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''Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'' was an American
reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...
series that aired on
TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...
featuring the family of
child beauty pageant A child beauty pageant is a beauty contest featuring contestants under 18 years of age. Competition categories may include talent, interview, sportswear, casual wear, swim wear, western wear, theme wear, outfit of choice, decade wear, and eveni ...
contestant Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson. The show premiered on August 8, 2012, and ended on August 14, 2014. Thompson and her family originally rose to fame on TLC's reality series ''
Toddlers & Tiaras ''Toddlers & Tiaras'' or ''Another Toddlers & Tiaras'' is an American reality television series that aired on TLC from January 27, 2009, to October 16, 2013. After a three-year hiatus due to much controversy, ''Another Toddlers and Tiaras'' aired ...
''. The show's name comes from a taunt that Alana hurled at another pageant contestant during her debut in ''Toddlers and Tiaras'', but a sweeping misinterpretation from the general public resulted in Alana being referred to as "Honey Boo Boo Child" instead. The show revolves around Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson and her family's adventures in the town of
McIntyre, Georgia McIntyre is a town in Wilkinson County, Georgia, Wilkinson County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 650 at the 2010 census. History McIntyre was founded as a depot on the Central of Georgia Railway. The community w ...
. The reality series received predominantly negative reviews from television critics during its run. On October 24, 2014, TLC cancelled the series after four seasons when cast member June "Mama June" Shannon was seen with Mark Anthony McDaniel, a man who served 10 years in prison after being convicted of aggravated child molestation in 2004 and who is a registered sex offender. This prompted Shannon to admit to ''
Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Para ...
'' that the father of her daughter Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon was not McDaniel as previously stated, but Michael Anthony Ford, another convicted sex offender who served time for sexual exploitation of minors after being caught on ''
To Catch a Predator ''To Catch a Predator'' is an American reality television series in the television news magazine program ''Dateline NBC'' featuring confrontations with host Chris Hansen, partly filmed with a hidden camera, of adult men arriving at a sting ho ...
'' in 2005. A number of episodes had already been taped for a fifth season, but none were released until TLC aired four of them as the two-hour special ''Here Comes Honey Boo Boo: The Lost Episodes'' on April 21, 2017.


Cast and premise

Besides Alana, who was six years old when the first season was filmed, the show features her stay-at-home mother June "Mama June" Shannon; her father Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson, a chalk miner; and her three sisters: Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon, Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon, and Anna "Chickadee" Shannon (now Anna Cardwell). Anna Shannon gave birth to daughter Kaitlyn Cardwell in the first-season finale. The first season of ''Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'' aired from August 8 to October 26, 2012, and was followed by four specials airing in early 2013. In September 2012, ''Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'' was renewed for a second season. The second season debuted July 17, 2013, and concluded on September 11, 2013. The second season featured preparations for the
wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
/"commitment ceremony" of June Shannon and Mike Thompson. For the second-season premiere, TLC distributed "Watch 'N' Sniff" cards, allowing viewers to release scents correlating with specific scenes. On September 20, 2013, it was announced that TLC had ordered a twelve-episode third season and three specials. The third season premiered on January 16, 2014, and concluded on March 6, 2014.


Ratings and reception

The series premiere episode attained a 1.6 rating in the 18–49 demographic, attracting 2.2 million viewers. The series was one of TLC's highest-rated shows in its first season. The August 29 episode, airing on Wednesday night during the
2012 Republican National Convention The 2012 Republican National Convention was a gathering held by the Republican Party (United States), U.S. Republican Party during which Delegate (American politics), delegates officially nominated former List of governors of Massachusetts, Ma ...
, attracted almost 3 million viewers and scored a 1.3 rating among 18- to 49-year-olds, the highest rating in that age group for any cable program that night.
Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...
convention coverage was second in the time period with a 1.2 rating, while
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
coverage had a 1.1. Critical reaction to the series has been mixed, with some characterizing the show as "offensive", "outrageous" and "exploitative", while others call it "must-see TV".


