We’ve heard Honey Boo Boo’s mom, June, say that reality show fame is fleeting, and we know that she’s a coupon clipper and bargain hunter. So is it any surprise to hear that she’s squirreling away her family’s earnings, and putting it in trust for each of her four daughters to access when they turn 21? It will be for people who dismiss this family as a bunch of ignorant rednecks. For all the stereotypes of this family (which they play into and cash in on), they’re sure playing it smart.
Honey Boo Boo is already the most famous redneck, and now she’s set up to be the richest when she hits 21 … courtesy of a trust fund set up by Mama June.
June tells TMZ … the lion’s share of earnings from “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” (a cool $15k – $20k per episode) is being equally divided into funds for all 5 girls … Alana “HBB” Thomson (7), Lauryn (12), Jessica (15) and Anna (18) and baby Kaitlyn.
June says the little stars can’t touch the cash until they turn 21 — except in case of medical emergencies or using it for school — saying, “I want my kids to look back and say, ‘Mama played it smart. Not like those other reality TV people.'”
In fact, June tells us she never even sees the coin … “TLC puts the money into the girls’ trust accounts for me and then I get an email telling me how much everyone gets.”
June added … “You’re never gonna see me drive a Range Rover or a Mercedes. I’ll drive one if someone else pays for it. Never gonna live above my means.”
As for their means … Mama June says Sugarbear still rakes in cash from his contractor job, which is how they pay the bills.
The family’s only major purchase since suddenly becoming famous is a Ford Expedition … a 2005.
Who would have thought that Honey Boo Boo’s mom would be wiser with her money (and less annoying) than Kate Gosselin? Just give her time, I doubt she’s immune to the pitfalls of reality television just because she’s keeping it in perspective at this point. June has already had a mini-makeover, she was seen sporting a blonde bob on the latest episode. She needed to do something with her hair definitely, but the blonde is a little too bright for her. Are we due for a reality star that stays “real” or is this all part of the “Honey Boo Boo” redneck brand? Mama June knows that her income depends on convincing people of her family’s authenticity. If they move into a McMansion and start driving new Range Rovers it’s the beginning of the end for them. They’re not the Duck Dynasty people. (Not that I watch that show, but they’re like the reality Beverly Hillbillies, right?)
Most photos via Facebook except the balcony photo, which is credit: Anthony Monterotti, PacificCoastNews.com
Quite a smart move. Personally, I would have set the age at 25 or 30, instead of 21. But still, good on her!
I agree with you, I would say 35!
Yes, 21 is far too young for them to have access to the money. Except for education purposes, she should have made it 35. By then hopefully they’d be past the money sucking boyfriends and bad choices.
You can still change it, June!
Coming into money at age 25 makes a lot more sense. In college, I had a friend of a friend who inherited $250,000 from her late grandmother when she turned 21 and she had blown it all within four years. Bought a car and wrecked it, stuff like that.
The worst thing is, her grandmother was a schoolteacher and that money was her life savings. Once it was gone, it was gone.
Didn’t Princes William and Harry inherit some money from their mother’s estate when they turned 25?
I’ve never seen the show but I’ve read interviews and June seems very grounded and responsible. I heard that Kris Jenner wanted to take over as Honey’$ manager and June wanted none of it. I’m a huge fan of anyone who wants nothing to do with the Kardashian brand!
totally agree. have never watched the show, but was initially disgusted based on their looks alone. who could have imagined that mama june would turn out to be a very smart cookie — watching out for her kids and not interested in profiting from them.
although, i still feel badly for that little one — who is clearly on her way to morbid obesity..
I haven’t seen the show so I don’t know how or what they eat, but here in the state of Georgia diabetes is RAMPANT in the general population. Also, Georgia is known as the buckle on the “stroke belt” that runs across the southern United States.
There are lots of good, well-meaning people here who don’t have healthy eating habits, and who don’t know any better. They work hard to support their families but they just don’t know that you aren’t supposed to serve Cheetos as a side dish at dinner. Seriously.
