Lights. Camera. Action! Alana Thompson, the sassy 6-years-old, that the world once loved to watch, has now grown into a pre-teen that strays from the spotlight. Although her television fame only lasted four short seasons (2012- 2014,) Alana can still be spotted on her mother’s reality television series, Mama June: From Not to Hot. The spin-off documents Alana mother's, June Shannon, weight loss journey.

Alana began her rise to fame on the hit TLC series: Toddlers and Tiaras. She and her family were soon offered their own spin-off show because of the 6-year-old’s spunk, sass, and vigorous routine she had to go through to prepare for the pageants she competed in.

The television series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo received predominantly bad reviews. Shannon was put in the hot seat when it came to light that she created a concoction of Red Bull and Mountain Dew for Alana to drink to prepare herself for pageants.

"A lot of moms say, 'Oh, you're [...] up your child,'" June said on the show. "Well, hey, no I'm not. I'm not hurting her...she just drinks it for pageants to give her that extra 'oomph,' so whatever works for your child, use it."

So where is the curly haired, dolled up, child beauty queen now?

15 Alana's A Pre-Teen!

The former child television star appeared to grow up in the blink of an eye. It seems like just yesterday millions of viewers watched the little girl get all dolled up, while she pranced around the stage, quoting her famous catchphrases, "A Dolla Makes Me Holla" and "You Better Redneckonize". But, alas, we all have to grow up some time and, believe it or not, but Miss Honey Boo Boo is already 12 years old!

As many children in this generation, she already seems to have an interest in boys. In April 2017, she reported to E!News that she had a boyfriend named Justin. Although, the couple status seems to have dissolved, much like a teenager relationship status should, as her current Instagram profile lists she is, in fact, single.

She wouldn't have been the only sibling to be in love at a young age. Her oldest sister, Anna Caldwell, is 22 years old and is already learning some hard truths of love. She and her husband are going through a separation process. The couple has two children together. The third Boo Boo sibling, Lauryn Shannon, 18, also found the meaning of love at a young age. She and her fiancé welcomed their first child in early 2018.

14 June's Fight Over Honey Boo Boo

Drama seems to surround this family like a dark cloud. In 2014, Alana's father, Mike, stated that he would not be seeking custody of his daughter, although he had concerns about Mame June dating some questionable men.

Late 2015, Mame June and Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson sat down with Divorce Court's, Judge Lynn Tolbert during Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars, to speak about the problems surrounding their marriage. Accusations of infidelity fueled the fire that finally tore the couple apart.

Fast forward three years later, and the divorced couple is still making headlines with a custody battle that Thompson now wants to pursue. During a reunion episode of Marriage Boot Camp; Reality Stars a normally shy man, Mike, became almost violent notifying June that he was going to be seeking custody.

The accusations led to the cancellation of the TLC series, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

“I tell you what — I got a lawyer on the case, you’re gonna get the paperwork and that’s all I got to [...] say,” he said.

Alana seems to be caught in the middle and being extremely hurt in the process;

"He calls me every once in a while. He doesn't really call me that much, which is kind of sad because he’s supposed to be my father and I think if he's my father, you should call me more."

The custody battle is still in full swing.

13 Lipstick, Eyeliner, Blush... She Loves It all!

Being introduced to the pageant life and the beauty of makeup at such a young age, it is no wonder that Alana loves all things makeup related.

In November 2015, she walked the Marriage Boot Camp Reality Stars red carpet premier fully decked out in glitz and glam, including long false lashes, and she was only 10 years old!

It's also no surprise that the child star wants to own a beauty salon when she's older. She even has plans to give signature looks to her customers, she explains to In Touch. She intends on giving personalized hairdos to her clients.

"He's going to be like 'can I get a boo-do'? Can I get a boo-do doll?" said the Honey Boo Boo child star.

In January 2018, Alana showed off some of her artistic makeup skills on Mame June, in an episode of Mama June: From Not to Hot. The mother-daughter duo sat on a bed, together, while Alana put her skills to the test in preparation for the Miss Georgia Peach Elite pageant. When all was said and done, Mame June nor her daughter, Lauryn "Pumpkin," were the least bit impressed.

“Oh boy,” said Pumpkin. “All I know is that if you want to win that pageant, Alana needs to stay away from your face.”

12 June's Making A Name For Herself

Although the cameras stopped rolling on Alana's reality television, it did not stop her mom from signing her own contract for her own show Mama June: From Hot to Not. After losing nearly 300 pounds in time for her ex-husband's wedding day to his second wife, June Shannon revealed her new body on the show.

