All About Honey Boo Boo’s Parents, June Shannon and Mike Thompson

Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson has had turbulent relationships with both of her parents.

The former pageant queen is the daughter of fellow reality star Mama June Shannon and Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson. In 2012, Alana rose to fame after being featured on season 5 of Toddlers & Tiaras alongside her mother, easily recognized for her one of a kind “Honey Boo Boo child” tagline. Later that same year, fans learned more about Alana’s life with June and her father Mike in the premiere of their family reality series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

June and Mike first met on an online chat room in 2004 and welcomed Alana the next year. Mike eventually proposed to June on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and the two exchanged vows in a commitment ceremony during the finale episode of the series.

“Never settle for a man who doesn’t treat you right,” June told PEOPLE at the time of her recommitment ceremony. “If a guy doesn’t love everything about you, move on! There are plenty of other fish in the sea.”

Her parents eventually split in 2014 after June allegedly discovered Mike had online dating profiles. After going their separate ways, they were both featured in the WE tv series Mama June: From Not to Hot, which showcased June’s massive weight loss journey ahead of Mike’s wedding to Jennifer Web.

Alana’s world drastically changed in 2019 when June was charged with possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia charges after she allegedly had crack cocaine and a crack pipe on her. She later agreed to a plea deal in April 2021.

So who are Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson’s parents? Here’s everything to know about June Shannon and Mike Thompson.

They met online and had Alana one year later

June and Mike met in 2004 via an online chat room. The details about the start of their relationship are sparse, but about one year later, June gave birth to her and Mike’s only biological daughter, Alana, on Aug. 28, 2005.

June is a mom to three older daughters: Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird and the late Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell.

They starred in TLC’s Here Comes Honey Boo Boo

Alana made her TV debut alongside June during season 5 of TLC’s child beauty pageant reality series Toddlers & Tiaras.

The mother-daughter duo quickly became fan favorites, and soon enough, TLC ordered a spinoff series that followed Alana and her family, which included June’s then-partner Mike.

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo premiered on Aug. 8, 2012, and chronicled the often hectic lives of June, Alana and her three sisters.

While starring on the reality series, Mike took the opportunity to propose to June. “The girls need a father figure that’s gonna be around for a while,” Mike said. “It would be a great, extreme honor … Will you marry me and be my wife?”

Though June and Mike were never legally married, the two exchanged vows in a commitment ceremony during the season 2 finale of reality series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

The ceremony took place in May 2013 in the backyard of their family’s Georgia home, with June standing out in a fully camouflaged wedding gown.

“The day was very special mostly because my girls were able to take part in it,” June told PEOPLE at the time. “I felt like it was important for them to see this moment and celebrate my love for Sugar Bear.”

They went on Marriage Boot Camp together ahead of their 2014 split

A few months after footage from their commitment ceremony aired on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, it was announced that June and Mike had split.

“Sugar Bear and I have decided to take some time apart to figure out some things in our relationship,” June told PEOPLE. “We are taking things day by day, but regardless of what happens, the girls will always be our number one priority. We want to thank y’all for your support.”

June reportedly chose to end the relationship after allegedly finding out that Mike had active dating profiles online, according to TMZ.

Around the same time, the show was canceled in October 2014, after reports surfaced that June had allegedly been involved with a convicted sex offender named Mark McDaniel in the past.

The following year, in December 2015, June and Mike returned to TV during season 4 of WEtv’s intensive couples therapy series Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars.

“It was our last resort,” June told PEOPLE. “I feel like he had cheated for quite some time, and I needed some answers. It was either you go here or we end our 11 years.”

During their stint on the series, June expressed her concern for Mike’s alleged virtual cheating.

“I believe there was more than one. The text messages that I have seen [are from] men and women,” she said during a confessional. “I want him to be honest, and I don’t feel in my gut that he’s fully honest.”

June lost custody of Alana in 2022

Following a two season run on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, June became the star of WEtv’s weight loss transformation series Mama June: From Not to Hot. Alana and June also starred in several Mama June spinoffs alongside Lauryn.

During season 4 of the series, June was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia charges after she allegedly had crack cocaine and a crack pipe on her.

She was arrested alongside her then-boyfriend Eugene “Geno” Edward Doak, who was arrested and charged with third-degree domestic violence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The drug possession charges were felonies. They both agreed to plea deals, according to documents obtained by E! News.

In the aftermath of their mom’s arrest, Lauryn was named as Alana’s legal guardian, and she was later granted sole custody in 2022.

“It’s gotten so low to this point, like, what more is there to do?” Lauryn said in Mama June: Family Crisis. “What more can we physically do for her? I mean, we tried to send her to rehab. The network even gave her the opportunity that anybody in their right f—— mind would take. She checked out within less than 24 hours.”

According to court documents obtained by Page Six, June was allowed to get in touch with Alana on a daily basis, but Lauryn decided the visitation schedule. June also paid Lauryn $800 per month in child support ahead of Alana’s 18th birthday, which has now passed.

“People don’t understand the custody thing,” June told the outlet in 2022. “It’s not that somebody ‘lost custody.’ In the state of Georgia, you do temporary guardianship every year, and [Alana] had been living with Pumpkin in my addiction.”

“At the age of 12, you’re able to make your choice, so Alana made that choice to stay in that environment,” she continued. “It’s not like I don’t see Alana, it’s not that I don’t talk to her because I do see her, I do talk to her, we do communicate.”

They’ve both been remarried

During the first season of WEtv’s Mama June: From Not to Hot, June transformed from a size 18 to a size 4. Part of the incentive for June’s weight loss journey was her eventual attendance of Mike’s wedding to Jennifer Web in 2017. Mike and Jennifer eventually broke up.

While June had a turbulent relationship on and off screen with her ex Geno, the two never wed. In the 2023 season of Mama June: Family Crisis, June married Justin Stroud where all of her four daughters — Alana, Jessica and Lauryn — were present.

“This was the first time the family had all been together since 2014,” June said in a WEtv press release. “So it was really special to get married in a place where my family and I have had so many memories!”

Mike has an estranged relationship with his daughter 

Though June and Alana have been able to mend their bond over time, the same cannot be said for Mike. Alana revealed in 2018 that her relationship with her father was virtually “non-existent.”

“He calls me every once in a while,” Alana told PEOPLE in January 2018. “He doesn’t really call me that much, which is kind of sad because he’s supposed to be my father and I think if he’s my father, you should call me more.”

Lauryn reportedly said in June 2023 that Mike is “not involved at all” in Alana’s life.

“We literally have no type of communication. Neither does Alana,” Pumpkin explained to PEOPLE in July 2023. “Even after Alana’s graduation, he took two weeks to reach out and say congratulations.”

Mike reportedly entered rehab at the time for an alleged prescription drug addiction problem.