At 19, Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson Reveals All About Her ‘Crazy’ Child Star Life

Jun 25, 2025 by apost team

NEW: Join our Broadcast Channel for updates on Celebrities, Royals and uplifting news :-) It’s free => https://m.me/j/AbbJ9OINDzpPgn1z

Born on Aug. 28, 2005, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson first rose to fame on “Toddlers & Tiaras,” quickly becoming a fan favorite for her bold personality and catchphrases such as “A dolla makes me holla.” Alana’s upbringing was not typical of a child beauty pageant contestant. 

Back then, she was a feisty little girl active in Georgia’s pageant scene. That unscripted phrase became her signature and launched the persona known as Honey Boo Boo, eventually earning her a reality spinoff.

“I don’t know why but I said it off the top of my head,” she reflected. “‘Honey Boo Boo’ stuck and she’s been there forever.”

Now 19 and living with her 24-year-old boyfriend, Dralin Carswell, while pursuing a nursing degree at Regis University in Colorado, Alana is stepping into adulthood with a more grounded perspective. Her journey, however, has been far from glitter and crowns. 

Her family’s life has played out onscreen for over 10 years, starting with her breakout and continuing into the 2012 series “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.” Designed to spotlight a humorous, working-class Southern household, the show followed young Alana, her mom “Mama June” Shannon, sisters Anna “Chickadee,” Jessica “Chubbs,” and Lauryn “Pumpkin,” as well as her dad Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson.

But behind the playful image were darker realities. In a May 13, 2025, interview with PEOPLE, she shared her truth. Alana is taking control of the narrative in Lifetime’s “I Was Honey Boo Boo,” which premiered May 17, 2025. However, she confessed she was “a little nervous” about going public with her story.

Reflecting on her family’s turmoil – including Mama June’s struggles and her sister Anna’s death in 2023 – Alana stated:

“I did not want this movie to be throwing punches at my mama... But I didn’t hold back and if she gets mad, at the end of the day it’s the truth.”

Alana reflected on her past and admitted that, “Looking back it’s like, ‘Dang, I really went through all that s---? That’s crazy.’”

By 2019, Alana was navigating her early teenage years while her mother, Mama June, who had started using drugs as a teen, was caught in a serious addiction to crack cocaine. Their home life was unraveling, but the cameras continued to roll.

“I noticed something was off about her,” Alana confessed, adding her mother “started locking her doors which really made me think, ‘Oh, what is she doing?’”

That March, Mama June and her partner Eugene “Geno” Doak were arrested for felony drug possession. The fallout extended to school, where Alana heard comments like, “I saw your mama on the news with a busted tooth, strung out.” Her response? “I’m like, ‘Great, like I didn’t see that too.’”

Determined not to let her circumstances hold her back, Alana leaned on her sister Lauryn, who became her legal guardian in 2022. She finished high school in 2023.

“I just always told myself you know that you want to do something better with your life...so you’ve got to get up and go,” she said in explaining her motivation.

Money also proved to be a significant obstacle. Despite a childhood on screen, Alana said she had almost nothing saved when she graduated, claiming Mama June used $35,000 of her “Dancing with the Stars” earnings, only returning it in recent years without apology. She also said she never saw any income from “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.”

Still, the mother-daughter duo is rebuilding their bond. They appeared together on “Mama June: Family Crisis,” on May 30, 2025.

“I can’t really talk about (the money),” Mama June said.

Alana summed up their dynamic by revealing that “Forgiveness was hard... I just no longer have any expectations for her.”

apost.com

Alana’s journey from reality TV fame to finding her voice is truly inspiring. Have you watched her new series “I Was Honey Boo Boo” to hear her story in her own words? Let us know, and then pass this along to anyone who’s followed her since her early days!