THEN

June Shannon won hearts as the coupon-clipping Georgia pageant mom to Alana “ Honey Boo Boo ,” doling out “ special juice ” ( Mountain Dew ) to rev her up on Toddlers and Tiaras in 2011 . The breakout stars introduced America to “ sketti ” ( pasta , ketchup , butter ) on their own show before it was cancelled when it was revealed that June had reconciled with an ex who ’ d spent time in prison for sexually molesting one of her other daughters .

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The drama keeps coming : Multiple reality series have chronicled the 45-year-old ’ s attempts at redemption — from undergoing bariatric surgery and plastic surgery to heading to rehab after an arrest for a $ 3,000-a-day cocaine addiction to her estrangement from her children . Following the 2023 cancer death of her eldest child , Anna Cardwell , June went to court to win custody of her grandchild , all of which was documented on the We TV series Mama June : Family Crisis , which returns in June .

Some criticized the show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo as “ hicksploitation .”

THEN

The drill-sergeant Pennsylvania mom of adorable twins and sextuplets fascinated viewers on Jon & Kate Plus 8 ; but things turned for the onetime nurse with her 2009 divorce from Jon . A planned talk show was scrapped after she was deemed too controversial by TV execs — there were rumors , which she denied , that she was dating her bodyguard — and she tanked on Dancing With the Stars , performing a memorably bad paso doble with partner Tony Dovolani .

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With the octuplets now 16 , the 49-year-old , a recent grandma , is a counselor who says her life in the three-bedroom condo she shares with her kids revolves around “ God , food and fitness .” After years out of the spotlight , she ’ s telling her story in Lifetime ’ s biopic I Was Octomom and docuseries Confessions of Octomom . The doctor who implanted her with a total of 12 embryos was accused of “ gross negligence ” and had his license revoked .

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The 49-year-old continued to work the reality TV circuit , including a short-lived dating show , but faced backlash as it was revealed that two of the sextuplets , Hannah and Collin , had cut ties with her to live with their dad , Jon Gosselin . Collin later accused his mother of isolating him from his siblings , leaving him “ zip-tied ” in a locked room outfitted with cameras . ( She ’ s said he “ received multiple psychiatric diagnoses over the years ” and has “ a distorted perception of reality .”) Kate has reportedly obtained a registered nurse license where she now resides in North Carolina .

MARCH 24 , 2025 Star 37