Criticism

''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' called the first episode a "horror story posing as a reality television program", with others worrying about potential child exploitation.
James Poniewozik James "Jim" Poniewozik (; born July 12, 1968) is an American journalist and television critic. He is the chief TV critic for ''The New York Times''. Earlier in his career, he wrote ''Time'' magazine's ''Tuned In'' column for 16 years. Early life ...
mostly praised the show, but criticized the producers for "the way that the show seems to assume that those viewers will look at this family and the world." A reviewer for ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' criticized TLC as trying to "portray Alana's family as a horde of lice-picking, lard-eating, nose-thumbing hooligans south of the
Mason–Dixon line The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...
", stating that "it falls flat, because there's no true dysfunction here, save for the beauty pageant stuff". ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' also criticized the attempt to portray the Thompsons as people to "point and snicker at," saying, "none of the women or girls who participate in the show seems to hate themselves for their poverty, their weight, their less-than-urbane lifestyle, or the ways in which they diverge from the socially-acceptable beauty standard." ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' pronounced the show "horrifying," explaining: ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
's'' "Cheers & Jeers 2012" issue commented, "Jeers to ''Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'' for existing. Alana Thompson and her family have lowered the TV bar to new depths while introducing viewers to the terms 'forklift foot' and 'neck crust.' In a word, ''ewww."'' June Shannon herself was criticized for her daughter's diet, which included "Go Go Juice," a mixture of
Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...
and
Mountain Dew Mountain Dew, stylized as Mtn Dew, is a carbonated soft drink brand produced and owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in 1940 by Tennessee beverage bottlers Barney and Ally Hartman. A revised formula was created by Bill Brid ...
that contains as much
caffeine Caffeine is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is mainly used recreationally as a cognitive enhancer, increasing alertness and attentional performance. Caffeine acts by blocking binding of adenosine t ...
as two cups of coffee. She used the blended beverage to get her daughter ready for pageants. Shannon, in responding to such criticism, pointed out, "There are far worse things...I could be giving her alcohol."


Praise

''
Out Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...
'' praised the show for Alana Thompson's attitude toward her gay paternal uncle Lee "Poodle" Thompson; Thompson stated, "Ain't nothing wrong with bein' a little gay." ''Out'' noted the show's "clear message of equality" and said that Alana's acceptance of her gay relative "confounded" the
stereotype In social psychology, a stereotype is a generalized belief about a particular category of people. It is an expectation that people might have about every person of a particular group. The type of expectation can vary; it can be, for example ...
of the "redneck" working-class, Southern white female. June Shannon has been praised by
Mother Nature Network Mother Nature Network (mnn.com) was a website with news and information related to sustainability, health, lifestyle, technology, money, food, home, and family. Founded in 2009 by former marketing executive Joel Babbit and Rolling Stones keyboar ...
for her "keen business sense" with which she feeds her family on $80 a week by clipping copious coupons, playing
bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** Bi ...
, exploiting roadkill, and acquiring child-support checks from each of her four children's fathers. Prior to the show's second season,
Hank Stuever Hank Stuever (born 1968) is an American journalist who writes about popular culture for the ''Style'' section of ''The Washington Post''. Early life and education Stuever was born and raised in Oklahoma City, where he attended Bishop McGuinn ...
of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' said the show "feels as real to me as the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
images An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
shot by the
WPA WPA may refer to: Computing *Wi-Fi Protected Access, a wireless encryption standard *Windows Product Activation, in Microsoft software licensing * Wireless Public Alerting (Alert Ready), emergency alerts over LTE in Canada * Windows Performance An ...
photographers" and praised the "solid—if unorthodox—family values."


Parodies

''Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'' has been lampooned by the animated TV series ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
'', in its season 16 episode "
Raising the Bar Raising the Bar may refer to: Film and television * ''Raising the Bar'' (2008 TV series), an American legal drama television series * ''Raising the Bar'' (2013 TV series), an American reality web series about barmaking * ''Raising the Bar'' (20 ...
", by the animated TV series '' MAD'', in a short called "Here Comes Yogi Boo Boo", and in an online spoof uploaded on
CollegeHumor CollegeHumor is an Internet comedy company based in Los Angeles. Aside from producing content for release on YouTube, it was also a former humor website owned by InterActiveCorp ( IAC) until January 2020, when IAC withdrew funding and the websi ...
called "Precious Plum."
Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Prolific in film, television and on stage, Walken is the recipient of numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Awar ...
,
Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A leading man in projects across various genres in both blockbuster and independent films since the 2000s, he has received numerous accolades including a Golden Globe Award. ''The I ...
and
Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...
took time from promoting their new film ''
Seven Psychopaths ''Seven Psychopaths'' is a 2012 satirical black comedy crime drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Martin McDonagh and starring an ensemble cast featuring Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, and Christopher Walken, with ...
'' to deliver a dramatic rendition of ''Here Comes Honey Boo Boo''. The film ''
Scary Movie 5 ''Scary Movie 5'' (stylized on-screen as ''Scary MoVie'') is a 2013 American comedy horror film. It is the standalone sequel to ''Scary Movie 4'' and the fifth and final installment in the ''Scary Movie'' film series. It is the second film to be ...
'' featured a scene parodying ''
Sinister Sinister commonly refers to: * Evil * Ominous Sinister may also refer to: Left side * Sinister, Latin for the direction " left" * Sinister, in heraldry, is the bearer's true left side (viewers' right side) of an escutcheon or coat of arms; see ...
'' where
Simon Rex Simon Rex Cutright (born July 20, 1974), is an American actor, rapper, comedian, and former model. Rising to fame as an MTV VJ, Rex later became an actor known for '' What I Like About You'', starring in three films of the ''Scary Movie'' fr ...
is frightened by an Alana look-a-like that pops out of a cardboard box and says, "A dollar makes me holla, honey boo boo child." In the tenth season of competition reality show ''
RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the f ...
'', contestant
Eureka O'Hara Eureka, also known as Eureka O'Hara and Eureka!, is the stage name of Eureka D. Huggard (born August 26, 1990), an American drag queen and reality television personality. Eureka rose to prominence competing on the ninth and tenth seasons of ''Ru ...
impersonated Alana during the show's recurring challenge 'Snatch Game', which is, in itself, a parody of the popular show ''
Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelist ...
''.


