Alana ”Honey Boo Boo” Thompson is finally telling the wild story of her childhood fame and family dysfunction in her own words.
Thompson, now 19, is the narrator of the new Lifetime biopic I Was Honey Boo Boo, which revisits her viral Toddlers and Tiaras debut and subsequent rise to stardom, followed by her family’s downward spiral. Moments from her life are reenacted by a cast of actors, and Thompson adds her own commentary to the scenes.
In one confessional-style moment, Thompson recalls the fear she felt after her mother, “Mama June” Shannon, became addicted to drugs around 2019.
“This Mama was acting in ways I didn’t recognize,” Thompson said of her mother at that time.
Thompson remembered being confused, afraid, and unsure who to turn to. When she confronted her mom with concerns (as depicted by the cast of actors), Shannon brushed her young daughter off. That’s when Thompson’s older sister, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon, had the young girl stay with her instead of with their mother.
“What hurt was that it didn’t seem to bother Mama that I wasn’t living home anymore,” Thompson said in the film.
Her mother’s drug addiction got “worse and worse,” Thompson said, with her mom no longer showing up to film their second spin off series, Mama June: From Not to Hot, and not answering her phone. That’s when the show was renamed to Mama June: Family Crisis.
“It was a crisis,” Thompson emphasized. “I was scared I’d wake up to find out she’d died. And as much as I felt betrayed by her, I was desperate to protect her.”
That’s when Thompson and her sisters staged an intervention, captured on camera for Season 3, Episode 11 of Mama June: Family Crisis. The reenactment in the Lifetime film mirrors the reality TV episode down to the psychiatrist present to guide the family through the conversation.
“In that moment, I didn’t even recognize her,” Thompson said of the emotional confrontation. “All she cared about was drugs.”
Trying to handle the situation as a preteen was overwhelming. “Looking back now, it was a lot to carry and to try and fix,” Thompson said of her mother’s struggles. “I don’t know who the hell that was, but that wasn’t my Mama,” she continued, calling the situation “shameful.”
Shannon and her then-partner, Eugene Doak, were arrested and charged with felony drug possession on March 13, 2019. Shannon was sentenced to 100 hours of community service and court supervision, as well as other conditions like random drug testing, according to E! News. Doak, facing additional charges, was sentenced to 16 months plus two years probation.
Thompson recently claimed that at the height of her mother’s drug addiction, Shannon sold the family’s home and other belongings. She also claimed Shannon stole $35,000 of the teen’s Dancing With the Stars earnings. The funds were recently returned to Thompson, but without an apology.
When asked by People about the money, Shannon said she couldn’t discuss it. “That’s part of this season,” she added, referring to the seventh season of Mama June: Family Crisis.
Thompson has, for the most part, reconciled with her mother. She told People it “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.”
I Was Honey Boo Boo premieres on Lifetime May 17 at 8 p.m. ET.
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