It has been over two months since Mama June, 42, lost custody of her 16-year-old daughter Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson to Alana’s older sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon. In a Father’s Day tribute to her husband Josh Efird, on Instagram, Pumpkin, 22, included an adorable photo of her squeezing her sister — while throwing some subtle shade at her newly-married mom! In photos shared on Sunday, June 19, Pumpkin addressed the Georgia court ruling and told Josh — who is also the father to their 4-year-old daughter Ella and 11-month-old son Bentley, as well as twins who were born in May — “Thank you for being the best father to all of our babies, including Alana.”
In the post, which now has almost 50,000 likes, Pumpkin shared several sentimental photos of her life with Josh. In the last photo, the two of them were holding Alana tight, who looked squeamish in between her older sister, who is now her guardian. In the full caption, Pumpkin wrote, “Happy Father’s Day to the BEST father I’ve known. All my life I prayed God would send me someone I could have a family with and love forever and he sent me you. Thank you for being the best father to all of our babies including Alana. You’ve never failed to show up and show the kids what a man real man is. I’ll forever be thankful for you. Me and the kids love you so very much.”
According to court documents obtained by HollywoodLife, the custody of Alana was issued in April 2022. In addition to winning sole custody of Alana, the court ruled that Mama June must also pay Pumpkin $800 a month in child support until Alana turns 18-years-old, in August 2023. The documents also stated Pumpkin would also be in control of “visitation between the defendant [June] and the minor [Alana].” They also showed that both parties agreed to the change in custody.
One month later, as also reported by HollywoodLife, Mama June said in a video interview that aired on Page Six’s Virtual Reali-tea, “Alana made that choice to stay in that environment. People don’t understand the custody thing. It’s not like somebody ‘lost custody.’ In the state of Georgia, you do temporary guardianship every year and [Alana] had been with [Lauryn] in my addiction,” she said, adding, “Well, at the age of 12, you’re able to make your choice.” She told the outlet that, even though Pumpkin has custody, she is still in communication with Alana. “We do communicate. So it wasn’t like any difference. The only difference is she’s not sitting right here beside me in my home every day.”