Latest news with #HoneyBooBoo
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Honey Boo Boo star reveals to family she's dating ex-husband's COUSIN
Former Honey Boo Boo star Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Shannon has revealed exactly who her new boyfriend is. After sharing photos of beau Darrin Kitchens online since last year, she confessed that he has a familial relation to her ex-husband Josh Efird. On the latest episode of Mama June: Family Crisis, Lauryn, 25, confided in her colleague Paisley that Kitchens is Efird's cousin. 'But they're not blood cousins!' she explained to her friend in their one-on-one conversation, explaining that is Darrin is related to Josh's stepfather. 'I've known him for a really long time. We were friends back in school, and then, he messaged me on social media,' Lauryn dished. 'We've just kind of been talking, and it's kind of nice.' Lauryn described Darrin as 'sweet' and said he 'does things for me without me having to ask.' She made a point to tell Paisley that he has 'no criminal record,' unlike her mother Mama June and her past romantic suitors. And the longtime reality star said she hadn't 'really told anybody' about her boyfriend's identity because 'it's going to be awkward for other people.' Before spilling the details of her new romance she asked that Paisley not tell anyone because she hoped to avoid 'drama.' Paisley comforted Pumpkin by saying that her situation is not 'weird,' but 'maybe just a little complicated.' She then asked Lauryn if she plans to tell her ex-husband, suggesting that she should. The mom-of-four — who shares Ella, seven, Bentley, four, and twins Sylus and Stella, three, with her ex — noted, 'I just feel like there's a lot more to discuss with him than my dating life. I don't know if we're quite there yet.' The Honey Boo Boo alum said she's been keeping her love life under wraps by eating out of town or getting food 'to-go and eating back at the house.' The July 11 episode also saw Shannon finalize her divorce from Josh, which he called 'the hardest day of my life.' 'Me and Josh are going to make the divorce final,' Lauryn said on the show. 'I am ready to be free from my marriage. 'For me, that like being able to do what I want to do, going and hanging out with my friends. Like, I am okay. So, let's just hope that we can be done with this part.' 'Leaving something I thought I'd have for the rest of my life is not the best feeling in the world,' Efird said before signing the divorce documents. 'These times have been super tough on me, and I'm sure it's vice versa in some weird way for her too, but I really don't want to go in here and sign these papers, if we're being honest.' While meeting with their lawyer, Lauryn made the decision to restore her maiden name. Josh has since moved on, and he recently welcomed a daughter with new girlfriend Breanna Godwin. Shannon and Kitchens made their social media debut on August 10, 2024 in images from a Zach Bryan concert just one week after she filed for divorce. In 2016, at age 16, she got engaged to Josh after nine months of dating. A year later, they welcomed their first child, daughter, Ella. The following year they got married at The Chapel at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. Pumpkin filed for divorce on August 2 and in the documents revealed that the marriage was was 'irretrievably broken.' Darrin is a resident of Macon, Georgia and appears to have married and divorced a woman named Shannon Kitchens at least three times since 2020.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
She was Honey Boo Boo
In 2012, TLC filmed a tiny, hyperactive 6-year-old girl with curly blond hair as she flailed about in an interview chair, declaring herself a 'beauty queen' and a 'superstar.' She dissed her fellow child beauty pageant contestants, calling them 'honey boo boo child' and introducing her mother, 'Mama June' Shannon, as the 'Coupon Queen.' Her high energy and penchant for creating viral soundbites in a playful Georgia accent (like 'dollar makes me holler' and 'everybody's a little gay') made her a meme and a reality TV staple for the next decade. But that was Honey Boo Boo, not Alana Thompson. Technically, they're the same person. Thompson will still smile and take a photo with you if you recognize her as her younger alter ego out in public, but she's got an identity of her own now beyond the caricature of a redneck reality star. She's ready to tell her story. 'I decided that now was a good time because I feel like everybody thinks they know my story,' she told Yahoo Entertainment in the same familiar Southern twang of her youth. 'I think it's going to be an eye opener for everybody because everybody thinks they know … me.' The 19-year-old is now studying nursing at Regis University in Denver. When she's featured on the latest iteration of her family's long-running reality show, Mama June: Family Crisis, she's doing her best to separate herself from the chaos of her upbringing. That's what she hopes her new Lifetime biopic, I Was Honey Boo Boo, will help accomplish. In the film, actors re-create scenes from Thompson's past. Those scenes are threaded together with statements from Thompson in the present. Though she talks extensively — and candidly — about her mom and sisters in the film, which first aired in May, she didn't run any of her plans or statements by them beforehand. 