What Happened to Honey Boo Boo After Discussing Weight-Loss Surgery & Age-Gap Relationship Backlash

After years in the spotlight, Alana Thompson — known to millions as Honey Boo Boo — has grown up, faced backlash, endured loss, and taken control of her story.

Alana Thompson burst into the public eye as the wild and witty pageant queen on "Toddlers & Tiaras," a child star so unforgettable she landed her own hit series, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo."

But fame came at a cost. In the years since, Alana has experienced more than most her age. From facing intense criticism over her appearance, weathering controversy over a high-profile relationship, and enduring the devastating loss of her sister, this is what really happened to Honey Boo Boo.

From Reality TV Darling to Family Upheaval

Alana rose to fame in 2012 when "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" became an unexpected ratings juggernaut. The show followed her and her self-described redneck family, capturing their chaotic home life, offbeat humor, and unfiltered affection.

Viewers were instantly drawn to the outspoken young girl and her unapologetically loud household. The series averaged 2.4 million viewers per episode in 2012 and quickly ranked as TLC's third-highest-rated program of the year. TLC General Manager Amy Winter said at the time:

"'Here Comes Honey Boo Boo' has become a pop-culture phenomenon. What you see is what you get, and we are excited to share even more of Alana and her family's unbridled hilarity, sincerity and love with our viewers."

But behind the scenes, the family's once-tight bond began to unravel. The group had long been known for doing everything as a unit — filming together, eating together, and presenting themselves as a strong front.

That changed when Alana's mother, June Shannon's reported drug use escalated. Thus, in June 2022, a judge in Georgia granted full custody of Alana to her sister, Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon.

The court documents revealed that June would only be allowed phone contact with her daughter and would have to pay Lauryn $800 per month in child support until Alana turned eighteen.

Her mother's downward spiral forced Alana to grow up quickly. She later admitted, "When my mama got real bad with her [drug use], I didn't know where I was going to end up."

Despite everything, she chose to focus on growth — both hers and her mother's. "I'm proud of myself for how far I've come," Alana said, adding that she was also proud of June for working to get "back on track."

Facing the Mirror – Alana's Weight Struggles and Her Journey Toward Change

As Alana grew older, she found herself constantly under scrutiny for her appearance. No longer the chubby-cheeked child from reality TV, she began experimenting with her style — long lashes, long nails, and bold fashion choices — which sparked criticism online.

Many Instagram users dismissed her look as "too grown," while others clung to the outdated image of "little Honey Boo Boo." But Alana pushed back, refusing to be boxed in by stereotypes about who she was or where she came from.

"Just because I'm from the South, people expect me to be all country bumpkin, out riding four-wheelers all the time, but that's not really how it is," she explained.

The comments on her social media were often cruel. Body shaming had become a daily occurrence, and while much of Gen Z claimed to champion body positivity, Alana saw the opposite.

"I feel like my generation is probably making it worse," she said. "Everybody's all about body positivity, body positivity, until they see a body they don't like." She couldn't understand the hate, asking:

"I don't understand why people think this way. Just because I got a little bit of extra meat on my bones, you want to hate me? I'll never get body shaming."

However, instead of letting the negativity consume her, Alana focused on her confidence. "Like, I know I'm beautiful, and I know I got a banging body, so...I don't care," she said.

Her time in pageants taught her that personality mattered more than size. "I mean, to myself I was a pageant queen," she added, proud of the bold energy she still carried.

By April 2022, Alana had made a New Year's resolution to take her health more seriously. Posting on Instagram, she shared in part, "I have been on a weight loss journey this year and I'm really trying to watch what I eat." But even with that intention, the journey was far from straightforward.

Reports soon emerged that she was considering undergoing a $13,000 suture-sculpt endoscopic sleeve procedure to drop from around 275 pounds to 150. However, the surgery, which would follow her 17th birthday, was still under discussion at the time, and Alana made it clear she hadn't fully committed.

She revealed, "I just wanna make sure that this is actually something I wanna do before I just go and do it. I wanna make sure that it's, like, not something that's, like, gonna kill me."

