We all remember Alana Thompson from her beginnings in the reality show 'Toddlers & Tiaras' in 2008 of the TLC channel, which followed the families of girls who participated in beauty pageants. From her first appearances in the reality show, the 6-year-old Alana caught the attention of the cameras due to her extroverted personality. Subsequently, her appearances in Toddlers & Tiaras served to offer the family the opportunity to have their own reality show, which followed their life and daily dramas. 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' went on the air for the first time in August 2012.

Alana, known to the rest of the world as Honey Boo Boo, captivated the audience for 4 seasons and left us several clever phrases to ponder such as: ‘Pretty comes in all different sizes. My size is cute’, ‘You always need to be on your A game. Every day. Not like, every day. But, you don’t know if you’re going to be on your A game every day. A gamers… when are you gonna be on your A game? You need to be on your A-game.’ And the classic phrase 'A dollar makes me holla, Honey Boo Boo '.

Alana and her family achieved fame due to their peculiar way of being and their lifestyle, but while they were in the spotlight the family faced some ups and downs and were involved in some scandals. For this reason today we will talk about 20 times Honey Boo Boo and her family made the news.

20 From Toddlers & Tiaras to Honey Boo Boo

When the reality show Toddlers & Tiaras aired in 2008, many of us met a universe that was totally unknown, child beauty contests. The program followed real people who had their little princesses participating in this type of contests. They also showed us all the effort and dedication that they invested to get their daughters to win the big prize, the tiara, and the money, from forcing them to have fake tans, hair extensions, and even fake teeth to achieve a perfect smile.

The show generated some negative reactions about some of the activities that the parents asked the girls to do during their presentations on stage.

And according to Melissa Henson from CNN "In February 2007, the American Psychological Association released a report on the [adult-ization] of girls that found that girls' exposure to hyper-[adult-ized] media content can negatively impact their cognitive and emotional development; is strongly associated with eating [problems], low self-esteem and depression; leads to fewer girls pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and causes diminished... health."

Later the show was canceled, but many of the girls who captivated the attention of the audience got their own contracts to get their own reality show, as was the case of Eden Wood with her reality show Eden's World, and Alana who won her reality show called Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

19 Go Go Juice

The issue with this type of contests is that children are children, and they often get bored and do not have enough energy to perform on stage, so many parents have their tricks to keep them awake and energized.

During an episode of Toddlers & Tiaras, we saw how Mama June gave to Alana, 6-years-old at the time, "Go Go Juice": a mixture of Mountain Dew and Red Bull, as a way to help Alana to have energy before going on stage.

The episode caused so much controversy that Alana's parents were accused of harming Alana. Mama June and her then-husband, Sugar Bear, were visited by the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services that year that the episode aired, The National Enquirer reported.

And according to Daily Mail UK, a source close to the family said that the authorities who made the unannounced visit 'found reasons to take the case to court', but a 'court-appointed lawyer' for June Thompson, Honey Boo Boo's mother, convinced the judge to 'throw it [the case] out'.

In addition, the source stated that the agents were called after the episode was aired and it was suspected that the parents did not give the necessary care to the children. However, the family did not face reprisals, they just got a wake-up call and continued with their reality show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

18 Sugar Bear Had Dating Profiles While Married To Mama June

By the time Mama June and Sugar Bear decided to split, the couple made an announcement explaining their reasons: "Sugar Bear and I have decided to take some time apart to figure out some things in our relationship," the pair said in a statement. "We are taking things day by day, but regardless of what happens, the girls will always be our number one priority. We want to thank y'all for your support."

And according to E! News Mama June stopped using her wedding ring after discovering that Sugar Bear was enrolled in online dating sites.

In fact, there is a particular profile, which seems to match the description of Sugar Bear on the website plentyoffish.com, the star of reality, under the handle Georgiafighter31054, writes "I love to hunt fish and ride 4wheelers and have a good time. i luve muddy Boggs and love to ride in the mudd." And ads that he is currently single.

But during an interview in 2017 talking to Life & Style, Mama June explained that her ex-husband was not as sweet as we saw him on the show. "There was just so much emotional and physical [problems]." She added: "I just chose not to put my kids through that."

17 Alana's Misbehavior During The Jimmy Fallon’s Show

Our beloved Honey Boo Boo, has been a girl who has grown up without having many rules in her home, of course, Alana captivates the attention of people and the audience, for having a precocious and hilarious personality, but unfortunately that causes that Alana does not always have the best reactions, especially when it comes to interviews.