'Everything that was said, I just said it. I knew that I wanted to share my story and be the most authentic — I did not want to lie about anything, so I literally told them that I'm filming a documentary series,' Thompson explained to Yahoo Entertainment. 'Just know that nothing is left untold.' Nearly every child star who maintains an audience into adulthood has to reckon with the same thing: How do I confront my past but continue forging a present that's both satisfying and separate from what made me famous? For Thompson, the solution is simple. She's just going to keep telling the truth. That starts with the reality of the emotional abuse that she endured both onscreen and off. Thompson wasn't just a child star — she was 'mama's little moneymaker,' per a reenactment in her movie, within a family constantly rocked by scandal. In I Was Honey Boo Boo, present day Thompson says, 'It was always the same thing. I wanted Mama, but her love was only transactional.' After Thompson was crowned queen of the Toddlers and Tiaras universe, she got her own show: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, which ran for two seasons. It was technically canceled in 2014, when Shannon was caught spending time with a registered sex offender. It was reborn — now with Shannon, whose 300-pound weight loss made headlines, as its title character — on WeTV in 2017 as Mama June: From Not to Hot; then rebranded to Mama June: Road to Redemption in 2021, when Shannon began trying to get sober after an arrest for drug possession; and once again, retitled Mama June: Family Crisis, in 2023. The franchise has been criticized for years for poking fun at its subjects in its portayal of Thompson's family as 'a horde of lice-picking, lard-eating, nose-thumbing hooligans south of the Mason–Dixon line,' 'a car crash' and 'people to point and snicker at.' Despite the way the shows seemed to suggest that the family should be laughed at because of the way they look and talk, they just kept coming back, demanding to be seen. Having cameras around all the time wasn't easy — especially when her family was enduring so many difficulties — but Thompson didn't mind putting on a show. "Growing up in the spotlight, there's things I probably would have did different, but it was hard and it was fun at the same time. I have always loved being the center of attention, and I've always loved making people laugh,' Thompson told Yahoo Entertainment. 'I loved every second of it. There was never a time I was like, 'I don't want to do this.'' Much of I Was Honey Boo Boo's runtime is spent detailing the emotionally abusive relationship between Thompson and her mother. Shannon first appeared as a loving-if-misguided mother figure who nurtured Thompson's love of pageants, yelling 'Work it, Smoochie!' from the audience as Thompson performed and feeding her 'go-go juice' (Mountain Dew and Red Bull) to get her hyped up. She produced just about as many viral quotes as her daughter too. But as time went on, Shannon's substance abuse and relationship conflicts became a serious problem in their home, causing financial and interpersonal strife. At one point, Thompson's sister Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Efird became her legal guardian. By the time she became an adult and left the care of anyone she's related to, Thompson had been the star of three reality shows. 'For me, it's not about fame and it's not about the money,' she says in the biopic. 'Honestly, my story is simple. It's about a mom and a daughter and breaking the cycle of emotional abuse.' But the money still matters — or else it serves as evidence that the relationship between Thompson and her mom has always been fraught. Over and over, Thompson explains in the biopic that her mom would cling to her when she needed money, then let her go when she didn't. Thompson has claimed that she never received any of the money she earned as a child star. She doesn't even know how much she'd be owed, at this point. On Season 6 of Mama June: Family Crisis, Shannon confessed that she'd taken some of the money allotted to Thompson in a Coogan account, a trust in which parents are required to set aside the earnings of their child star children. Shannon paid it back but never apologized. 'I would tell people to take it one day at a time and just know that there is light at the end of the tunnel,' Thompson said. 'Not every day is going to be your worst day, and not every day is going to be your best day, so just take it slow and work with what you got.' She just wishes that she could go back in time and tell herself that. 'To know where I [was] five or six years from now to where I am today is such a big, dramatic change,' she said. 'It makes me more motivated to see what else I can do in the future.' When Thompson looks back at old memes and videos of herself, she feels both sadness and happiness. Being able to rewatch Here Comes Honey Boo Boo feels a lot like watching a home video. But sometimes, those memories sting. 