Most Controversial TV Show: How Mama June's alleged link to child abuser got 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' canceled
Honey Boo Boo or Alana Thompson and her mother Mama June aka June Shannon became household names after their stint on TLC's hit show 'Toddlers and Tiara'. Their success eventually paved way for the mother-daughter duo to land their very own reality show, 'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo'. The new show features Alana and Mama June alongside the rest of Alana's sisters Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon, Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell and Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon.
The show was a smashing success. With their eccentric lifestyle and outrageous plotlines, the show kept the audience captivated. In fact, it went on to become one of the highest-rated shows on TLC after its first season. The show had a great run for four seasons from 2012-2014. The show's fifth season too was filmed and was almost ready to be released when everything came crashing down for the family.
When photographs of Mama June with one of her ex-boyfriends, Mark McDaniel, began doing rounds on the internet, Anna came out with some startling news. Anna reportedly told the Spalding County police in Georgia that she was abused by McDaniel. The oldest daughter of Mama June was so furious on seeing the pictures of her mother with her abuser going house hunting that she decided to bring the skeletons out of the closet.
In the police report, Anna revealed that she was abused by her mother's boyfriend when she was just eight years old. She also added that she did the 'S word ' with McDaniel. She then went on to explain how he touched her inappropriately, made her touch him inappropriately, and forced her to perform a sex act on him. The Daily Mail reported that when she asked him to stop, he would not.
While people were still trying to come to terms with the ordeal that Anna experienced in the hands of McDaniel, they faced another shock when Anna expressed her mother's reaction when she informed Mama June about the abuse. Mama June reportedly refused to believe her daughter, Anna, when she told her about the abuse. Instead of protecting her daughter and prioritizing her safety, Mama June reportedly began crying and blamed her for everything. Anna said, "A week or so after it happened, I talked to Mama and she was upset, crying and saying, "I don't believe you, I don't believe you, why would you do this to me?"
McDaniel also reportedly threatened Anna not to tell anybody about her abuse by threatening to kill her grandparents and her and that he would not like her anymore. The abuse took place between April and October 2002. A few months later, Anna was tired of holding onto the secret and reportedly revealed it to her elementary teacher in graphic detail. Following Anna's allegations, McDaniel was sentenced to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to child molestation.
Following his release, McDaniel was spotted house hunting with Mama June in Georgia and was also pictured with Mama June's nine-year-old daughter Alana (Honey Boo Boo). This is when Anna expressed her rage and questioned her mother for allowing someone like McDaniel near Alana despite being aware of his past. Mama June immediately went into damage control mode and posted a statement saying that the rumors of her dating McDaniel were untrue and that she would never put her daughters in danger. Despite her protests and claims, TLC canceled the show because of her relationship with McDaniel. The episodes, which were filmed for Season 5, were released a few years later as a special titled 'The Lost Episodes'.