According to Cosmopolitan during an interview on the Jimmy Fallon show, Alana seemed bored during the interview in 2014, so she was asked to demonstrate her cheerleading moves. But apparently, there is one moment it did not go on the air, Alana hit her mom in a tantrum and Fallon called the girl's attention telling her never to hit her mother.

Christy O'Shoney, who was at that day as part of the audience during the show, explained what happened that day. "For the record, what aired on NBC was only part of the madness that went down last Wednesday at “The Tonight Show.” I know this because I was there, and from where I was sitting, Honey Boo Boo — let’s not mince words — was a tiny, dimpled monster."

"The most notable moment to be left out of Honey Boo Boo’s appearance on “The Tonight Show” was when she became so fed up that she actually struck Mama June. Up until this point, Fallon had been doing a great job of navigating Alana’s weird behavior, but it was at this moment when he became positively awesome. “NEVER hit your mother!” he exclaimed, in a voice that was serious with just a hint of a joke, and the studio audience erupted in applause. Finally, we thought, someone, is addressing this child’s attitude."

16 Mama June Didn't Want To Take Care Of Her Pregnant Daughter

According to the Daily Mail U.K, when Anna 'Chickadee' became pregnant at the age of 15 with her first daughter, Mama June wanted to put her daughter Anna up for adoption.

Mama June wanted family members to take care of her pregnant daughter. Her sister-in-law Janice Shannon, who was married to June's late brother, had been ready to take Anna into her custody, but June did not want to lose her rights as a mother, so the adoption was not carried out.

According to National Enquirer, after signing the contract to make the reality show, June asked her pregnant daughter to return home with her family. And a source explained 'Anna lived with Sandra until earlier this year, when June bribed her with $500 a month to move back in with the family and be on the TV show." The source also added 'They thought that Anna's illegitimate teenage pregnancy would make for good storylines for the show.'

It is said that it is not the first time that June 'abandoned' Anna. When she was seven years old she left her daughter at her mother's house, Sandra Hale, to 'get into a trailer with a boyfriend'. Currently, mother and daughter have a complicated relationship.

15 Anna Chickadee Claims Mama June 'Robbed Her Trust Fund'

But not everything has always been perfect for the family. Mama June and her older daughter Anna 'Chickadee' have always seemed to have a complicated relationship and have never seemed close.

In 2014, mother and daughter made news again after Anna 'Chickadee' went to an interview with Dr. Phil where she claimed that her mother had stolen the money from her trust fund. 'She's lied my entire life,' Anna says, according to US Weekly.

And regarding her trust fund, Anna states that she should have received $ 15,400, money that her mother was supposed to have saved as compensation for appearing on the reality show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, but which she never received, even though her mother had assured her that she had sent a cashier's check.

Anna explained "So I call the bank in Milledgeville, and I ask him, I say, 'Hey, is there any account underneath my name,"' Anna responds. "They said, 'Yeah, there is a savings account with 17 dollars and 89 cents in it.'''

At that time Anna was a minor, so all accounts were controlled by her mother. However in a previous interview, Mama June said I gave her $400 a month,' then she added 'I didn't have to give her that till she turned 21. And then, I've got a cashier's check that I can show you that I sent her, which was the rest of the money in her account.'

14 Alana’s Health Concerns

From the first moment that Honey Boo Boo reached fame and the cameras were installed in her house, viewers noticed that the family did not have the best eating habits, and in the case of Alana, who was a girl in full growth, she needed to consume certain type of food, and food that would provide the nutrients that she physically needs to promote its development.

In fact, during an episode in the program The Doctors, they dedicated a segment of the show to Honey Boo Boo, because the doctors took as an example the case of Alana to explain the importance of good nutrition from an early age.

This program, that focuses on bringing together different specialists from all fields of health and wellness, joins Dr. Travis Stork, Dr. Andrew Ordon, and Dr. Nita Landry to delve into real-life stories and interview celebrities, as well as provide advice.

According to People, in 2015 during an interview Mama June said she was proud of Alana who had lost almost 8 lbs. in the last month, falling from 125.5 lbs to 118. "Eat smaller portions and walk," said her mother, who also explained that the little one had the support of the family's personal trainer, Natasha Fett. She went on to explain that all those positive changes happened thanks to Fett who is "someone who really cares about us ... getting healthier and changing [our] minds".

She also added: “I’m proud of the changes Alana, Pumpkin and myself have made and continue to make,” Shannon said. “It’s a mind over matter, and yes I’m not going to lie it was hard at first.”

13 Mama June Spent Time In Jail

And although the family is fun, unique and hilarious, even Mama June has had certain skeletons hidden in the closet. But when one lives under the reflectors of the cameras sooner or later those skeletons come to light. And so was the case of Mama June, who according to the Hollywood Life website, was once in jail.