'We used to be so close as a family … we're close again now, but when the cameras really started coming out, we wasn't as close anymore. It's a little sad,' she said. Burdened by bullying and a hectic filming schedule, Thompson left traditional school to be homeschooled when she was young. Years later, her return to public high school is shown as a major turning point in Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. She's exceptionally smart, which wouldn't surprise anyone who considers how many witty and instantly iconic statements she's responsible for, and defies the not-so-bright stereotypes forced upon people with accents like hers. Thompson is fully committed to school right now, focusing as much as she can. She's officially a junior in college and hoping to become a pediatric ICU nurse. 'I just want my adulthood to be, like, me accomplishing my goals,' she said. 'Eventually, in the future, I want to be a mom and stuff. I don't like to go too in detail because I don't even know what's going to probably happen tomorrow!' Thompson still loves performing, though. 'I like turning on the spark and being energetic and being … fun when in the room. I don't like to have a little sad party,' she said. That's a relief to hear, because Thompson's still technically a part of her family's reality show. They've all come together in recent years after losing her sister Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell to cancer. Thompson said that, in spite of whatever relationship she has with her mom, she's 'very grateful' for Mama June: Family Crisis. 'It's one of the main reasons I'm able to pay for college. I am very grateful for it, but it's a lot, trying to do college and have the show and everything,' she said. On the show, she's Alana now. In her everyday life, most people still call her Honey Boo Boo when they come up to her. It's not as bad as it used to be, though. 'I remember us first coming to Hollywood, and we were bombarded by paparazzi,' she said. 'I probably get [approached] maybe like five or six times a day. When I first got famous, it was like 20 or 30 times a day.' Thompson laughed when she realized that five or six confrontations per day is still quite a lot, but she's never known anything different. People might have their perceptions of her — they always have — but she's focused on who she's becoming. 'Everybody's always gonna have their own opinion on me, regardless of what I say, but I just want people to know that I really am a hard worker. I really am this happy little bubbly girl … I'm so sweet and I'm not as stuck up and all famous-person as people think I am,' Thompson said. 'I just want people to know that this is my truth.'
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
She was Honey Boo Boo
In 2012, TLC filmed a tiny, hyperactive 6-year-old girl with curly blond hair as she flailed about in an interview chair, declaring herself a 'beauty queen' and a 'superstar.' She dissed her fellow child beauty pageant contestants, calling them 'honey boo boo child' and introducing her mother, 'Mama June' Shannon, as the 'Coupon Queen.' Her high energy and penchant for creating viral soundbites in a playful Georgia accent (like 'dollar makes me holler' and 'everybody's a little gay') made her a meme and a reality TV staple for the next decade. But that was Honey Boo Boo, not Alana Thompson. Technically, they're the same person. Thompson will still smile and take a photo with you if you recognize her as her younger alter ego out in public, but she's got an identity of her own now beyond the caricature of a redneck reality star. She's ready to tell her story. 'I decided that now was a good time because I feel like everybody thinks they know my story,' she told Yahoo Entertainment in the same familiar Southern twang of her youth. 'I think it's going to be an eye opener for everybody because everybody thinks they know … me.' The 19-year-old is now studying nursing at Regis University in Denver. When she's featured on the latest iteration of her family's long-running reality show, Mama June: Family Crisis, she's doing her best to separate herself from the chaos of her upbringing. That's what she hopes her new Lifetime biopic, I Was Honey Boo Boo, will help accomplish. In the film, actors re-create scenes from Thompson's past. Those scenes are threaded together with statements from Thompson in the present. Though she talks extensively — and candidly — about her mom and sisters in the film, which first aired in May, she didn't run any of her plans or statements by them beforehand. 'Everything that was said, I just said it. I knew that I wanted to share my story and be the most authentic — I did not want to lie about anything, so I literally told them that I'm filming a documentary series,' Thompson explained to Yahoo Entertainment. 