Honey Boo Boo Proves How Disconnected Her Relationship With Mama June Really Is
Alana Thompson (aka Honey Boo Boo)'s strained relationship with her mom has been no secret. The once close mother/daughter duo have drifted apart over the years, particularly since Thompson left Mama June Shannon's home to live with her sister, Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird. TMZ reported in May 2019 that the former pageant queen had been living with her sister (who was then just 19 years old) for several months after Shannon underwent some difficulties in her personal life. In August 2021, Shannon was sentenced to 16 months in prison for drug possession, per Page Six, as was her then boyfriend, Geno Doak.
A custody battle for Thompson ensued, with Shannon officially losing custody in April. Efird was granted sole custody of her sister, per The U.S. Sun, with Shannon's visitation to be decided by her. It was also revealed in court documents that Shannon would pay $800 a month in child support to Efird until Thompson's 18th birthday. "Alana made that choice to stay in that environment," Shannon told Page Six in June of the ruling. "People don't understand the custody thing. It's not like somebody 'lost custody.' In the state of Georgia, you do temporary guardianship every year and [Alana] had been with [Lauryn] in my addiction. Well, at the age of 12, you're able to make your choice," she added.
But just how close is Shannon with her family today? Her daughters are speaking out with some shocking claims.
Mama June's daughters didn't know she was getting married
Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird is making it pretty clear she and Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson are no longer super close with their mom, revealing neither had any idea that Mama June Shannon had married her boyfriend, Justin Stroud. Efird explained during a joint E! News interview with Thompson in July that she'd received a receipt in the mail after her mom applied for a marriage license, but claimed Shannon told her she wasn't tying the knot. "And then eventually she was like, 'Oh, I got married' and we were very, very shocked," Efird said of the March ceremony. Thompson added, "It definitely did catch me by surprise because Mama was always one to say she would never get married. But I mean, my mom now, she's definitely different."
The sisters' words came around a month after Shannon claimed to Page Six she has a "good" relationship with her four kids, including Thompson. "I do see [Thompson], I do talk to her. We do communicate. So it wasn't like any difference. The only difference is she's not sitting right here beside me in my home every day," the reality star said.
Shannon also had sweet words for her kids in March 2021, when she praised Efird for stepping up for the family. "Even though [Lauryn] didn't have to step up [as a mother figure], she did, and you know, in our family... we've always stuck together," she told In Touch.