For "Mama June" Shannon, 2023 has been a year of ups and downs. The mom of four daughters — Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell, Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, and Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson — celebrated a second wedding ceremony but also was dealt a tremendous loss.
Shannon, who skyrocketed to fame alongside her daughter Alana in TLC’s “Honey Boo Boo” reality series currently has additional reality shows on the WE channel: “Mama June: From Not to Hot,” “Mama June: Road to Redemption” and “Mama June: Family Crisis.”
Following her 2022 Georgia courthouse wedding to Justin Stroud, Shannon announced on Feb. 18, 2023 that she and Stroud had celebrated their love in a second "glamorous and intimate oceanfront ceremony” in Panama City, Florida.
But news of a medical issue overshadowed the rest of the year for the family.
In May of 2023, Shannon confirmed in an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" that her daughter Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell had a “very rare and very aggressive” form of cancer.
On Dec. 10, Shannon announced that her daughter had died “peacefully” in her home the day prior.
Shannon wrote on Instagram: "She gave one hell of a fight for 10 months. She passed away with her family around her."
Shannon has three surviving daughters.
Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell
At 29, Cardwell was Shannon's oldest daughter. Shannon was 15 years old when she gave birth to Cardwell.
According to People, Shannon's relationship with Cardwell had been strained. Cardwell moved from her mother's house to her grandmother's house because Shannon had been dating registered sex offender Mark McDaniel, who would “would try and touch me and all that stuff,” Cardwell said.
Cardwell moved back in with her mother in 2012 before the premiere of "Honey Boo Boo."
Cardwell had two young daughters: Kaitlyn, now 11, and Kylee, who turned 8 on the day of her mother's death.
Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon
Shannon told ET Online that Jessica "Chubbs" Shannon and Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird have the same father: convicted sex offender Michael Anthony Ford, who was caught on ‘To Catch a Predator’ in 2005 and served time in jail.
But Jessica's life is not defined by her father. Born on Oct. 12, 1996, she graduated from college in 2018 and proudly posted an image of herself in a cap and gown.
Jessica discussed her coming out on "Entertainment Tonight," including the fact that Mama June found out through social media. The mother and daughter were not in a good place at the time.
"You can't help who you love," June said.
As of summer 2023, Jessica had been dating girlfriend Shyann McCant for a year.
Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird
Lauryn "Pumpkin" Efird married Joshua Efird in a Las Vegas ceremony when she was 18 years old, according to People. They had just welcomed their first daughter, Ella Grace, a few months prior.
Their son, Bentley Jameson, arrived in July of 2021, and the couple had twins Sylus and Stella in 2022.
People reports that Lauryn was awarded custody of her then-16-year-old sister Alana in June 2021. Their mother was required to pay child support to Lauryn.
You can see how much Lauryn loves her sister in this Instagram post of Alana's high school graduation. She wrote: "To say I'm proud would be an understatement ... Please always know I'm your biggest fan & always & forever gonna be screaming the loudest for you. I love you lana 🥰"
Alana “Honey Boo Boo” ThompsonIndeed, Alana's high school graduation garnered a lot of attention, both from her family and from the public.
Mama June posted some photos from the event along with a lengthy caption that included, "WORK IT SMOOCHIE."
Alana may not be a toddler, and she may have left the tiaras behind her, but she still likes to get glam every once in a while.
But going to college is decidedly not glam. Alana posted a funny video on her TikTok account, captioning it: "Y'all I'm already struggling but i got this 🙏🏼!" She added a hashtag for her school, Regis University in Denver, Colorado, where she's studying to be a neonatal nurse.
On Dec. 10, however, she recorded a much more somber video about her sister's death. Alana keeps saying that life without Anna seems "surreal," and she described the last hours before her sister's passing.
"She wanted a steak. That was the one thing that she wanted," said Alana. Hopeful that their sister might eat a few bites, Alana and Lauryn went to the store to buy a steak.
"But we got to the house and we decided not to make the steak because we knew that Anna ... just ... it wasn’t the time to make the steak. So we didn’t make the steak and we were all just sitting there talking and she took her last breath," Alana said, fighting back tears.
"She's gonna be watching out for me."
