Honey Boo Boo’s Rise to Fame Documented in ‘Dark Side of Reality TV’: ‘She Is for Real’

Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson has been on television for years, and her rise to fame will be broken down in the latest episode of VICE’s Dark Side of Reality TV.

“She was interesting to watch. She had funny things to say, and, you know, she’s doing real extraordinary, outrageous kinds of things, I guess,” a woman said about Alana, now 19, in a teaser clip for the Tuesday, November 12, episode shared by Us Weekly.

While reflecting on Alana’s quick popularity on TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras, the woman added, “It snowballed pageantry on a level that is unexplainable.”

Former TLC executive Jack Tarantino went on to explain that “people just love the dynamic between” Alana, her mother, June “Mama June” Shannon, and sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird. “They were real and they were authentic,” he continued. “There was no artifice at all.”

Kayla Sims, who appeared on the TLC series with daughter EverRose Sims, also shared her experience of getting to know Alana during their time on the show together.

“Bless her heart. She is for real,” Kayla said about Alana. “They’re not acting. And I didn’t want people to think that we were like that. I was raised to be very respectful of people, and, you know, not to flaunt everything.”

After they became fan favorites on Toddlers & Tiaras, Alana and her family went on to star on the spinoff Here Comes Honey Boo Boo from 2012 to 2014.

The show was canceled and Alana’s family briefly stepped out of the spotlight, though they made their reality TV return when Mama June: From Not to Hot premiered on WeTV in 2017. The show – which has been rebranded to Mama June: Family Crisis – concluded its sixth season in July.

Mama June: Family Crisis has followed the family through many ups and downs, including the death of June’s eldest daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell. The latest season documented Anna’s cancer battle leading up to her death in December 2023.

Back in June, Alana, June, 45, Lauryn, 24, and Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon revealed how they were honoring Anna’s legacy following her passing at the age of 29.

“I would say for me it’s a struggle. I do carry her. She’s actually with me today,” June said while reflecting on Anna’s death. “We have jewelry and stuff that we carry. Like, she’s always with us. We talk about her all the time.”

Additionally, June got emotional while discussing the grieving process during the July 12 episode.

“I just lay there thinking she’s gonna ask for medicine or she’s gonna do this, or she’s gonna do that, but we never get to see her again,” the mother of four said through tears, admitting that she was having a hard time sleeping. “We never get to touch her again or anything like that. It’s a lot.”

Her husband, Justin Stroud, told June that it was OK to get emotional, though she insisted she wanted to stay strong for Anna’s daughter Kaitlyn, who was living with them.

“You can’t tell somebody how to grieve,” she told him.