The show revolves around Mama June's extreme weight transformation, however, you can catch the still-cheeky 12-year-old in the background.

One thing that has come to light during an episode was that Alana was not on board with her mother's decision to start a healthy lifestyle.

"I'm not jumping on any bandwagon, unless it was like, cheeseburgers and stuff."

As the episodes are filmed in Shannon's household, fans can catch cameo appearances of Alana and watch her grow and interact with her family.

As the show rolls on, Alana finally seems to come to terms with her mother's change in lifestyle. In an interview with E!Online, she states:

"I'm really proud of her," Alana said in the March 31 episode, "She looks great."

11  She Still Loves To Stick Her Tongue Out

As any normal toddler, Honey Boo Boo loved to stick her tongue out whenever she could. Being 12 now, she seems to be continuing the same phase. She has posed for pictures and even ran around a police officer's car (more on that later,) all with her little tongue sticking out of her mouth.

On her personal Instagram account, she has 114 pictures posted, that nearly half are sported with her tongue pointing out to the camera, proving to the world that she is a normal cheeky preteen.

Now, rewind back to 2012, when she was just 7 years old; cameras caught Alana running laps around an empty police cruiser that parked curbside while sticking out her tongue.

According to Daily Mail, this happened on a Tuesday afternoon, so why wasn't Alana in school like all other 7-year-olds? Mame June was accused of exploiting her daughter. In a comment made to Radar Online, Mame June insists that she isn't;

"I don’t exploit Alana. I would never exploit my kids. Critics are critics and everybody has their opinions but I am not doing anything wrong. It’s always been about fun and it’s an experience in life that they can look back at."

Again, why wasn't Alana at school, Mama June?

10 June: The New Man in Mama June's Life

After June's drastic weight loss, she was prepared to introduce her new boyfriend, Geno Doak, in the opening episode of season 2's Mama June: From Hot to Not. The couple reportedly met when she hired him to do some renovations on her home and started dating in 2015. The romance rekindled in 2017 after June unveiled her new body.

“Geno is the first guy that I’ve dated really seriously since I lost the weight,” she said. “I’m trying to keep this one to myself to see how it’s going to work out.”

Despite dating for a few months, Mama June asked Geno to move in with her, Lauryn and Alana. Her most recent bae originally declined the offer, 

“I hear a bunch of screaming every day? Negative,” said Geno. “You’re going way too quick with that [...] but I spent the night. You’re talking about moving in and [...] No, that’s way too quick.”

In 2018, a fight between Lauryn and June about Lauryn's boyfriend, Joshua, changed the opinion that the relationship was moving too quickly. Lauryn was moving Joshua into the matriarch's home without her permission, thus giving June leeway to have Geno move in faster than anticipated.

“She wants to act like she can just move her little boyfriend in and [...] like that,” Mama June yelled at Josh, while Geno stood outside to avoid the fight, “Fine, Josh can move in but baby, you’re moving in too. Go get your [...] and welcome to the family baby!”

And, they all lived happily ever after. For a minute.

9 Instagram Photos Are Nothing Short Of "Entertaining"

While we're on the topic of her Instagram pictures, you may also notice that she absolutely loves using those SnapChat filters! Among some awkwardly posed selfies, she also posts some photos of herself with faux-glasses, flower crowns, and different emojis and stickers. While decorating her photos with filters, she also goes against the norm and uses the angular option to post her selfies.

According to Life and Style Magazine, her Instagram account belongs in a Modern Art Museum.

"I honestly think it would find just as good a home in a museum. Because if you've ever watched even a minute of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo you know one thing: Alana Thompson is never anything but absolutely herself. And her Instagram is the weirdest, wildest window into who she is."

The former child star also tries to be an inspiration to her 106,000 followers. She captions many of her selfies with quotes such as:

"Please yourself, not others"

"You can close your eyes to things you don’t want to see, but you can’t close your heart to things you don’t want to feel"

"6+3=9 but so does 5+4 the way you do things are not going to be the same as someone else’s"

Spoken like a true adult, this makes one wonder where this little girl's head and heart are and how much she has had to endure.

8 All Of June's Questionable Men In Her Life

Mama June is no stranger to love. Since she and her family have been in the spotlight, fans have come to meet a couple of different men that were part of June's life, and some that have stuck around.

Fans of the former hit reality television series first met Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson, father of Alana Thompson. The couple dated from 2004 and had a commitment ceremony back in 2013. Mike was arrested and did 5 years in jail for stealing hunting camps and setting a camper on fire in 1998.

