HollywoodLife has EXCLUSIVELY learned that despite June “Mama June” Shannon‘s objections to her 16-year-old daughter Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson’s plan to have weight loss surgery, the procedure will go on. HL confirmed on July 20 that the reality star would obtain a “non-surgical outpatient procedure” to help her lose approximately 125 pounds to reach her goal weight of 150 pounds shortly after her 17th birthday, which falls on August 28. And despite the procedure usually being viewed as a positive step forward in one’s fitness and general wellbeing, Mama June, 41, had no issue expressing her issue with the upcoming procedure.
“I’m supportive if this is something Alana wants to get, but I would say she needs to wait until she’s 18 years old,” the Mama June: Road To Redemption lead told TMZ on July 27. She also noted she was not aware of her daughter’s plans before the news broke to the public. Alana and Mama June have had a notoriously rough relationship following Mame June’s drug and addiction issues. Earlier this year, Alana’s older sister, Lauryn ‘Pumpkin’ Shannon, 22, was given full custody of her and was awarded $800 per month in child support from Mama June until Alana reaches the age of 18.
Mama June may be concerned, though, due to her familiarity with weight loss surgery. Between 2016 and 2018, she lost 300 pounds after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery, breast augmentation, and skin removal surgery, which was documented on her show, Mama June: From Not to Hot. However, by Aug. 2018, Mama June showed how difficult it is to keep off the weight after she admitted she had gained 50 pounds back. “You’ve got to love yourself no matter who you are,” she said with a positive attitude during an episode of her show. “I was 350 pounds to 150 pounds and now I’m back up to 200 pounds. People just need to learn who they are.” Unfortunately, Mama June was then denied bariatric revision surgery in the July 22 episode of Road to Recovery.
Alana spoke about her hesitation ahead of the surgery in a July 21 interview with Entertainment Tonight. “I just wanna make sure that this is actually something I wanna do before I just go and do it,” she reasoned. “I wanna make sure that it’s, like, not something that’s, like, gonna kill me. And I just wanna make sure it’s something I actually wanna do before I go and do it.”
She then explained why she thinks a weight loss procedure is her best option. “I know for a fact I could get in the gym and I know for a fact I could diet and I know for a fact I can do this to lose my weight,” she noted. “I’ve tried. I will say I’ve tried, but the one thing with me is I have no motivation. I have no motivation to just keep going to the gym every day. I have no motivation to keep eating healthy because, like, I’m gonna eat what I think is good.”
Alana’s rep told HollywoodLife that the former pageant queen is going through with the procedure alongside her boyfriend, 20-year-old Dralin Carswell. “It is not actual surgery, it’s done with a scope and is safer,” the rep explained. “Suture Sculpt Endoscopic Sleeve Is what her and Dralin are going in for. They’ve both been losing weight through changing their eating habits and exercise and they feel this will help them lose more weight and keep it off.”