10 Shocking Realities Of The 'Honey Boo Boo' Family In 2025: From College Nursing To Custody Battles

The world first met Alana Thompson, known as "Honey Boo Boo," in 2012, a spunky, self-proclaimed "pageant queen" whose family's unconventional life in McIntyre, Georgia, captivated and divided audiences on TLC's Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. More than a decade later, the Shannon/Thompson family has undergone a dramatic transformation, marked by sobriety, new careers, tragic loss, and continued reality television drama.

As of late December 2025, the family is navigating a complex new chapter, with the matriarch, June "Mama June" Shannon, headlining a new season of her spin-off, Mama June: Family Crisis, and Alana shedding her famous nickname to pursue a serious career path. The updates are fresh, raw, and reveal a family determined to move forward while constantly looking back at the foundation of their fame.

The Family Profile: Where Are the Stars of 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' Now?

The core cast of the original series has evolved significantly since the show's cancellation in 2014, with each member facing major personal and professional shifts. Here is a look at the key figures and their current status in 2025.

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• Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson:
  • Full Name: Alana Frances Thompson
  • Born: August 28, 2005 (Age 20 in late 2025)
  • Current Life: Alana has officially ditched the "Honey Boo Boo" moniker and is now a college student, pursuing a degree in nursing. She has publicly distanced herself from the reality TV persona that defined her childhood.
• June "Mama June" Shannon:
  • Full Name: June Shannon (sometimes legally Anna Shannon)
  • Born: August 10, 1979
  • Current Life: June is sober and remarried to Justin Stroud. Her life is the focus of the 2025 season of Mama June: Family Crisis, which details her ongoing struggles, including a major custody battle.
• Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird:
  • Full Name: Lauryn Mychelle Efird (née Shannon)
  • Born: January 7, 2000
  • Current Life: Lauryn is navigating a divorce from Josh Efird and co-parenting drama. She has taken on a significant parental role for her younger sister, Alana, and her late sister Anna's daughter.
• Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell:
  • Full Name: Anna Toney (née Cardwell)
  • Born: 1994
  • Tragic Update: Anna, the eldest sister, tragically passed away at the age of 29 in December 2023 after a difficult battle with cancer. Her death is a central emotional theme for the family in 2025.
• Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson:
  • Role: Alana's father.
  • Current Life: Sugar Bear, who appeared on various reality shows after Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, is reportedly divorced again.

The New Reality: Custody Fights and College Life Dominate 2025

The latest updates on the family are not about pageants or "sketti" but about serious life challenges, showcasing a dramatic shift from their comedic roots on TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. The family's current reality is heavily focused on the fallout from Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell’s passing and Alana’s pursuit of a higher education.

The 2025 season of Mama June: Family Crisis is centered on a heartbreaking custody battle. Mama June is fighting to gain legal custody of Anna’s daughter, Kaitlyn, following Anna's death. This struggle has put immense pressure on June’s marriage to her husband, Justin Stroud, and her relationship with her other children, including Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird, who has been a primary caretaker for years.

June has also been publicly honoring Anna’s memory, even carrying her late daughter’s ashes in a bracelet. This emotional tribute highlights the deep grief the family continues to process as the second anniversary of Anna's death approaches in December 2025. The family's journey through this loss is the most raw and vulnerable storyline they have ever shared on television.

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In a stark contrast to the family drama, Alana Thompson is carving out a completely different future for herself. Now 20 years old, Alana is attending college with the goal of becoming a registered nurse. She has been open about the challenges of balancing her studies with the demands of her public profile, emphasizing that she is no longer the child star known as Honey Boo Boo. Her choice to pursue a career in healthcare represents a significant break from her reality television past.

From Pageants to Paychecks: The Family's Unconventional Legacy

The Shannon/Thompson family’s journey is a testament to the unpredictable nature of reality television fame. Their initial exposure on Toddlers & Tiaras led to Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, a show that, despite its short run, cemented their place in pop culture history. The show was eventually canceled in 2014 after reports surfaced about Mama June's relationship with a convicted sex offender.

However, the family quickly pivoted, moving to various spin-offs, including Mama June: From Not to Hot, which documented June's weight loss journey, and later, Mama June: Road to Redemption, which focused on her battle with substance abuse and her path to sobriety. The family has consistently used their platform to share deeply personal struggles, from addiction and legal issues to health crises and the devastating loss of Anna to cancer.

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Today, the family’s reality series, now titled Mama June: Family Crisis, continues to draw viewers by showcasing the raw, unscripted fallout of their fame. The 2025 season, in particular, focuses on the financial and emotional toll of their lives, including reports of a missing $35,000 and Lauryn's complicated divorce from Josh Efird, who is now reportedly dating other people.

The ongoing saga of the family, particularly the contrast between Alana's quiet pursuit of a nursing degree and her mother's high-stakes reality drama, demonstrates the two separate paths the family members have taken. Alana's determination to build a stable life away from the cameras provides a hopeful counter-narrative to the continuous "crisis" that keeps the family on television.

Ultimately, the legacy of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo is no longer about child pageants. It’s about a family's complex, often messy, but always public, struggle for redemption, stability, and healing in the face of immense pressure and tragedy. The family continues to evolve, proving that for them, the reality show never truly ends.