Mama June Shannon is a reality star, best know for the TLC series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. Mama June, 44, made her debut with her youngest daughter Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, 18, on Toddlers And Tiaras in 2011. The show led to spinoffs focusing on their and the rest of the family’s life, most notably Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and her own series Mama June: From Not To Hot.
Mama June is a loving mother to her four daughters, but the family has occasionally experienced difficult times in their relationships with one another, which have been documented in their reality shows. She also welcomed Anna, 29, Jessica, 27, and Lauryn, 23, for a family full of daughters.
June’s oldest daughter Anna was revealed to have been diagnosed with stage four adrenal carcinoma on Thursday, March 30, 2023, per People. Mama June shared a news story about the diagnosis from TMZ on her Instagram Story. It was discovered after Anna had revealed that she’d been experiencing stomach pains. She’d reportedly already received her first round of chemotherapy treatment. Honey Boo Boo confirmed the news with an Instagram statement the same day.
“& this is what I mean when I say you never truly know what somebody is going through at home,” she wrote via stories. “No matter how famous they are. Yes, I’m very famous but normal sh*** happens to me and my family & y’all need to realize that asap.”
On December 9, 2023, Anna passed away after her battle with cancer, and it was later revealed that she’d secretly married Eldridge Toney before her death. She was 29 years old.
Find out more about all four of Mama June’s children here.
Anna Cardwell
June’s eldest daughter Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell (née Shannon) was born in August 1994, when June was a teen. Her father was a man named David Dunn. Anna accused her mother’s ex-boyfriend Mark McDaniel of molesting her when she was a child. Mark was indicted in 2003 for charges relating to the abuse against Anna, but the case was dismissed. He was later arrested on aggravated child molestation charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison, per Radar Online. After reports that June had reunited with Mark when he was released in 2014, Anna had said she was “hurt” by her mother, and said she believed their relationship “may well be over” to Radar. June admitted to meeting with Mark, but denied dating him in a November 2014 appearance on Dr. Phil. “I want you to know that I’m not in a relationship with Mark McDaniel. I’m not in a relationship at all,” she said at the time, per ABC News.
Anna also had a daughter Kaitlyn when she was a teenager. She married Michael Cardwell in 2014, and they had a daughter Kylee the following year. The couple separated in 2017. Despite difficult times with her mom in the past, it appears that Anna has reconciled with her mom, and she joined her and her three sisters in walking Mama June down the aisle when she married Justin Stroud in a second wedding ceremony in February 2023.
On December 10, 2023, Mama June took to Instagram to reveal that Anna had passed away, just nine months after the family disclosed her cancer diagnosis. “With the breaking heart, we are announcing that @annamarie35 is no longer with us,” the reality star captioned an Instagram photo of the family. “She passed away in my home last night peacefully at 11:12 PM. She gave one hell of a fight for 10 months she passed away with her family around her like she won’t and we will will be updating y’all with more information as we get it today. We love y’all and continued prayers and thoughts for our family doing this difficult time.” Anna’s death tragically fell on the birthdate of her youngest daughter, Kylee.
According to a December 11 TMZ report, Anna was a married woman when she died. A marriage certificate obtained by the outlet shows she married boyfriend Eldridge Tony on March 4 in Wilkinson County, Georgia on March 4, 2023. The husband of Anna’s sister, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird reportedly officiated. Anna was undergoing chemotherapy treatment when she tied the knot, according to TMZ.
On December 13, 2023, she was laid to rest following a private service and a public visitation.
Jessica Shannon
Mama June had her second daughter Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon with Michael Anthony Ford in October 1996. Like her sisters, she’s appeared in the many reality shows over the years. Jessica underwent plastic surgery with Anna, helping with weight loss in March 2020. Jessica also revealed that she’s in a relationship with single mom Shyann McCant in 2022, per The Sun. She occasionally shares photos with her girlfriend on Instagram.
Lauryn Efird
Mama had her third daughter Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird (née Shannon) in June 2000. Like her mom and sister Anna, Lauryn was also a teen mom, welcoming her first child Ella when she was 17 with her boyfriend Joshua Efird. The pair got married in 2018, and they had their second child, a son Bentley, in June 2021. The couple later welcomed twins (a boy and a girl) in May 2022.
While it seems that the daughters have all reconciled with Mama June, joining her for the February wedding to Justin Stroud, Lauryn has actually become her younger sister Alana’s legal guardian. She won full custody of her teen sister in June 2022. The legal battle for custody of Alana was documented in Mama June: Road To Redemption.
Alana Thompson
The youngest daughter for Mama June is perhaps the most famous. June welcomed her youngest daughter Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson with her ex Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson in August 2005. Alana began competing in beauty pageants as a child, which led to her appearance on Toddlers And Tiaras. The series made the Shannon family stars and led to future reality programs for the family.
As a teen, Honey Boo Boo will remain in her half-sister’s custody until she turns 18 years old. Alana has been dating her boyfriend Dralin Carswell since 2021. She revealed that the two of them went official in a July 2022 episode of Road To Redemption.
