Mama June Admits to Spending Thousands of Dollars a Day on Meth

Mama June: Family Crisis star Mama June Shannon has opened up about her addiction to methamphetamine. She recently revealed that her drug addiction cost her thousands of dollars daily. 

Pumpkin has temporary custody of Alana 

Until recently, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon and Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson hadn’t heard from their mother after she was arrested on drug charges in March 2019. “Mama always said she would never let a man come in between our relationship,” Alana told cameras in a clip for Mama June: Family Crisis. “She always told us we were [her] number one priority. She did let a man come between us. I’m mad, I’m upset — I don’t know what to think anymore.” The 14-year-old currently lives with Pumpkin, her husband, Josh, and daughter, Ella.

Frustrated and hurt, the family’s focus became finding Mama June and getting her help. In the clip, Pumpkin believes June is in Alabama, but they haven’t been in contact. As Doe Doe Shannon explained, the only way the family knows if June is alive is through social media.“She doesn’t even answer our phone calls,” Pumpkin said. “It goes straight to voicemail. Geno’s phone goes to voicemail.”

Mama June has been on a downward spiral 

Since the success of Alana’s pageant days on Toddlers and Tiaras, Shannan has experienced a wealth of fame and fortune. Their spinoff series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo kept fans captivated for a while. Then, Shannon landed her reality series, Mama June: From Not to Hot, following her life after weight-loss surgery. Now, given Mama June’s addiction, the series has changed to Mama June: Family Crisis.

“You have to understand too, I can’t have Ella and Alana around that,” Pumpkin said to her mother, who added that this wasn’t the first time she had used drugs. 

Mama June says she’s changed 

In 2019, Mama June was arrested in Alabama on charges of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. Her boyfriend Eugene “Geno” Edward Doak was arrested for charges of domestic violence, possession of a controlled substance, and drug paraphernalia. Both pleaded not guilty. 

Mama June has assured Pumpkin that she is doing better and made promises to get clean. “My mom has four kids,” Pumpkin explained to Entertainment Tonight “Three of us are grown and can take care of ourselves and can cook for ourselves, and we all pay our own bills. But at the end of the day, Alana’s still 14, and she needs her mom.” 

In the past, Mama June said she hated the person she was. “I wanted to kill that person. I didn’t want to kill myself physically, but I wanted to kill that personality.” Now, Mama June says the person she wanted to kill is gone.

Mama June spent thousands of dollars on methamphetamine

When Mama June’s drug use became apparent, the network offered her an opportunity to go to rehab. Sadly, she checked out after less than 24 hours. This season, Mama June explains to Pumpkin how bad her drug habit was. “I mean, it was a couple [of] ounces a day,” Mama June said. “Our habit was $2,500 a day, if not more.” In the observation room, Dr. Ish clarifies how much that equates to. “That’s 25 grams of meth a day,” he said to a producer. “That’s a f*ck ton.” 

Pumpkin explains that for Mama June to get clean, Geno must also seek treatment. She also refuses to have her daughter, Ella, and sister, Alana, “around that.” In the clip, Mama June claims to have been “90% good” for the last few months. Recent posts on Mama June’s social media feeds have been positive, but it’s unclear where her relationship with her kids stands today.