Maybe they could have that chef come and do a food intervention on the family?
I watched an episode grudgingly because a friend insisted. I expected to be all sneery and to loathe the family. I was completely wrong.
The family seems to really care about each other over and above what the rest of the world thinks, they are generous to those less fortunate and were before the TV money came around. Even as a pageant mom, June really does seem to only support what her daughter enjoys and praises her whether she wins or not. I’m not surprised that theyve set up trust funds. You certainly get the impression from the show that June puts her children’s long term welfare above pointless materialism.
June is good peoples. I know that they feed into the sterotype, but i came out of it with a deep respect towards the family. I think theyre solid, honest funny happy people. June has shown shes no dummy in regards to money. I have nothing snarky to add. Shes a wonen who loves her family. A rarity now a days.
Ditto this. She’s smart, and grounded, and has both her head and her heart in exactly the right place. May June and her family only thrive through and beyond this experience.
I’ve been saying this from the start. give me Honey Boo any day. its a fairly harmless “from where I stand” POV reality shows should be like.
+1
+2
+3 I’ve never seen the show, but from everything I hear besides the terrible jokes and general gang up and make fun of stuff I do only hear good things about them and how happy they are. Good on them.
These people were smart enough to parlay a guest appearance on Toddlers and Tiaras into their own reality show and substantial income for the entire family. I’m not at all surprised that the mother is being smart with money.
Good for you June!
Her “mini makeover” didn’t even come from a salon. It came from a box. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that; I’m a Miss Clairol girl too).
I love Honey Boo Boo, as well as Duck Dynasty.
I love both as well! Especially Duck Dynasty! It was filmed in my neck of the woods…so, I totally relate to the camo cladded, duck hunting men. love that they’re so family/faith centered.
I don’t watch the show at all but wondered if the “mini-makeover” was TLC’s idea and they paid the bill. I could totally see the network doing that to create a story line.
She dyed her hair during the Halloween special. (More specifically her daughters bleached her hair for her in their kitchen.) Honey Boo Boo’s dad “surprised” her with a Marlin Monroe costume to match her hair. I would believe that TLC might have pushed for a makeover for the show, it’s a pretty standard TV storyline, but the only bill they might have footed would be for a box of hair bleach.
Agree about Duck Dynasty. Sure its scripted but laugh my arse off everytime I watch it.
Say what you want about this family but Mama June is one smart lady. She may be a redneck but she is proving to be a better mother than that horrible Gosselin woman. She is taking care of her girls and showing them how to live with what they have. They are fortunate to have a show that will provide the girls a bright future
Good for her. She’s doing what’s best for family while raking in the dough on a stereotype. People look at people from the South, especially rednecks as slow & dumb. She’s proving, like Duck Dynasty, that so-called rednecks can be pretty enterprising and successful.
I’m SO happy you said “so called rednecks.” I personally know the Robertson family, and though they look “redneck,” they really aren’t. They are also some of the nicest people I know. Intelligent too.
I like Honey Boo Boo. I actually JUST got around to watching the first episode that has been on my DVR forever. The family is fun, they love each other, and they are grounded. They are also loads more interesting than say…Clint Eastwoods family.
Smart move on her part, and a even smarter move was staying away from the Kuntrashians. You don’t want nothing to do with those people Mama June.
She should take a percentage of that money and invest in nutritional education, personal training, and the best available food for the family. That family, with the exception of Sugar Bear and the daughter who just gave birth, looks like they are on the fast track to every obesity-induced illness there is.
The two middle sisters have gained noticeable weight since the show started, as has HoneyBoo, and they were overweight to begin with! If Mama June really cares she needs to open her eyes top the fact that the health of this family is in crisis. She is such a determined person, if she put her mind to helping the health of the family I believe she could make positive steps.
