Reality TV
Honey Boo Boo Admits She Feels ‘Numb’ About Mama June Before Attending Family ‘Therapy Weekend’
Family drama. Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson and Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird (née Shannon) weighed the pros and cons of attending a “therapy weekend” with their mother, June “Mama June” Shannon, amid their estrangement in In Touch‘s exclusive teaser clip for the Friday, June 23, episode of Mama June: Family Crisis.
In the clip, Lauryn, 23, explained to her sisters Alana, 17, and Jessica Shannon that Dr. Ish Major reached out to her to suggest they spend the weekend with June, 43.
“It’s just supposed to be a girls weekend,” Lauryn explained, adding that her husband, Joshua Efird, and June’s husband, Justin Stroud, weren’t invited.
Alana and Jessica, 26, didn’t seem thrilled about the idea, while the teen asked if it would turn into a “yell fest.” However, Lauryn explained that Ish, 50, would be there to mediate if things got out of hand. She added that she thought the weekend was a good idea because it will give her sisters the opportunity to “say what y’all want to say because y’all didn’t say nothing at meet and greet.”
During a previous episode, the girls came face to face with June when she surprised them at a fan meet and greet. While Jessica said that her appearance was “unannounced,” Alana noted that their mother cried but it didn’t seem “real.”
Alana then wondered if June was trying to “trick” Ish into thinking she’s changed and said she’s “good at them mind games.”
Lauryn replied by stating that Ish is smarter than June and said the weekend could be “a chance to call her out on all of her lies.”
“When it comes to Mama, I’m the only one that can stand up to her,” Lauryn said in a confessional. “Jessica and Alana, they just go hush mouth or Mama just overtalks them completely and that’s why I think this therapy weekend is very much needed so that way it’s in a controlled environment. Mama can’t scream over nobody and Jessica and Alana can actually be heard for once.”
The sisters continued to disagree on whether or not they wanted to attend the therapy weekend, while they wondered if June had actually changed.
“I don’t really have many feelings towards mama anymore. Like, I’m kind of just numb to it all just because she has put us through so much,” Alana explained in a confessional.
Despite her hesitations, Alana eventually agreed to participate due to Lauryn’s insistence.
“At least I can make Pumpkin happy. I mean, I don’t too much care about anybody else,” the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo alum concluded.
June has had a strained relationship with daughters ever since Lauryn started taking care of Alana after the matriarch was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia in March 2019.
Lauryn filed for custody of her sister in December 2021, according to court documents obtained by In Touch at the time. The mother of four was awarded sole custody of Alana the following April. In addition to the custody arrangement, June was ordered to pay Lauryn $800 in child support per month.
Fans will be able to watch the therapy weekend play out during the Friday, June 23, episode of Mama June: Family Crisis on WEtv at 9 p.m. ET.
