The Amazing Transformation Of Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson

Alana Thompson, better known as Honey Boo Boo, is all grown up. The former sassy preschool pageant queen is now an adult striving for a career of her own — not attached to her wild redneck family's reality fame.

Thompson has been in the spotlight since she was a little girl doing beauty pageants in rural Georgia. The "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" star even told Entertainment Tonight that as she pursues her undergraduate degree, she thinks she'll still remain on camera, especially if her mom, "Mama June" Shannon, maintains her stardom on her show "Mama June: From Not to Hot." "I've been on TV my whole life. I've basically accepted that, whether I want to go be a nurse, or whether I want to go be an accountant, whatever I want to be, I will always be in the spotlight," she said.

In recent years, Thompson has separated herself from her "Honey Boo Boo" persona, letting the world know that the new Alana is ready for a normal life and a fulfilling career. Read about her amazing transformation from pageant girl to perceptive student here.

When she was just six years old, Alana Thompson made her reality debut as a child beauty pageant contestant featured on Season 5 of TLC's "Toddlers & Tiaras." She became the show's breakout star due to her unmatched and hilarious charm, as well as her highly "redneckognized" catchphrases, like "a dolla makes me holla!" and "Honey Boo Boo child," a nod to her childhood nickname "Honey Boo Boo."

The young star's personality magnetized fans, who were also fascinated by her backwoods Georgia family, including pageant mom "Mama June" Shannon. The 2012 season skyrocketed both Thompson and her mom to fame, notably due to Thompson guzzling down "go-go juice," a concoction she created with Red Bull and Mountain Dew. Their scary caffeine consumption, combined with their overall chaotic lifestyle led Thompson to stardom on her own TLC offshoot series after her "Tiaras" stint.

"Honey Boo Boo" became a household name when TLC gave Alana Thompson her own spin-off show called "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," which followed the young pageant star's family antics in rural McIntyre, Georgia. Along with Thompson, the cast included her mom, "Mama June" Shannon, her three sisters: Lauryn "Pumpkin" Shannon, Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon, and Anna "Chickadee" Shannon, and her father, Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson.

Considered part of the long list of trash television, "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," was adored by fans for its off-beat family dynamic that usually wouldn't otherwise be featured in a TV series. However, the reality show was abruptly canceled in 2014 after many controversies plagued the family, including June Shannon's alleged romantic affiliation with convicted child molester Mark McDaniels. Per The Washington Post, TLC released a statement after the cancellation of the series, which claimed: "Supporting the health and welfare of these remarkable children is our only priority. TLC is faithfully committed to the children's ongoing comfort and well-being."

For years, Alana Thompson was considered a loud-mouthed, twangy country girl who was the archetype that represented the rural American South. TLC banked on Thompson and her family's larger-than-life personalities to get people hooked with voyeuristic intrigue. After "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" ended, the family continued their reality era in "Mama June: From Not to Hot," which centered around the stunning transformation of June Shannon amid her weight loss journey. While Thompson frequently appeared in the series, her main focus as a teen was finishing high school.

Thompson spoke with Teen Vogue in 2021 about her new image as a smart, calm, young woman who doesn't go by "Honey Boo Boo" anymore. "They are completely two different people," she said of pageant princess "Honey Boo Boo" versus just Alana. "I would say that I do like this Alana now, rather than the younger Alana."

In May 2023, Thompson posted on Instagram to share that she graduated high school. Along with a gorgeous photo of the teen in full glam — a far better look than her old pageant makeup — Thompson wrote, "I'm not gonna lie I look at my diploma now and it still feels a little surreal for me to be graduating high school. but I can finally say I DID IT."

In July 2023, Alana Thompson told Entertainment Tonight that she would be attending Denver, Colorado's Regis University in the fall to pursue a degree in neonatal nursing, adding that she was given a scholarship to help with her tuition. During her transition to college and moving from Georgia to Colorado, Thompson was grappling with the idea that her sister, Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell, was dying after being diagnosed with Stage 4 adrenal carcinoma. In December 2023, Cardwell passed away at 29.

Now, Thompson is constantly reminding herself of what Cardwell said to her before she died. "She was like, 'If I pass and you're not in nursing school, I will haunt you,'" Thompson told People. In the summer of 2024, rumors swirled on Reddit that Thompson's move back home to Georgia was an indicator of her quitting nursing school, but she told People that she couldn't wait to get back to Colorado to finish her studies. In fact, she has big dreams for her career. "I'm just looking forward to helping people," she said. "I really want to be a neonatal nurse, so I want to work with little babies."

While Alana Thompson's biggest goal is to help infants, she, herself, is not looking to have babies anytime soon. Though, according to her family, she has found "the one," with whom she may eventually settle down. In 2021, Thompson publicly launched her relationship on social media, letting her followers know of her now-long-term boyfriend, Dralin Carswell.

Her sister Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird told The Daily Mail in 2024 that Carswell feels like part of the family. "Dralin's great. His whole family is great... I just feel like I feel like the last four years, Dralin's just become one of us," she said. Thompson — who now lives with her boyfriend in Colorado — told the outlet that Carswell is the perfect boyfriend, who continues to motivate her to work on school. 

Although the couple is talking about kids, Thompson is adamant that she won't consider motherhood until after she graduates. In terms of her future family, she said: "I told him [Carswell], 'I can meet you in the middle and we can have one.' One and done, that's it."