'Just know that nothing is left untold.' Nearly every child star who maintains an audience into adulthood has to reckon with the same thing: How do I confront my past but continue forging a present that's both satisfying and separate from what made me famous? For Thompson, the solution is simple. She's just going to keep telling the truth. That starts with the reality of the emotional abuse that she endured both onscreen and off. Thompson wasn't just a child star — she was 'mama's little moneymaker,' per a reenactment in her movie, within a family constantly rocked by scandal. In I Was Honey Boo Boo, present day Thompson says, 'It was always the same thing. I wanted Mama, but her love was only transactional.' After Thompson was crowned queen of the Toddlers and Tiaras universe, she got her own show: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, which ran for two seasons. It was technically canceled in 2014, when Shannon was caught spending time with a registered sex offender. It was reborn — now with Shannon, whose 300-pound weight loss made headlines, as its title character — on WeTV in 2017 as Mama June: From Not to Hot; then rebranded to Mama June: Road to Redemption in 2021, when Shannon began trying to get sober after an arrest for drug possession; and once again, retitled Mama June: Family Crisis, in 2023. The franchise has been criticized for years for poking fun at its subjects in its portayal of Thompson's family as 'a horde of lice-picking, lard-eating, nose-thumbing hooligans south of the Mason–Dixon line,' 'a car crash' and 'people to point and snicker at.' Despite the way the shows seemed to suggest that the family should be laughed at because of the way they look and talk, they just kept coming back, demanding to be seen. Having cameras around all the time wasn't easy — especially when her family was enduring so many difficulties — but Thompson didn't mind putting on a show. "Growing up in the spotlight, there's things I probably would have did different, but it was hard and it was fun at the same time. I have always loved being the center of attention, and I've always loved making people laugh,' Thompson told Yahoo Entertainment. 'I loved every second of it. There was never a time I was like, 'I don't want to do this.'' Much of I Was Honey Boo Boo's runtime is spent detailing the emotionally abusive relationship between Thompson and her mother. Shannon first appeared as a loving-if-misguided mother figure who nurtured Thompson's love of pageants, yelling 'Work it, Smoochie!' from the audience as Thompson performed and feeding her 'go-go juice' (Mountain Dew and Red Bull) to get her hyped up. She produced just about as many viral quotes as her daughter too. But as time went on, Shannon's substance abuse and relationship conflicts became a serious problem in their home, causing financial and interpersonal strife. At one point, Thompson's sister Lauryn 'Pumpkin' Efird became her legal guardian. By the time she became an adult and left the care of anyone she's related to, Thompson had been the star of three reality shows. 'For me, it's not about fame and it's not about the money,' she says in the biopic. 'Honestly, my story is simple. It's about a mom and a daughter and breaking the cycle of emotional abuse.' But the money still matters — or else it serves as evidence that the relationship between Thompson and her mom has always been fraught. Over and over, Thompson explains in the biopic that her mom would cling to her when she needed money, then let her go when she didn't. Thompson has claimed that she never received any of the money she earned as a child star. She doesn't even know how much she'd be owed, at this point. On Season 6 of Mama June: Family Crisis, Shannon confessed that she'd taken some of the money allotted to Thompson in a Coogan account, a trust in which parents are required to set aside the earnings of their child star children. Shannon paid it back but never apologized. 'I would tell people to take it one day at a time and just know that there is light at the end of the tunnel,' Thompson said. 'Not every day is going to be your worst day, and not every day is going to be your best day, so just take it slow and work with what you got.' She just wishes that she could go back in time and tell herself that. 'To know where I [was] five or six years from now to where I am today is such a big, dramatic change,' she said. 'It makes me more motivated to see what else I can do in the future.' When Thompson looks back at old memes and videos of herself, she feels both sadness and happiness. Being able to rewatch Here Comes Honey Boo Boo feels a lot like watching a home video. But sometimes, those memories sting. 'We used to be so close as a family … we're close again now, but when the cameras really started coming out, we wasn't as close anymore. It's a little sad,' she said. Burdened by bullying and a hectic filming schedule, Thompson left traditional school to be homeschooled when she was young. Years later, her return to public high school is shown as a major turning point in Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. She's exceptionally smart, which wouldn't surprise anyone who considers how many witty and instantly iconic statements she's responsible for, and defies the not-so-bright stereotypes forced upon people with accents like hers. Thompson is fully committed to school right now, focusing as much as she can. She's officially a junior in college and hoping to become a pediatric ICU nurse. 'I just want my adulthood to be, like, me accomplishing my goals,' she said. 