Honey Boo Boo Cries As She Reunites With Mama June Post-Rehab

Honey Boo Boo
'Bridezillas' TV show premiere, New York, USA - 13 Mar 2019

EXCLUSIVE: Honey Boo Boo and her family are seen enjoying a day at the beach in LA. The reality TV star, 16, has been on vacation in the city and took a trip to the ocean in Santa Monica, CA. Honey Boo Boo, real name Alana Thompson, was joined by her older boyfriend Dralin Carswell, 20, and the pair were seen playing on the sand. Also present was Lauryn ‘Pumpkin’ Efird who brought her newborn twins Sylus and Stella to the shoreline along with her other children Ella, four, and Bentley, 11 months. Alana wore a cute pair of pink shorts and a white T-shirt and was seen laughing as she held little Bentley. 06 Jul 2022 Pictured: Honey Boo Boo and Pumpkin cool off in the ocean while taking refuge from the sweltering heat in L.A. with Josh, Dralin and Pumpkin's newborn twins at Santa Monica Beach in Los Angeles. Photo credit: Garrett Press/MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA875497_005.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]

Mama June Shannon‘s drug addiction, 2019 possession arrest and six month stint in a South Florida rehab center caused her to miss out on some of the biggest moments in daughter Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson‘s life. The 41-year-old comes face to face with her 15-year-old daughter for the first time in over a year on the upcoming April 9 episode of Mama June: Road to Redemption. In it, Alana weeps over her mother missing her milestone first day of high school and other big moments due to her being away fighting her own demons, in a clip you can see here.

Alana has been living with her 21-year-old sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon since June’s 2019 arrest, who has had to be both a mom and a sibling to the former child beauty queen. In a promo clip, Alana cries and tells June, “It’s just hard because you wasn’t there for my first day of high school and I think that’s a pretty big thing”

Honey Boo Boo and Mama June — Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson and Mama June Shannon attend the AOL Build Speaker Series in New York in June 11 2018. A year later, June would be arrested for drug possession and Alana would go to live with sister Pumpkin. Photo credit: Shutterstock

“It was hard for me not having my mom there and I had to come home and tell Pumpkin what I was doing. And yes, I’m very grateful that Pumpkin was there for me, but why wasn’t you there? Why wasn’t you there in the moments when I needed you most?” Alana asks through tears of pain.

June explained that it was because of her drug addiction that she wasn’t in any condition to care for herself or others. “Because I was sick. I couldn’t take care of myself. Yes, for awhile I was maintaining and taking care of y’all, but I wasn’t doing what I needed to do,” she told her daughter.

Alana then questioned, “What’s the point in doing it if the most important person that I want to be there for everything in my life…the important parts, the sad parts, whatever it is…is not there to see me?” Family therapist Dr. Ish then interjected and said, “Once the anger is gone and the hurt is gone and the disappointment is gone, you just feel kind of empty,” as Alana cried and nodded her head.

At her lowest point, June and her boyfriend Geno Doak were using “a couple ounces a day” of meth and said that “Our habit was $2,500 a day, if not more.” June was so broke she sold the family home and lived out of her car, she admitted during a June 2020 episode of Mama June: Family Crisis. The pair finally committed to in-patient treatment and were sent to Banyan Treatment Center in Stuart, FL. June shared in a Jan. 28 Instagram post that the couple had made it to the one year mark of sobriety with no setbacks, while making South Florida their home and helping others with addiction get in to recovery programs.

In the teaser clip, June admitted to Alana, “I know I was selfish when I went to rehab and to be honest with you, I’m still a little bit selfish in my recovery. But I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get you all back in my life and that’s the reason why I’m here today.” Dr. Ish then said to hold right there, because he wanted to hear what Alana had to say about June’s claims.

“You don’t know how many nights I cried myself to sleep just hoping and praying that you don’t overdose,” she shared. “‘God, please don’t let my mom die. Please just hold onto her. Just please!’ I just wanted you there and even if I texted your phone, I wouldn’t even get a text back so hell, I never knew if you were alive or dead anyways.” Fans can tune in to see what June has to say in response when Mama June: Road to Redemption airs on Apr. 9 on WE tv at 9 pm ET/PT.