Honey Boo Boo Says It Feels 'Nice' to Receive First Hug From Mama June 'in 5 or 6 Years'
The mother and daughter share an emotional embrace in a sneak peek of Friday's episode of 'Mama June: Family Crisis'
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June Shannon and daughter Alana Thompson in 2018Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson is opening up emotionally to Mama June Shannon on Mama June: Family Crisis.
A sneak peek at Friday's episode of the WE tv series shows the 17-year-old reality star and her mother actively engaging in a tender moment during a family therapy session in the kitchen.
The clip opens with Alana's sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird telling her mother, “We keep trying to repair these things and then you'll step away. Yes, this is a priority for me to fix, but at the end of the day, my first priority is my family now. That's what I've built. That's what I'm doing.”
The therapist explains to June, “Every child you have needs to know that they're the most important person in your life. And what you're seeing right now is what happens when they don't feel that way.”
“I always hope that they know how much they’ve always …” responds June, 43, before the therapist interjects, “They can't know if you don't give them that.”
“You didn't know because your mama didn't give it to you. So how could they possibly know if you're not giving it to them?” he continues.
He then asks Alana to walk toward her mother and give her her hand.
“Model for her that it's okay for her to be emotional. You don't have to tell a joke and make it fun,” the therapist tells June.
“I'm glad that we was able to hang out today,” June tells Alana. “And I hope that we can do it really soon and I love you.”
“I love you, too," Alana responds as Lauryn, 23, says, “See, it’s not that hard.”
“It was better because she didn't say it over text message,” adds the former Toddlers & Tiaras star.
The therapist then asks Alana, “How much would it have meant to you if you could have held her hand on the first day of school and she said, ‘I love you. Go in there and kick some a— now?'"
Alana takes a moment and her eyes well with tears. Emotionally, she explains, “I just feel like my mom should be there on graduation, and I feel like she should be there for my prom … just the little senior activities I have.”
“Everybody in school is like, ‘My mom, my mom, my mom,’ and I always have to say, ‘My sister.’ I don’t want to have to say that,” continues the former Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star, who was put under Lauryn's custody in April 2022.
“See how that works?” the therapist points out to June. “Your daughter's crying. This is the time to go comfort her, right?”
June then places Alana’s head on her shoulder, and the mother-daughter pair shares an emotional embrace.
“This is the first time Mama’s actually really gave me a hug in probably about five or six years,” Alana reveals in her confessional.
“And it feels good to get an actual loving hug from your mama. It really did feel nice, I'm not gonna lie,” she adds.
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Mama June: Family Crisis airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on WE tv.
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