By now, you’ve probably heard that Honey Boo Boo’s mother Mama June and her father Sugar Bear have separated. It’s a pretty sad development for those who watch Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and obviously for those actually close to the family, but sadly, it’s apparently not the saddest recent development. Rumors are swirling that Mama June has moved on from Sugar Bear and is now dating a registered sex offender who was convicted of molesting a then 8-year-old who the family still has contact with. As such, TLC is currently investigating the situation and “reassessing” the show’s future.
The scandal first went live over at TMZ this morning. The outlet obtained a picture of Mama June and the man, 53-year-old Mark McDaniel, laying together in what looks like a bed. Sources allegedly told the site the two have been seeing each other for the past few months, and she’s been giving him a lot of gifts. No one involved has spoken out publicly, but she allegedly snuck away from production several times to hang out with him in secret.
The complicated and sickening situation began more than a decade ago. Mama June and Mark McDaniel were dating when police began investigating whether he molested an 8-year-old girl who they both knew pretty well. He was later charged with aggravated child molestation and sent to jail for 10 years. He was released in March and not long after, allegedly started seeing Mama June on the regular.
Ordinarily, I’m all about reality stars being able to date and see whoever they want, but there is a pretty sickening real world implication here, especially since Mama June allegedly still sees the girl who this guy was convicted of molesting. What could possibly be a bigger, scarier middle finger to her?
Here’s the official statement from TLC…
"TLC is not currently in production on HERE COMES HONEY BOO BOO. We are very concerned about this new information and are reassessing the future of the series."
Maybe the network is threatening Mama June right now and telling her to end the relationship or the show won’t continue. Maybe this whole thing is a false rumor that has spiraled out of control. Maybe, Maybe, Maybe. It’s really hard to tell at this point, but we’ll probably get a good idea based on what TLC ultimately decides to do.
We’ll keep you updated.
