Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson claims she never received any money from TLC reality show earnings

Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson rose to fame at 5 on TLC’s 'Toddlers & Tiaras' before starring in her family’s show 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' in 2012
UPDATED MAY 16, 2025
Alana Thompson visits the Empire State Building at The Empire State Building on May 14, 2025, in New York City (John Nacion/Getty Images)
Alana Thompson visits the Empire State Building at The Empire State Building on May 14, 2025, in New York City (John Nacion/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson has reflected on her younger days as a child star and the struggles she faced at the time before the May 17 release of the new Lifetime biopic — ‘I Was Honey Boo Boo’.

The 19-year-old also disclosed that she did not see any money she earned from her work on ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’, as reported by PEOPLE.



 

June Shannon took all Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson’s money she earned as child star

TV personalities Honey Boo Boo and Mama June visit Build Series to discuss 'Mama June: From Not to Hot' at Build Studio on June 11, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Desiree Navarro/Getty Images)
TV personalities Honey Boo Boo and Mama June visit Build Series to discuss 'Mama June: From Not to Hot' at Build Studio on June 11, 2018 in New York City (Desiree Navarro/Getty Images)

The former pageant princess revealed that her mother, June Shannon, even took away $35,000 from her, which she was paid for doing ‘Dancing with the Stars’ in 2019.

Though her 45-year-old mother, who struggled with drug addiction, has now returned the money, “there was no, I’m sorry.”

Thompson was only five when she became popular after appearing in a classic episode of TLC’s ‘Toddlers & Tiaras’. Following which, she and her family were offered to do ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’ in 2012.

Alana
Alana 'Honey Boo Boo Child' Holler visits 'Extra' at The Grove on January 20, 2012 in Los Angeles, California (Noel Vasquez/Getty Images for Extra)

Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson feels humiliated because of her mom

Alana Thompson, aka Honey Boo Boo, is seen at the
Alana Thompson, aka Honey Boo Boo, is seen at the 'Tamron Hall Show' on May 14, 2025 in New York City (MediaPunch/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

About Shannon’s past addiction, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson said, “I noticed something was off about her. She started locking her doors, which really made me think, ‘Oh, what is she doing?’”

She even felt embarrassed because of her mother, especially when she and her then-boyfriend Eugene “Geno” Doak were taken into custody before being charged with felony possession of drugs.

“People were like, ‘I saw your mama on the news with a busted tooth, strung out.’ I’m like, ‘Great, like I didn’t see that too,’” Thompson recalled.

Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson will ‘be the only one’ in her family to have a degree


 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by alana thompson 🫶🏽 (@honeybooboo)


 

Despite all these issues, the content creator was determined to make her life a success.

“I just always told myself you know that you want to do something better with your life and bigger with your life than just being on TV, so you've got to get up and go, you've got to graduate so you can make it to college and be the nurse that you want to be,” she shared.

She also proudly added, “When I graduate I’ll be the only one in my family with a degree. I love that I’ve persevered past who people thought I was.”

LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 31:  Honey Boo Boo and Mama June attend Bossip Best Dressed List Event on Jul
Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson and her mother, June 'Mama June' Shannon, attend the Bossip Best Dressed List Event on July 31, 2018, in Los Angeles, California (Getty Images)

Now, Thompson’s mother is sober, and the mother-daughter relationship has gotten better.

But she admitted that “[Forgiveness] was hard, but at the end of the day, she’s my mom. When she was bad in her addiction, I just kept thinking about the day she’d recover. We’re going pretty good. Hopefully it lasts. I just no longer have any expectations for her.”

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