Her relationship first stirred controversy in September 2021 when, at 16, she posted a photo of herself and Dralin, then 20, on Instagram.

She was candid about her hesitation. Anesthesia scared her, and the pain that could follow was something she dreaded. "What if I don't wake up? What if something goes wrong?" she wondered.

Still, she was open about wanting to lose weight quickly. While she acknowledged that a gym routine and healthy eating could produce the same results, she struggled with motivation.

"I'm not [gonna] sit there and force myself to eat no Caesar salad because I think it's healthy," she said. "No. I'm gonna eat what I think's good." However, Lauryn had been encouraging her to focus on lasting lifestyle changes.

Having seen what happened when their mother and sister Jessica failed to maintain their own post-surgery weight loss, she believed real change couldn't come from the operating table alone. Alana also felt that her lifelong weight issues weren't just about food. She shared:

"There is a part that does feel like genetics does play because when I was very young, I was on steroids, like, I was very sick all the time. I just always had to take medication, so I was always a bigger kid anyways because of that."

Alana's Relationship and the Backlash That Followed

While Alana navigated her evolving body image and considered weight-loss surgery, she also found herself defending her relationship with Dralin, a young man four years her senior.

Her relationship first stirred controversy in September 2021 when, at 16, she posted a photo of herself and Dralin, then 20, on Instagram. The image was quickly deleted after it was met with an onslaught of critical comments centered around their age difference.

But Alana didn't back down. In July 2022, she opened up about the backlash in an interview, where she and her sister discussed dating, family, and reality TV.

By May 2023, their relationship had been going strong for over two and a half years.

By then, Alana and Dralin had been together for a year and seven months. Although much of the criticism focused on their age gap, Alana pointed out that the negative attention extended beyond that. She said:

"In our relationship, the two most things that everybody is always talking about is our age gap and definitely because he's Black and I'm white and we're an interracial couple."

Still, the opinions that mattered most to her were fully supportive. "I don't care because, like, at the end of the day, my sister approves, his mom approves, and we're happy, so what fans got to say or what haters got to say I don't really care," she shared.

Lauryn echoed that sentiment. She believed Alana, then almost 17, was emotionally mature enough to be in a relationship with Dralin and made it clear he wasn't distracting her from her goals.

By May 2023, their relationship had been going strong for over two and a half years. Even June voiced her support, adding that Alana was no longer the little girl people remembered from television.

"She is a teenager. She's supposed to have a boyfriend. But people don't think that's...for Alana. If Alana chooses to be with him for the rest of her life, then that's fine. If not, then hey, it was her teenage fling," she said.

Graduation, Grief, and a New Chapter for Alana

As the public debated her relationship and she continued wrestling with decisions about her health, Alana was quietly achieving something deeply personal — graduating high school. In May 2023, she proudly shared the milestone on Instagram and wrote in part:

"I did it yall 🥹! Despite all the challenges and curveballs that were thrown my way, I still did it, and I never gave up."

But just months later, that triumph was shadowed by heartbreak. In December 2023, she lost her older sister Anna to cancer. The family had surrounded Anna with love in her final moments, and Alana, now 19, openly shared her grief. "This is one post I wish I didn't have to make 💔," she wrote in part.

Now, in 2025, Alana is stepping into a new chapter with the release of "I Was Honey Boo Boo," a Lifetime biopic that promises to reveal the truth behind the glitter and catchphrases.

The film, premiering May 17, is narrated by Alana herself, giving her the opportunity to reclaim the story that others have so often told for her. "This film tells my story, the real one," she said on Instagram. "Beyond the glitter, the pageants, and the catchphrases, there was a lot going on behind the scenes."

In recent years, Alana has also received a wave of praise on social media, with many netizens commenting on her beauty. "Girl, you are so beautiful ❤️❤️," one netizen shared. Another added, "Great job, Alana. Looking fab," while a third typed in part, "You look nice."

Through it all — the criticism, the fame, the loss — Alana Thompson has kept going. Her story, once told through the lens of a reality TV crew, is now hers to narrate. And this time, she's telling it her way.