Here Comes Honey Boo Boo?
More like there goes Honey Boo Boo… off to high school!
It’s scary and crazy to think about and it makes us feel downright ancient, but it’s true:
Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson is now a freshman in high school.
We know this because her sister (and current caregiver), Lauryn, just shared the photo above of the young reality star, writing as a caption to this snapshot of a pretty grown-up Alana:
Well everyone my little sister/ daughter is going to be a freshman in high school starting tomorrow morning.
Where has the time gone? So excited to be going through this big adventure with you.
Sadly, Lauryn (aka Pumpkin) is going through this adventure in a far closer and more intimate way with her sibling than she previously imagined she would be.
Meaning what, exactly?
Meaning that Alana is currently living with Lauryn because, to be blunt, their mother is a total and complete trainwreck.
June Shannon, who anchors the WEtv series From Not to Hot, was arrested for crack cocaine possession in March.
She was then ordered to stay away from violent boyfriend Geno Doak, who was arrested at this time time for allegedly assaulting June, only to ignore this court order and continue to hang out with someone who is clearly a danger to her daughters.
Following this incident and its subsequent fallout, Alana basically asked her mother to choose:
Keep living with Geno or keep living with me? But it can’t be both.
Shannon has chosen Geno (pictured below) and Alana has moved in with her sister.
Reality show viewers first met Alana way back in 2009 on the show Toddlers & Tiaras. She was four years old at the time.
In 2012, TLC debuted Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, a show that cented on Alana’s life as a child beauty pageant contestant.
Why was it canceled in 2014?
Because Shannon started to date someone who had been convicted of aggravated child molestation.
Can you sense an unfortunate theme throughout Alana’s time in the spotlight? Here’s a hint:
It has something to do with the negative influence of her own mother.
It’s all pretty darn tragic, considering how fans have watched Alana grow from the very little girl pictured directly above into the young woman pictured way above.
And the tragedy isn’t over, either.
Honey Boo Boo’s earnings from her work on television, including Dancing With the Stars: Juniors, have been placed in an account her mother cannot access… because there’s a worry that June is trying to steal from her kids.
"We’re told the family is deeply concerned Mama June might try to use her daughter’s assets to fund her gambling and alleged drug habit," TMZ reported this summer, adding at the time:
"So they want to make sure Honey Boo Boo’s money is protected."