On the latest episode of the WE tv reality sensation Mama June: Family Crisis, the titular June Shannon had to take a drug test on camera.
The results were a disaster.
June confessed to her daughter that she has been spending a tremendous amount of money on meth every single day.
"I said, look, we’re not gonna get anywhere staying here," June told her daughter, Lauryn at the tense sit-down.
For your convenience, we have included a clip of that painful conversation.
"The only reason I sold the house," she explained, "I was dead f–king broke."
Many of us suspected that her selling the house last year for significantly less than it was worth was for that reason.
However, it was extremely important to hear it from her – for fans and for her daughter known to fans as Pumpkin.
"Because you know, at that point, we [were] doing quite a bit," June admitted, referring to drugs.
And not just any drugs.
Specifically, she was talking about methamphetamine, popularly known as meth – and by any name or nickname, a particularly dangerous and behavior-altering drug no one needs to be taking.
"I mean, it was a couple ounces a day," she characterized.
But here comes the real bombshell:
June revealed: "Our habit was $2,500 a day, if not more."
A day? Where did she even have that kind of money? Did she? Or was she racking up debut and selling off possessions?
At this point, we see Dr. Ish in the observation room explain that June appears to be understating her consumption.
For $2,500 a day, that could be 25 grams of meth a day. That’s a certifiably bonkers amount.
The physician replied that a tiny fraction of that would be more than enough for most users.
So what gives?
"It wasn’t something that just started and, ‘oh my God, I started using drugs,’" June tries to express in the clip.
"You found out that I got busted," she acknowledged, referring to her widely reported arrest early in 2019.
"I got high because I wanted to," she explained, more interested in defending Geno Doak than herself.
"It’s not the first time I’ve ever done drugs," June pointed out.
Lauryn is well aware of June’s deeply troubled history – as we all are – but pointed out that this was different.
She said that this was the first time she has seen her mother "strung out" in recent years, since she is older.
First of all, that is heartbreaking to hear from Lauryn.
Many believe that drugs should be a human right, but no parent should ever be strung out around their kids.
Second of all, it seems clear that June spending more time on camera and around doctors were what had, for a time, tempered her pursuit of drugs.
Not anymore.
Lauryn then explained to her mother that she simply cannot have Ella or Alana around her when she is like this.
It’s dangerous and traumatic – and Alana a.k.a. Honey Boo Boo has already been through more than enough trauma.
Lauryn is also concerned that June and Geno are trapped in a cycle.
A particularly vicious, even deadly cycle.
To say they bring out the worst in each other is an understatement. One may try to get clean, but then get dragged back down by the other.
Back and forth, with neither attaining sobriety.
Lauryn was visibly and audibly emotional, to the point of tears, when she told her mom that she can’t be around the girls.
"And I promise you," June insisted, "for the last couple of months, we have been … I would say, 90 percent good."
Obviously, 90 percent good is an improvement from where she was before … positive cocaine tests aside.
But it’s not quite enough for her to be entrusted with family time, especially around impressionable children.
June admits that, months ago, she would have shown up blitzed out for her mind to something like this.
"Mama, I’m glad that you weren’t," Lauryn replied, and also talked about how poorly Geno has treated her.
In case you were wondering, he’s not a good guy.
Suffice it to say that the montage of clips of Geno being an utter ass to June is just the tip of the iceberg.
Honestly? We know that June’s drug habit is real.
We also known that it is not something that she opted to do for fun, and that she feels bad about it.
And while Geno is clearly a factor in her addiction and downward spiral, he is not the sole culprit, either.
June was not born a celebrity.
She spent decades living in unthinkable poverty, and at just 40 years old must feel like 80 some days.
Her drug use, like her eating habits from before her makeover, is self-medication for a lifetime of trauma.
While she is ultimately responsible for her own choices, it’s hard not to feel an element of sympathy too.
This is clearly a cry for help.
Watch the scene now: