It featured Alana's older half-sisters, Anna, Jessica, and Lauryn, as well as her father, known as Sugar Bear, and other extended family members at home in rural McIntyre, Georgia.
The cancellation came a day after TMZ reported that June was dating her former boyfriend, who had spent time in prison for sexually molesting a young girl, who turned out to be one of her daughters.
[11] At only 14, June became pregnant by her ex-boyfriend David Dunn; she gave birth to daughter Anna just days after her 15th birthday.
June pursued relationships with men who would later become convicted sex offenders; her daughters Jessica and Lauryn were fathered by Michael Anthony Ford (b.
1977), who was found guilty of trying to obtain oral sex from a minor female online; and she briefly dated Mark McDaniel, who was convicted of abusing Anna and whom Lauryn believed to be her biological father for some time.
[22][23] In addition to her significant weight loss, she underwent cosmetic surgery, spending a reported $75,000 to further improve her appearance.
[24] Anna Marie "Chickadee" Toney (née Shannon; August 28, 1994 – December 9, 2023) was the eldest of June's four children; her father is David Dunn.
[29] Additionally, Anna alleged that June had stolen thousands out of her trust fund, leaving her with less than $18 in her savings account.
[30][31] During the time Anna involved lawyers in an effort to gain access to her accounts, which were managed by June, she took to social media in an effort to make money selling products that claimed to prevent Ebola, in the midst of the Ebola epidemic in the United States, which subjected her to backlash.
[36] Jessica Louise "Chubbs" Shannon (born October 12, 1996) is June's second daughter; her father is Michael Anthony Ford.
Alana began to compete in beauty pageants at a young age, which earned her screen time on the popular TLC television show Toddlers & Tiaras that gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the world of pageantry.
In 2018, she performed in the lone season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, paired with Tristan Ianiero and mentored by Artem Chigvintsev.
Disguised as a beach ball, they were eliminated in the first round after singing Miley Cyrus' "Party in the U.S.A."[54] After June's March 2019 arrest, Alana lived with half-sister Lauryn.
[69][70] Mike later revealed he'd been unfaithful to June, having cheated on her with both women and men during the course of their relationship, on an episode of Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars.
[74] She wed Lamb in 1994 and in 2014, he was convicted of sexually abusing a minor; he is currently serving a 35-year sentence at Wheeler Correctional Facility.
[76] She ultimately lost a substantial amount of weight and in 2019, Mike proposed to her a second time with a new diamond wedding ring.
He was convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor, after attempting to solicit oral sex from an undercover police officer he believed to be a teen girl.
[82] Geno has a criminal history, including felony charges, for which he served time at Coastal State Prison.
Justin Stroud and June met through social media and married on March 23, 2022, at the Wilkinson County, Georgia, courthouse after dating for six months.
[92] Mark pled guilty to aggravated child molestation in 2003, with June's eldest daughter, Anna, being his victim.
Alana's outgoing personality and funny remarks made her a fan favorite and several of her phrases from the show, such as "A dollar makes me holler," later became the basis for popular internet memes.
In the middle of filming the fifth season, TLC abruptly cancelled the show after it was confirmed that June was dating a registered sex offender.
[96] In December 2014, Anna appeared on an episode of Dr. Phil, alongside her grandmother, Sandra, to discuss the disappearance of money from her savings account, which June had access to, and the backlash she received as the result of endorsing products claiming to treat the Ebola virus and cancer.
During their time on Toddlers & Tiaras, June was filmed giving Alana, who was then 6 years old, a drink she referred to as "go-go juice".
[99] Later on, it was revealed that the go-go juice she had Alana consume before pageants was a mixture of Red Bull, an energy drink, and Mountain Dew, a carbonated beverage high in caffeine, sugar, and calories.
[102][103] June defended her decision to give the Red Bull–Mountain Dew mixture to Alana, saying that there were worse things she could give her daughter to drink, such as alcohol, and that she'd tried alternatives, notably Pixy Stix, which are referred to as "pageant crack" within the pageant community due to the energizing effects the high sugar content has on a child contestant's behavior.
[106] On March 13, 2019, June Shannon and her boyfriend, Geno Doak, were both arrested at a gas station in Alabama, after police were called to the scene following reports of a public dispute.
Geno also faced an additional charge of domestic violence and harassment in relation to the public altercation with June.
[109] The two failed to show for their indictment, but later, in October 2019, entered a plea of not guilty, and face the possibility of prison time, if convicted.
California, where the shows were taped, has a law known as the Coogan Act, which mandates that a portion of child actors' pay must be put into a blocked trust account.