It would be great for the show to focus on getting healthy, too. Rednecks setting a good example for other rednecks! Thoughts?
I totally agree.
It’s not that rednecks are too dumb to understand that they’re overweight and unhealthy. When you’re struggling to put food on the table you tend to buy cheap stuff which goes a lot further than better food. Sometimes it comes down to eating good and healthy for a week, or having enough food to last the month. Having mama June as a “role model” isn’t going to change these people’s lives. Having access to affordable food that’s not frozen box dinners riddled with chems and preservatives is about the only thing that would.
That’s a great point Natasha. I have done some reading (Pollen) about how, if you are trying to get the most calories per dollar, than you are doing to end up fat and unhealthy. But this family has been blessed and can NOW better their situation, with the money they have. I have no solution for families who are too poor to make a change, I can only feel sad that this situation that you have described exists in our country.
Do you honestly think these people are too stupid to know they are overweight??? I mean, it must make you feel so superior to preach about how the poors are too dumb to understand the complexities of proper nutrition, but that isn’t the vibe Im picking up from this family at all. Mama June has demonstrated she’s as smart as a fox and wily about feeding into the excessive lifestyle machine that “classy” reality stars fall into. I think these people know what they’re doing. And I don’t believe they were what you’d call poor to begin with. Remember, this all started with Toddlers and Tiaras and Mama June knew how to shop and stretch a buck to unbelievable lengths to have money for Honey Boo-Boo’s expensive pageant costs while still providing for her family.
We have an obesity epidemic in our country and it is largely due to ignorance about proper diet and nutrition, this lady is being smart about her money but not about the long term health of herself or her family. Money is no comfort when you suffer from chronic and avoidable illnesses and she would be wise to invest some of that money in her family’s health.
It’s not that they’re ‘stupid’, it’s that they don’t have the information they need to eat healthy. These folks are doing the best they can, but the way they eat now, they are on the fast track to diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.
Not everyone comes from a cultural tradition that teaches you to choose simple, fresh foods over processed frozen things in the supermarket. And not everyone gets to go to a nice school system with comprehensive health education where they teach you how to cook.
One health promotion offered at my workplace takes people to the grocery store and gives them a tour: here are the fresh vegetables, here are the herbs, here is the olive oil, this is what you buy and this is how to cook it. Something like that might be helpful for HBB’s family.
I watched this the other day and they are actually nice people. I’m sure they are playing up the “redneck” but they seems to enjoy each other and care for each other. I was surprised.
Good for her! Maybe Dina Lohan can take lessons from her. Actually a lot of “celebrities” could. Pick up a PeoplE magazine from 10 years ago, look at the people covered, and see how many of them have disappeared.
It doesn’t matter how much you make, if you increase your spending to match it, you are still just living paycheck to paycheck.
I saw this story on another website and thought of Dina Lohan too. Mama June is smart to (1) put all the money away and (2) split it evenly among the girls so there is no jealousy later. So who’s the white trash now, Dina?
Kris Jenner once expressed her disbelief that people preferred watching Honey Boo Boo over her show. According to her, the Kardashian clan oozes style and sophistication, whereas Honey Boo Boo and Fam do not.
Ohhhh the irony! Rednecks showing more class. And how? Well I may not agree with every decision June makes. But she really loves her daughters and sugar bear and it really shows. Kris however is kreepy in her momanager ways.
Agree by a million!!
Even if the Kardashians were NOT vile, even if HBB’s WERE vile I would still watch HBB’s show and would still avoid the K’s like the plague.
Reality shows (when they’re good) show a version of life that is unfamiliar for the viewer, which is where the interest lies. However, while I will never have the budget that the Kardashians do, I REGULARLY go shopping and I put on make up every day. What exactly else do the Kardashian women bring to the table? Give me a redneck festival mud pool any day of the week.
Wow – I didn’t hear that (Kris Jenner’s comments about HBB). It must be frustrating to be a Kardashian – they seem so empty of original thought, so shallow and fame conscious. The more I hear about Ms June, the more I respect this lady. It’s easy to take shots at her (“redneck”, fat, “gross”) but she is really endearing. She’s just a lady who is trying like hell to better the lives of her children, and help them get out of the hand-to-mouth existence. She’s more self aware and intelligent than she is given credit for. I really wish the best for this family, and hope they avoid the pitfalls that seem to swallow up reality show participants.
I have zero interest in their show and in general don’t like people putting their kids and family on TV in that way, but it’s good to hear of a reality TV person who is smart with the money. This sort of fame is usually temporary, so good for her for preparing and being practical about it. That’s a very good lesson for her kids too.
I’ve never seen the show but fair play. It’s nice to see a parent with a child in the spotlight actually put the money towards the child’s future rather than use them as an income (Dina Lohan, you scum).
Don’t forget Kate Gosselin. Apparently she had to be forced to put 15% of the earnings into a trust for the children. Yes. 15% divided between eight kids.
Shoot. That won’t even cover their therapy.
Did not know that about Kate Gosselin, never really paid much attention to her crap but that’s abominable.
Good for her. I read an article about this family and it seems that June is one smart cookie. She learned how to shop with coupons to get the most bang for her welfare buck. And she loves her girls; you won’t see her pimping for them like Kris Jenner. I am so tired of the baloney the Kartrashian klan keep putting out that I don’t read it anymore. Most of it is planted by the family and they just want to get a response. I would take mamma June over pimp-a-mamma Kris Jenner any day of the week.
Agree with you Dawn. Just to be clear – they’re not on welfare – they live off off his income.
I really like this family. All during December they collected money and toys for needy families in their community. Alana gets a ton of gifts from viewers and June lets the girls choose a few items to keep and they donate the rest. One of their security men’s house burned down right before the holidays (I think it was right before or it was right after) and they collected donations for him and his family. They are very into the whole charity begins at home and act locally and apparently have since well before they became “famous.”
I agree!
Didn’t know that, that’s lovely.
I like them too! I think they’re real and let you see them for who they really are and not who they wish they were
So if she saves money and is a coupon clipper why is it surprising that she wants to save their earnings?
Mama June is no dummy. She is a hell of a lot smarter than most people give her credit for & I think she really enjoys surprising people with her smarts.
As for Duck Dynasty, I guess its kinda like the Beverley Hillbillies, except the family works its ass off for the money & success they enjoy, rather than getting lucky & striking oil.
Don’t like the vile exploitation of this poor family by TLC, but I am impressed that June is being responsible with the money.
And she doesn’t take a “cut” from the kids earnings like Dina and Kris. How refreshing to see that.
Actually, it sounds like she and Sugar Bear are not only not taking a cut of the kid’s money, they’re giving the kids their money from the show. The parents are featured on the show just as much as the kids, but it sounds like in the end the kids are the only ones getting paid.
I’m really not a fan of reality TV – at all. But, and I CANNOT believe I am about to say this… I have a tremendous amount of newfound respect for the mother of this family. And you know what? If she got her hair made over, good for her! Many of us do that on a regular basis, simply for the sake of a change. It doesn’t mean we’re selling out. It just means we’re bored with our hair.
She gets extra bonus points from me because she turned down Kris Jenner’s offer of management. PMK could learn a few things from Mama June, IMO.
Doesn’t surprise me, I just hope she doesn’t change!
If you have ever seen an episode, you know that this family is closer and has more love than ANY FAMILY on some of the Housewives of whatever!! Yes, they are a little on the loud side, and perhaps HBB could use some discipline, but in the end, they all appear to enjoy being together and that is what counts! Just compare the dysfunction on the Housewives of Orange County to this family!