'Eventually, in the future, I want to be a mom and stuff. I don't like to go too in detail because I don't even know what's going to probably happen tomorrow!' Thompson still loves performing, though. 'I like turning on the spark and being energetic and being … fun when in the room. I don't like to have a little sad party,' she said. That's a relief to hear, because Thompson's still technically a part of her family's reality show. They've all come together in recent years after losing her sister Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell to cancer. Thompson said that, in spite of whatever relationship she has with her mom, she's 'very grateful' for Mama June: Family Crisis. 'It's one of the main reasons I'm able to pay for college. I am very grateful for it, but it's a lot, trying to do college and have the show and everything,' she said. On the show, she's Alana now. In her everyday life, most people still call her Honey Boo Boo when they come up to her. It's not as bad as it used to be, though. 'I remember us first coming to Hollywood, and we were bombarded by paparazzi,' she said. 'I probably get [approached] maybe like five or six times a day. When I first got famous, it was like 20 or 30 times a day.' Thompson laughed when she realized that five or six confrontations per day is still quite a lot, but she's never known anything different. People might have their perceptions of her — they always have — but she's focused on who she's becoming. 'Everybody's always gonna have their own opinion on me, regardless of what I say, but I just want people to know that I really am a hard worker. I really am this happy little bubbly girl … I'm so sweet and I'm not as stuck up and all famous-person as people think I am,' Thompson said. 'I just want people to know that this is my truth.'
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Mama June Shannon issues stark warning about weight loss shots as she reveals update on her health
Mama June Shannon has warned those who are interested in taking weight loss drugs to proceed with caution as it is 'not a quick fix.' The mom-of-four, who has been open about her diet and fitness journey over the years, turned to semaglutide last April in a bid to shed the weight she gained during her late daughter Anna Cardwell 's cancer battle. While the 45-year-old reality star has since stopped using the shots, she has implored those who are interested to research the drugs thoroughly and to work on fixing bad lifestyle habits too. Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail last week alongside daughter Alana ' Honey Boo Boo ' Thompson, June said that she quit the injections in December. 'I have maintained the same weight since October,' she said. 'I've been, like, 194 pounds, or 197 pounds. I'm down 95 pounds. 'I haven't taken any weight loss shots since December. But I will tell people, this: do your research on weight loss injections. 'Don't make it a fix all, be all. If you're not losing any weight, there's something behind you not losing any weight. You have to change your lifestyle.' June successfully lost around 355 pounds after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery 10 years ago. She told Daily Mail that she is no longer taking weight loss shots and has maintained the same weight since October (Pictured on May 28) However, speaking to Daily Mail, she said that she did not break her cycle of bad habits. 'I was still eating sh***y,' she said. 'I've changed this time around.' Last April, June said she had gained over 100 pounds from the stress of caring for her late daughter Anna, who died following a battle with cancer on December 10, 2023. As for the rest of her health, June shared that she had to undergo a 'total hysterectomy' just two months ago. 'I am still dealing with the medical issues, and I don't want to go public with those until we find out where we are and what the treatment is going to be,' she continued. 'So, the only thing that I've came public with is a hysterectomy, not the other health issues.' June is also going strong in her sobriety journey following her public battle with addiction five years ago. 'I'd say I'm five and a half straight, sober,' she enthused. 'No cigarettes, no alcohol, no nothing. You know, I don't even think about who that person was.' Elsewhere in her interview with Daily Mail, June shrugged off calls for her to stop profiting from reality television after she stole over $30,000 from daughter - insisting she now simply ignores all the negative comments. 'I just say, watch the show, thank you for commenting, thank you for putting us on the algorithm, thank ya'll for your concerns,' she said. 'I just answer it and go about my business.' Last year, the matriarch sparked outrage when she admitted she had spent thousands of dollars of Alana's money on living expenses, including manicures and household bills. June argued that she will always be subjected to criticism no matter what she does, and she has reckoned with this. 'If I move a certain way or I say a certain thing… like I know tonight when I go live on start talking after the show airs, they're going to talk about that,' she said. 'They're going to talk about that a year from now. It's just like they keep flogging that horse and you're just like, that's already been dealt with.'