Apparently, the family is not good handling the finances of the house and in 2008 she was sent to jail for 4 days facing the possibility of facing 30 days of additional jail if she did not pay the money she owed on the rent.

Michael Nelson sued the family in 2007 because they owed him $ 1,500. After Mama June paid her debt she was released.

However, this is not the first time she has faced the law, apparently, in the past, Mama Juno was accused of bad parenting after it was known that Alana, 6 years old at the time, was dancing on the table of a bar for money. But it seems that the drama follows this family in one way or another, luckily, Mama June seems to have stayed away from the problems with the law in recent years, although with this family we never know what to expect.

12 Mama June Changes And Surgery

Mama June went through a long process before obtaining her desired body. According to People the star of the reality show stated that "This surgery is the scariest thing I've ever done, but I mean, there is a skinnier person inside of me."

In fact, after months of hard work, food changes, and undergoing painful cosmetic surgery to remove excess skin, Mama June went from being size 24 to size 4.

"Just 11 months ago, I weighed 352 pounds and I never thought this weight loss would be possible," she told the camera. "It's been a long road through all these three surgeries, struggling with my emotional eating, these intense workouts, a dress I thought I would never be able to fit into, dealing with my ex's fiancée/soon-to-be Alana's stepmom, and all the while I'm trying to stay healthy and good for my kids."

And although she initially decided to go on this journey because she wanted to make her former partner Sugar Bear jealous, Mama June is currently happy to have made that decision because she leads a healthier life and feels better about her appearance. In fact, the mother of 4 has expressed that she would like her youngest daughter Alana to follow in her footsteps. “June is in talks with the network for a follow-up show that will feature the rest of her family embracing a healthier lifestyle,” a source told Hollywood Life. “Now that June is firmly committed to eating a healthy, balanced diet herself, she’s keen to get her kids on board. It helps that it would make for a great TV show too!”

11 Sugar Bear Threatens To Take Mama June To Court

But it seems that the drama continues for Mama June, after attending the wedding of her ex-husband Sugar Bear and his new wife Jennifer Lamb. In fact during a new episode in the second season of "Mama June: From Not To Hot" we see Sugar Bear and Jennifer threatening June with taking her to court if she does not give visitation rights to the father of her daughter Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, 12 years old.

Jennifer said: “We got to talk about Mike having some visitation with Alana,” and then added. “I come here today to talk to you like a woman, mother to mother. We need to figure out how we can work this where Mike can see Alana.”

But Mama June was not happy with the threats of her ex's new wife.“He has very bad anger issues and it really scared... myself, Alana and everybody else. Why would I allow him to see her unsupervised?” Mama June claimed.

“You’ve got to understand — people do change,” Lamb told Mama June. “I tried talking sense into the bobblehead, but there’s no reasoning with that woman.”

After the crossing of words between both women, we see how Sugar Bear and his wife come to an appointment with a lawyer to advise them on the matter and give them the legal help they need so he can visit his daughter.

10 Alanna Is Accused Of “Acting Black”

Since they canceled Alana's reality show "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," it seemed that the young star was taking a back seat, especially after her mother got her own reality show.

However, Alana has remained active and in contact with her followers through apps like Instagram, but recently Honey Boo Boo was strongly criticized after sharing a video of her talking, and a user criticized her for her way of expressing herself quite far away to its southern American roots.

But luckily, Honey Boo Boo knows how to defend herself and how to do it with that sense of humor that characterizes her. After reading the accusations from users Alana made another video giving her opinion where she said "Let me just tell y’all. Someone just told me to stop acting black in my comments." She added "Honey, the last thing I am is black honey. I’m white. Look at my face hun. I’m white. White." She also wondered "And I want to know, how [do] you act a colour? Like, oh you wake up one day and be like, 'Hmm, let’s see. I’m going to be purple.'"

And finally, she said "you can’t act a colour. You can be a colour, but you can’t act a colour."

9 Alana Retires From Pageants

Before appearing on the reality show, Toddlers & Tiaras, Honey Boo Boo had been participating in such beauty pageants for years, but after gaining popularity and getting a contract to have her own reality show, Alana decided to abandon the beauty pageants for children.

After finishing the first season of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" Mama June said in an interview with InTouch that they had already left the beauty pageants: “'We’re done,' Mama June said. It’s like with everything going on: production, school — this life in general; it gets hard and pageants are a lot of work, and solo and behold she taught me to do [sic] something crazy.” But she also explained that the family still goes to pageants to cheer along their pageant friends.