Cancellation

On October 24, 2014, TLC announced the cancellation of the show after reports surfaced that June Shannon was dating a man convicted of child molestation. Shannon and her older daughter Lauryn denied these reports. The man in question, Mark Anthony McDaniel Sr., was convicted of aggravated child molestation of an 8-year-old in March 2004. McDaniel is listed as a registered
sex offender A sex offender (sexual offender, sex abuser, or sexual abuser) is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and legal jurisdiction. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crime ...
with the Georgia Sex Offender Registry. Shannon's eldest daughter confirmed that she is the child who was molested by McDaniel 10 years earlier. TLC commented on the future of the series regarding the current situation with the following statement: "We are currently reassessing the reports, but we do not currently have ''Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'' in production". An entire season's worth of episodes which could reportedly fill six months of schedule were left unaired, following the cancellation of the show.


Post-cancellation

Upon hearing of the show's cancellation,
Vivid Entertainment Vivid Entertainment Group is an American pornographic film production company,
president Steven Hirsch sent a letter to June Shannon, offering her and her former live-in partner, Mike Thompson, US$1 million to appear in a
pornographic film Pornographic films (pornos), erotic films, sex films, and 18+ films are films that present sexually explicit subject matter in order to arouse and satisfy the viewer. Pornographic films present sexual fantasies and usually include eroticall ...
. Hirsch stated that the studio's
BBW BBW may refer to: Culture and society * Baba language (ISO 639 code bbw) *Big Beautiful Woman, a euphemism for an overweight woman *Banned Books Week, an awareness campaign by the American Library Association *Big Bad Wolf Books, a Malaysian book ...
themed productions have become a very popular genre on Vivid.com and VividTV, and he would make the couple's experience "enjoyable" for them both, as well as give them creative input. But June refused, explaining, "I have more respect for myself and my kids and my family. It ain't happening, not even for a zillion dollars." Alana also collaborated with singer/songwriter
Adam Barta Adam Steven Barta (born September 21, 1979) is an American actor, reality star, and musician from the Bronx, New York. He has had four charting singles on the Billboard Dance Chart and is known for his duets and viral videos with Alana Thompson ...
in 2015, and along with sister Pumpkin, released a song called "Movin' Up," which was met with mixed reviews. The music video featured June and Sugar Bear, and amassed millions of views online, which started a viral craze, the "honey boo boo bop", written by Barta. June "Mama June" Shannon and Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson returned to reality television in 2015 as participants of '' Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars 4.'' While the couple were there to work on their marriage, Sugar Bear ultimately revealed his infidelities to June. In 2017 June launched her own reality series on We TV called '' Mama June: From Not to Hot'', produced and co-starring her manager,
Gina Rodriguez Gina Alexis Rodriguez-LoCicero (born July 30, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her leading role as Jane Villanueva in The CW satirical romantic dramedy series ''Jane the Virgin'' (2014–2019), for which she received a Golden Glob ...
, as well as Alana, Sugar Bear, and Lauryn. In 2021, Alana and Mama June competed on the sixth season of ''
The Masked Singer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' as the "Beach Ball".


Episodes


Season 1 (2012)


Season 2 (2013)


Season 3 (2014)


Season 4 (2014)


Specials


Spin-offs

On February 24, 2017, June "Mama June" Shannon returned to television for a nine-episode
WE tv We TV (stylized as WE tv) is an American pay television channel. Owned by AMC Networks since its September 1997 launch, it is oriented mainly towards lifestyle and entertainment programming. As of February 2015, approximately 85.2 million Ameri ...
reality show, ''Mama June: From Not to Hot''. The show documented her weight loss transformation from .


References


External links

* {{Former TLC Programming 2010s American reality television series 2012 American television series debuts 2014 American television series endings English-language television shows Television series by Authentic Entertainment Television shows set in Georgia (U.S. state) TLC (TV network) original programming Reality television spin-offs Television series about children Television series about families American television spin-offs