. "There are so many folks on my Instagram that do not like my nails or my eyelashes," she said in the aforementioned Teen Vogue feature. "As long as I like myself, I'm good."
In the past, her family seemed to spend on things like ATVs, with Honey Boo Boo often seen riding the bikes as a young child. Yet Honey Boo Boo's interests have changed as she's gotten older. She told Teen Vogue, "Just because I'm from the South, people expect me to be all country bumpkin, out riding four wheelers all the time, but that's not really how it is."
With Honey Boo Boo's success came criticism
When Alana Thompson, aka Honey Boo Boo, found fame, she was also met with a lot of harsh criticism — especially directed at her weight. "Just because I got a little bit of extra meat on my bones, you want to hate me?" she said in Teen Vogue. "I'll never get body shaming." Then there's the backlash that followed after Honey Boo Boo became Instagram official with her older boyfriend. She ended up deleting the photo, telling People, "I feel like there was so many people that were still treating me like I was 6-years-old."
It seems though that Honey Boo Boo isn't afraid to stick up for herself when needed. In a 2020 Instagram post, she wrote "your opinion don't make my money." In another 2021 selfie, she acknowledged, "Folks will hate about anything." Her mother, June "Mama June" Shannon, knew fame would come with its downside, telling Channel Guide Mag in 2012, "When we go on the media, there's going to be people who love Alana and there's going to be people who don't agree with what Alana is doing."
In 2021, Honey Boo Boo dished to People, "There has been many times where I'm like, 'Oh my God, I just wish this could be private.'" Yet that doesn't mean it hasn't been worth it. The reality star confessed, "I love what I do, and it's my life." It appears despite the online hate, fame has brought her opportunities she probably wouldn't have had otherwise.
Honey Boo Boo's plans for the future
Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson already has an impressive net worth but the teen might have even more money waiting for her when she turns 21. As TMZ reported in 2013 — back at what was probably the peak of Honey Boo Boo's fame — her mother set up a trust fund account for her daughters. Mama June Shannon dished at the time, "I want my kids to look back and say, 'Mama played it smart. Not like those other reality TV people.'" She continued, "Never gonna live above my means."
Honey Boo Boo also has another plan for how she'll earn money in the future. She told Teen Vogue that she wants to graduate college and eventually become a nurse. "I want to have a life," she shared. "I want to be able to support my kids when I do have kids and stuff like that."
However, that doesn't mean you won't see Honey Boo Boo on TV again. As she said to People in 2021, "I'm filming, working towards graduating high school, so that's probably what's next for me." She did add that if another reality TV show opportunity pops up, she will "probably hop on it." Fame can be fleeting for many reality stars, but Honey Boo Boo is doing what she can to keep the ball rolling.