According to The Sun, Honey Boo Boo currently is reportedly worth around $ 800,000. And it is believed that the family received around $ 50,000 for each episode of the reality show.

But after all, with an income like that, why continue with the beauty pageants? It's clearly not necessary for the family. Alana is currently busy attending interviews with her mother or sister and having a leading role in the family's new spinoff.

8 Each Daughter Has A Different Father

At this point, nothing should surprise us about this family, but each daughter of Mama June has a different father, and it seems that the matriarch has not had luck in love or has not made good decisions.

Mama June became pregnant with her first daughter when she was 23 years old, and on August 28, 1994, she gave birth to her first daughter Anna Shannon, known in the show as Chickadee. Anna'

s father is David Dunn and is not known much about him because he has never appeared in the show, but according to the Daily Mail, Dunn met his daughter after being released from prison.

Dunn has been in jail several times for committing crimes such as stealing a weapon in 1995 and in 1998 for stealing again.

Then Mama June started dating another man, and after months of dating, she got pregnant with her second daughter Jessica Shannon, known in the show as Chubbs, who was born on October 12, 1996; later, Mama June got pregnant with her third daughter Lauryn Shannon, better known as Pumpkin, who was born on January 7, 2000. Chubbs and Pumpkin's father is Michael Anthony Ford, but this man also has a criminal record, was jailed for two years because of crimes related to children.

And finally, Honey Boo Boo, the product of her relationship with Mike Thompson that so far seemed to be her most stable relationship, but even Sugar Bear had problems with authorities in the past. He was in jail for a series of robberies. He also spent 5 years in jail for a series of crimes such as robbed hunting camps along with setting to a camper on fire in 1998.

7 Mama June's Turn In The Spotlight

Mama June decided to end her relationship with Mark McDaniel by seeing all the inconveniences he was bringing to her life. And right after they canceled their daughter's show, Mama June got the chance to star in her own reality show called "Mama June: From Not To Hot"

In February 2017 the first episode of her new reality show was aired and focuses on helping Mama June get the life she wanted after her relationship with Sugar Bear ended.

lose weight through a good diet, exercise and plastic surgeons in order to achieve her desired body and be able to attend the wedding of her former partner Sugar Bear and get her moment of "revenge". In the series we can also see Honey Boo Boo a little bigger, Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Shannon, her former partner Sugar Bear, and his new partner Jennifer Lamb, but does not have the participation of Mama June's older daughters Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell, and Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon.

That the reality show was so successful that they renewed the family contract for a second season that was recently released in January of this year. Now the reality show is focused on the new life of the family, Mama June met a new man, her daughters face other kinds of difficulties and she still has to deal with her former partner and his new wife.

6 Lauryn Pumpkin Pregnancy

17-year-old Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Thompson announced that she and her partner Joshua Efird were expecting their first child together. The young woman made the announcement on her Instagram where she posted a picture of her showing her belly.

Later in an interview with WeTv, she said: 'Hey guys, guess what? I'm pregnant! I do not know what I'm having yet,' she admitted, 'but if I had to because of all the girls in our family, I'm probably having a girl."

In December of last year, the couple welcomed their first daughter whom they named Ella Grace Efird. This is the third grandchild for Mama June.

Her eldest daughter Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell has a daughter from her first relationship with Caleb Clark, whom the girl named Kaitlyn Elizabeth Clark, and was seen in much of the first seasons of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo ", but things didn't work out with the father of the baby. In 2014 'Chickadee' married Michael Cardwell, and in 2015 they received their first daughter together whom they named Kylee Madison Cardwell. And although Mama June does not keep in touch with her eldest daughter and granddaughters, she seems to be playing her role as a grandmother with the daughter of 'Pumpkin'.

5 Sugar Bear's New Wife Resembles Mama June

With the launch of the spinoff "Mama June: From Not To Hot", the new reality show of the family we learned that Sugar Bear had met someone new and he planned to get married. For many viewers it was a surprise to meet the new girlfriend of Sugar Bear, Jennifer Lamb, who curiously looks alike Mama June, or at least the old version of Mama June. But it seems to be, that after all, Sugar Bear knows very well what kind of woman he likes.

Nevertheless, even Jennifer Lamb has skeletons in her closet. According to the Daily Mail U.K, Jennifer was married to Raymond Lamb Jr who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for crimes against minors. The couple was married for 20 years and divorced in 2014.

According to the Daily Mail, "sources close to the star - who has been married three times - have claimed she was desperate to keep the scandal hidden from senior producers at WE TV, fearing she may get kicked off the hit reality series. "

Also Jennifer does not seem to have a good relationship with Mama June, during the trailer for the new season we can see both women arguing in front of the house of Mama June, and at a moment of the discussion Jennifer shouts "I'll just be the mother that you can not be, trust me sweetheart."