From 2000-2004, Shannon dated a man named Mark McDaniel. In 2014, allegations of McDaniel being inappropriate with June's oldest daughter, Anna, when she was just eight years old, which led him to serve 10 years behind bars. In 2014, June and Mark were seen spending time together and TLC had made the final decision to cancel the family's reality television show as a result.

In fact, June is seriously no stranger since her children are products of four different men.

Micheal Ford fathered two of Shannon's daughters, Jessica and Lauryn. In 2005, he was caught on the TV series To Catch a Predator and he was charged with exploitation of a minor. He served two years behind bars for those charges. He has since been in and out of custody for a range of different charges and is not eligible for parole until 2026.

"Jessica and Pumpkin have the same dad, but Jessica's dad has had nothing to do with her over the years," Shannon said. "So, why the [...] would I open up that can of worms until today? I lied to my family and told them it was somebody else."

Anna Shannon was fathered by a man named David Dunn, who is also a felon. He was sentenced to jail in 1995 for stealing weapons. He was only 13 when he and June had Anna and he did not know about Anna until she was 4 years old!

But, who's judging?

7 Boo Boo Slime

In February 2018, Mama June and her family; Alana, Lauryn, Lauryn's husband Josh, and their newborn baby Ella, organized a meet-and-greet in Macon, Georgia. During the fan meet and greet, the family sold raffle tickets for mystery boxes that contained jars of homemade slime. June and her clan stayed up extra late during the same week making 450 jars of the trendy goop. They also signed posters from the family's new reality television show, "Mama June; From Hot to Not".

Half of the proceeds from the meet-and-greet were donated to a local children's hospital.

They chose to raise money for the same hospital that treated June and Mike's children, Alana and Jessica after the family was injured in a car accident in March of 2014.

Honey Boo Boo went further into the "family business" and created an Instagram account dedicated to selling their Boo Boo Slime. Although she does mention in the profile bio that the account is for business purposes only, it doesn't seem like much is happening with that account, as her only posts are; a selfie, a video of kinetic sand, and an inspirational quote, all posted on March 1st, 2018.

6 June: What Does Mama June Look Like Now?

Revenge is a dish best served... Hot?? After June Shannon heard the news of her ex-husband, Mike Thompson was ready to marry again, she was ready to transform herself completely. Some speculated that it was to gain revenge on Mike for not only cheating on her but also remarrying.

Mama June began her weight loss journey spending nearly 75,000$ on several plastic surgeries that included gastric sleeve surgery, breast augmentation, and skin removal surgery. The skin removal surgery consisted of removing the skin from her neck, stomach and arms, totaling a combined weight of almost 9 pounds of skin.

June has admitted that the secret to keeping off the weight is portion control, going to the gym as much as she can and... sleeping in?

Yes, she admitted to sleeping in until about 1 pm so that she can skip breakfast. June lost close to 300 pounds after the help of her surgeries and hard work. Although her daughter, Alana, waa s skeptic that her mother could keep the weight off, she has admitted that she is proud of her mama. In response, June told Life and Style magazine,

"A lot of people didn't [think I could keep the weight off], so me showing the world a year-and-a-half later that I'm still small, still not gaining any weight back but a few pounds here and there — that's what life is. People gain weight, people lose weight. I'll never go back to what I was."

5 Her Short Lived Rap Career

In 2015, the then 10-year-old weaved her way back into the spotlight with a music video, title MOVING UP. The video included members of her family, June "Mama" Shannon, Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon and Mike "Sugar Bear" doing, what is called, the Honey Boo Boo Bop, all while in a studio (or basement?)

The music videos reached 3.6 million views and also included lyrics that narrate her rise to fame such as:

"Started out as a pageant queen, then on TV doing my thing. Now movin' up in the world, new fun times with my girls."

And, surprisingly it gets somewhat catchy when she raps the chorus:

"Honey Boo Boo Bop. Do The Honey Boo Boo Bop. Honey Boo Boo Bop. Do The Honey Boo Boo Bop."

Although her music career was short-lived, the viral video that currently has 25,000 dislikes (versus only 7,000 likes on YouTube) will live on forever; as does everything that gets posted on the internet. If you think the amount of dislikes is outrageous, the comments posted were even worse:

"But seriously, what the [...] is going on here? Sure, America was all about the wacky hillbilly family’s antics for a short while, but aren’t they done trying to be in the spotlight at this point? I’m sure it’s hard to accept when your 15 minutes are up"

One thing is for sure; once you hear little Alana raping the Honey Boo Boo Bop, it's hard to forget it!