I had never seen this show up until about two nights ago. They had some kind of late night marathon. Anyway, I had always thought of them as obnoxious, which they are (and that’s fine) but as I watched, they came across as legitimately loving, genuine people. I was very surprised! That little girl is so freaking funny & cute. I’d rather watch Honey Boo Boo ANY day than watch the Kardashians be mean while saying horrible things to and about each other. June is no dummy. Raunchy, yes. Dumb. Nah.
Um, I hate to say this about a kid, but Honey Boo Boo is NOT cute. Sorry but just sayin’….
If you “hate” to say it KellyinSeattle, then why did you?
Kellyinseatrle’s comment was not that bad. It kind of reminds me of comedienne Jay Thomas’ comment when they were talking about Honey Boo Boo on Jane Valez-Mitchell.
He said that Honey Boo Boo’s beauty queen days were going to be numbered.
That comment was hard to hear but I understood what he was saying. I have watched Todlers in Tiaras a bit. And if you watch Alana across the last 2-3 seasons, the change to her appearance is stunning in a bad way. I am talking about the really substantial weight gain in that child.
And I am not making fun of her. I am saying it because I noticed it. And I noticed it because it happened to me but I was older. I got hit with a huge weight gain at puberty and it took me until I was 20 years old to get back to normal weight.
If this is her at age 8 or 9, her parents need to monitor her food intake more carefully. Because as cute and lovable as her personality is, she will not beginning pageants if she turns morbidly obese, and people seem to forget that the pagent circuit leads to cash prizes and to scholarships for school tuition.
That little girl is all spark! A lot cuter than someone who can hardly make a crying face having a meltdown over an earring. I can’t believe you guys are picking on a CHILD calling her not cute, obese and lacking in the looks department. Says a lot more about you than it does her. I think she’s going to be fine.
I think she’s cute as a button. And sweet. On Sunday’s episode, I teared up when she gave Punkin’ a pumpkin patch for her eye and said she’d trick or treat for her.
I can’t believe I’m admitting this but… I’ve watched this show a couple times now and it wasn’t completely horrible. There is something strangely likable about the family, or at least June and Honey Boo Boo, maybe the Dad too. Not sure about the other kids yet (the nose picking thing nearly sent me running, ewwww!). In any case, the family does seem to genuinely care about each, and it’s refreshing to see a reality show with a bit of reality instead of the usual fake faces, fake bodies, and fake personalities.
i really like June’s personality on the show. she seems like a real momma bear. so hoping she can avoid the pitfalls of fame. one thing i would hope for her though, is for her to take better care of her health esp if she wants to be around for her kids in the years coming.
Ever since that douche-bag Adam Levine bashed this family, I’ve come to like them even more.
I’m glad mama June got a new hair do!! I’m so glad she is putting that money away for her kids and not spending it!!
I don’t watch this show (mainly because I’m not fond of the baby beauty pageant scene), but I don’t like people stereotyping this family. Maybe the mom is a bit like Dolly Parton, a shrewd yet charitable businesswoman who doesn’t care if people think she’s dumb as she laughs all the way to the bank. She’s obviously smart enough to save the money and ignore the Kardashian “management” offer. Good for her!
Intelligence begins with knowing yourself.
The problem I have with MamaJune is that she has 4 kids by 4 (is it?) different men. Does she/Has she received public benefits for each of them as a single mom? I too prefer them to the Kdashians but not too sure about all of these children (in both families) being born out of wedlock. This world sure has changed in the last 10-20 years (and I’m not that old!) – very sad what we now accept as the “norm”
Shouldn’t you also “have a problem” with the four (?) men who fathered children they are not supporting?
Of course – but that was not the point of this article nor my comment
You are entitled to your opinion, but I was really offended by your comment. I was born out of wedlock, and that didn’t affect me in any negative way. (I didn’t even know they weren’t married until I was over 18.) My parents lived together and both contributed to the family (my dad was a bit of an absentee dad, but that’s just his personality). I’m an adult and they STILL live together and are still there for me whenever I need them.