Daily Mail
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Mama June shrugs off calls for her to be axed from reality TV after stealing daughter Alana's money
Mama June Shannon has shrugged off calls for her to stop profiting from reality television after she stole over $30,000 from daughter Alana ' Honey Boo Boo ' Thompson - insisting she now simply ignores all the negative comments. The matriarch, 45, sparked outrage last year when she admitted she had spent thousands of dollars of Alana's money on living expenses, including manicures and household bills. Joining in the studio for an exclusive interview last week, June was asked for her response to those who don't want to see her on their television screens again following the scandal. Along with her daughter, Alana, 19, she was also pressed on whether she still keeps an eye on the comments from social media users. 'I used to fight like everybody when I first started this adventure years ago, because I wanted to go after everybody that was talking bad, but now I'm just like, okay, it makes my views go up, argue in the comments if you want to,' she said, referring to being trolled. June, who has a history of substance abuse and was charged with felony possession of drugs in 2019, said that much of the only abuse she is subjected to is due to her past addiction and Alana's money. 'The biggest thing I get is the money, the drugs, or "why is she talking so loud?" I'm like, if you've been around, if y'all want me to get real loud, I'll get real, real loud,' she continued. Nowadays, June isn't engaging with the trolls. 'I just say, watch the show, thank you for commenting, thank you for putting us on the algorithm, thank ya'll for your concerns,' she added. 'I just answer it and go about my business.' June argued that she will always be subjected to criticism no matter what she does, and she has reckoned with this. 'If I move a certain way or I say a certain thing… like I know tonight when I go live on start talking after the show airs, they're going to talk about that,' she said. 'They're going to talk about that a year from now. It's just like they keep flogging that horse and you're just like, that's already been dealt with.' In April 2024, June admitted she spent $30,000 of daughter Alana's money on 'life expenses.' Alana was so distraught by the news that at the time she stated she was considering legal action against her mother, who had attempted to talk her way out of the confrontation. Speaking exclusively to at the time, June said that she had only spent Alana's Dancing with the Stars paycheck and did not steal her entire life's savings. 'I did not spend 12 years of money. It was only from one show [Dancing with the Stars],' she said. 'Alana has money in a Coogan account [a special blocked trust fund account for child stars] that she is choosing not to touch – and it is in the six figures. It's like is over $200,000.' Alana's total fee for Dancing with the Stars amounted to $60,000, but after Californian taxes, June claimed all that remained was $35,000. 'It is really only $30,000,' she continued. 'That's not a lot of money. We paid the bills with that, it went on whatever her needs were, whether it was getting her nails done or her lashes done or whatever it was. 'We also stayed out in California back in 2018 when she was on Dancing with the Stars and that did cost. 'Unfortunately, I didn't have a ton of money myself. I used that money to reinvest in her and support us through that time because we stayed out in California for almost a month after she got off Dancing with the Stars. 'So that's the only money in question. It's not hundreds of thousands of dollars. It was only the money from the one show, and I put the recommended amount of money, which was 20 percent into her savings. 'And, you know, this may sound rude, but legally I don't have to pay or give any money back.'