4 Mama June Proposes To Her Boyfriend

We recently learned that Mama June found a new love in her life, Geno, and apparently they met through mutual friends. During an interview with Us Weekly, the reality show star said "We met through some mutual friends. Somebody said, 'Hey, take a picture with Mama June.' He's like, 'Who the hell is that?' And I was like, 'Did you live underneath a rock?' and he was like, 'No,'" she told Us Weekly. "He just doesn't watch reality TV. I mean, he does now watch the show, but he doesn't care two cents less about the cameras...because outside of this, we are a very normal, everyday crazy bunch."

And it seems that Mama June has found the right one.

In the trailer of the new season of her reality show she sees her daughter Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon ready to marry her fiancé Josh, and just when her daughter is about to exchange vows with her future husband, June dramatically interrupts the event and seems to intend to marry Geno.

But in the video Mama June's boyfriend seems to have a different reaction to what she expected.

During an interview with ET in January, Mama June said "We're very committed to one another and we both love each other," she said. "We're very happy in our relationship. We're both best friends. We're with each other 24/7. And it's just happy." But apparently, we'll have to wait to see if these lovebirds are ready to tie the knot.

3 Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon Left The Reality Show

But something that the spectators have been able to notice is that since the first years of "Toddlers & Tiaras", and the reality show "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo", we have not seen the cameras facing Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon the second daughter of Mama June. The mother explained that "Chubbs" would no longer appear on the show because she was two months away from finishing high school and would not move with the family to her new home in Hampton, Georgia, an hour and a half away from her original home in McIntyre because the young woman was focused on finishing her studies.

According to Radar Online, Mama June said “The reason Jessica stayed in McIntyre is that she only has two and a half months to graduate,” June explained on Facebook in 2015.

“It was a hard decision but she wanted to graduate with her friends she had been with for ten years. But she comes home and we talk.”

Jessica graduated from Wilkinson County High School in McIntyre, in 2015, and she is the first member of her family to graduate with a high school diploma, Jessica went off to college and is currently attending South Georgia State College, reason why she doesn't appear in the new reality show of the family. But apparently, she feels better away from the cameras.

2 Mama June's Boyfriend And Her Daughter Anna

After her breakup with Sugar Bear, it was learned that Mama June was dating a man named Mark McDaniel, a man who had been sentenced to 10 years in prison for crimes related to children. And during an interview with Entertainment Tonight her daughter Anna 'Chickadee,' Cardwell said that same man had been inappropriate with her in 2002 when she was only 8 years old.

Anna explained that by telling her mother what this man had done to her, she did not believe her. "A week or so after it happened, I talked to Mama and she was upset, crying and saying, 'I don't believe you, I don't believe you, why would you do this to me?'" she said. "And I was like, 'Mama, he did that to me and I can't do anything about it. You were never there to see it. You were always at work'."

And in the midst of that chaos, TLC decided to cancel the show "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo".

However, Mama June has publicly denied dating the questionable man, saying that 'The statement of me dating [an] offender is totally untrue," she said in a video posted at the weekend. "I would not ever, ever, ever, ever put my kids in danger." But media like TMZ have brought to light photographs of Mama June with Mark McDaniel.

1 "Uncle Poodle” Revealed He Is Sick

Uncle Poodle has appeared in several episodes of the reality show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. His real name is Lee Thompson and he is the brother of Sugar Bear and the favorite uncle of the girls.

During an interview for Atlanta magazine Fenuxe, the uncle of Honey Boo Boo stated that he was HIV positive. "I was adamant about getting my HIV status checked on a regular basis," he explained. "On March 16, 2012, I tested negative." But when he decided to get another test, things changed. "Then, in May of 2012, my test results came back positive." he said.

Uncle Poodle also added "I later learned he had been HIV positive and was not taking medication and had not bothered to tell me about it." he said. "I was advised that I should press charges and, hesitantly, I did. It was the right thing to do." And from that moment he has started a campaign that emphasizes the importance of safety and honesty in couples. 'They are... fools! They are playing Russian roulette; They are playing with their lives and that of their... partners," he said.

But luckily he has a family that loves him and supports him.

References: dailymail.co.uk, metro.co.uk, wikipedia.org, nickiswift.com, salon.com, cosmopolitan.com, huffingtonpost.com, people.com, hollywoodlife.com, etonline.com, lifeandstylemag.com, intouchweekly.com, radaronline.com