Honey Boo Boo’s biological father is there for her every day and he has said that he thinks of June’s other children as his children. He might not legally be their step dad, but emotionally he is.
Would you prefer the good old days back when girls that got pregnant out of wedlock were forced to give their babies up for adoption, be seen as social outcasts, or were forced to marry a man that wasn’t right for them?
I’m sorry you were offended but the point still stands and does not seem to apply to your situation. 4 kids by 4 different men and marry none of them? That should not be the norm. Furthermore, no one addressed the public benefits issue. MamaJune is sly like a fox I suspect.
My situation is similar to Kourtney Kardashian’s children and you brought that up. (Not that I’m defending the Kardashians in general.) It’s fine that you have your opinions, but please don’t backpedal. That’s much more offensive than you criticizing people’s personal lives.
And no one commented on the public benefits issue because they don’t know the answer off the top of their heads. If it bothers you so much why don’t you try to google it?
No backpedaling for me Sofia – multiple children, multiple fathers, no marriage – you think that’s a healthy choice for us all? Furthermore, I am making a point about the “private lives” of people who earn their living exposing and EXPLOITING their private lives. Are you the star of a reality show that I’ve never heard of? You took personally what I said about these public personalities. Your thin skin is not my problem.
Thin skinned implies that I was hurt by what you said. I’m not moping around; I would have had to have taken you seriously to have hurt feelings. I found what you said offensive, and I found that you tried to take back part of it when it’s still printed above you rude.
And I notice that you’re still refusing to acknowledge that you did reference one of the Kardashians and that that situation did apply to me. I specifically told you that I am not talking about Honey Boo Boo, rather Kourtney Kardashian, and you STILL keep talking about June? No, I’m not part of a reality show, but I am part of a family with non-married parents which was the part of your original post that I addressed.
yay everyone! I just read/ skimmed through nearly every comment and I didn’t see ONE mean spirited or hateful remark about this family. I’m really happy about that because it seems like no matter what I read at any website there is always at least 1 person who says something so out of line or mean spirited, especially when it comes to Honey Boo-Boo 😀 Thanks for restoring my faith in the people who spend entirely too much time on the interent like myself!! 🙂
There were some mean comments – but by and large, the comments were mostly positive.
I don’t/won’t watch the show (reality tv isn’t to my taste) but my assistant and I were talking kids today at work, and she remarked that the kids on this show are never on the computer or cell phones…that they are playing together outside. When you consider that and the trusts, this family sounds downright sophisticated to me!
That is smart of June and refreshing to hear.
As for Duck Dynasty, they’re nowhere near Beverly Hillbillies. All of the men in the immediate family (except for Uncle Si) have at least a Bachelors Degree. I believe the father has a masters degree and if I remember rightly was a teacher for a number of years. I think the women they married aren’t slouches either by the way they represent themselves on the show.
Sure it’s scripted for them to get into hijinks but it’s fun and I really enjoy the deadpan words of wisdom the main characters spit out.
Very smart.
Good for Mamma June. Say what you want about some of these “redneck” reality shows that are now all the rage but they’re showing themselves to be much smarter than the reality shows featuring allegedly sophisticated wealthy people (I’m looking at you, Real Housewives!).
For example the Duck Dynasty folks may look like hillbillies who struck it rich, but the fact is that most of them are college-educated, including the patriarch Phil – don’t let the crazy beards fool you; they are fully in on the joke and are raking it in on that basis. And they didn’t stumble ass-backwards into a bucketload of cash – they built a successful duck-call business from scratch, so the whole “Beverly Hillbillies” analogy doesnt work for them. In fact, its their wealth that allows them to live the life of crazy rednecks in the bush without a care in the world.
Meanwhile, Mamma June still clips coupons and lives within her means and is using her new found fame and money for the benefit of her kids (and not herself).
I think more than a few of those broke-ass “Real Housewives” or other reality show types could learn a thing or two from Mamma June or from the Robertson clan……
Well, I’ll be damned. Good move!