4 June: Movin' On Up

After TLC canceled the hit show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo in 2015, Mama June was ready to take a new lease on life. While the family was filming the reality show, they were living in a small house right next to railway tracks. Now that their rise to fame has come, June and her three youngest daughters, Alana, Lauryn and Jessica bought a new house and moved about 90 miles from where they lived previously. The four bedroom and three bathroom home is now far from any train tracks.

Mama June and her daughters have been busy renovating the home and each family member takes charge of decorating their own bedroom, even if that means using spray paint.

“Pumpkin’s tagging her room, I’m picking my colors out. All of us have different taste,” Mama June says. “I allow them to do their own creativity.”

Although June and her daughters have a taste of fame and fortune, the family's matriarch insists on keeping her extreme couponing habits. While guest starring on an episode of OWN's: Where Are They Now? June admits that it is an adrenaline rush for her to leave the grocery store with her groceries completely free or even with the store paying her for her groceries! She has not lost sight of who she was (no pun intended) explaining that,

"A lot of people who become famous, and they make millions of dollars, they just spend it like as soon as they make it or before they even make it. And I'm not gonna be like that," she said. "Don't ever forget where you come from, because in a minute it can be gone, just like that. I want to be able to live comfortably for a long while after this amazing adventure ends."

3 Acting "Black" Isn't Helping Alana's Fame Game

Alana took to her Instagram story in February 2018, to defend herself when she received a comment from a hater telling her to stop, "acting black".

At the age of 12, Alana showed no shame when she went on a full profanity-filled rant about the comment.

"Let me just tell Y'all. Someone just told me to stop acting black in my comments. ‘Honey, the last thing I am is black honey. I’m white. Look at my face hun. I’m white. White. ‘And I want to know, how the [...] act a color? Like, oh you wake up one day and be like, “Hmm, let’s see. I’m going to be purple.” ‘[...], you can’t act a color. You can be a color, but you can’t act a color."

Although most people who watched the video continued to slam her with comments such as, "Ghetto is not a black thing."

While others came to her rescue, "She’s southern. This is how southerners speak. Some people need to get educated."

2 June Feared She Was Going Blind

In February 2018, Mama June had to experience one of the scariest times someone can endure. She woke up one morning unable to see anything! She explained to People Magazine the fear she had, while she called out to her boyfriend Geno,

“I literally can’t see anything out of either one of my eyes. I can’t see anything!” she told her boyfriend, Geno, who came to the bedroom.

She went on to say,

"My eye problems started when I was born. I was born with cataracts and nothing was ever done, I went blind in my right eye four years ago and now my good eye is really bad.”

June was rushed to the hospital by her boyfriend and youngest daughter, Alana.

The doctors explained to June that her retina had detached causing her to lose her vision. She was immediately prepped for emergency surgery. In an interview with People Magazine, she explained,

"It's hard for me to even think about me going completely blind," Mama June says. "Who's going to take care of my girls, my house? I'm not gonna be able to see Pumpkin's baby [or] Alana. It's gonna be awful."

Family and fans waited in anticipation when it was time to remove the eye patch, that Mama June had to wear during the recovery. She sighed a sigh of relief when the surgery was proven to be, indeed, successful.

1 Alana And June's Intervention On The Doctors

In 2015, June Shannon and her daughter Alana were invited guests on the television show The Doctors. The mother-daughter duo was brought on stage because the Doctors were concerned about Alana's weight.

The episode aired when Alana was 6 years old and should have weighed between 60 - 70 pounds. However, in reality, she was tipping the scales at nearly 125 pounds. During the show, Dr. Travis Stork explained to Shannon,

"And when I looked in your fridge, June, I'm sorry but I didn't see anything in that fridge that's either going to improve Alana's weight or decrease inflammation in her body."

The Doctors organized for a local nutritionist to visit the family and guide them into a healthier diet. They also provided a personal chef to show Mama June how to cook the family's favorite dished in a healthier way.

“I went on a no grease diet,” little Alana went on to say.

In January 2018, Alana finally became inspired by her mother's dramatic transformation. She told Inside Edition she was ready to lose weight. According to OK! Magazine, she and her sister, Lauryn, are in talks to start their own weight loss show; following in their mother's footsteps.

"The girls are up for it, because the show will be all about them, and they'll have their own big paydays.”

References: intouchweekly.com, huffingtonpost.com, google.ca, intouchweekly.com, etonline.com, etonline.com, lifeandstylemag.com, people.com, insideedition.com, dailymail.co.uk, eonline.com, intouchweekly.com, lifestylemag.com, toofab.com, lifeandstylemag.com, metro.co.uk, twitter.com, facebook.com, instagram.com, abc13.com, smosh.com, dailymail.co.uk, instagram.com, dailymail.co.uk, intouchweekly.com