Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson Celebrates 16th Birthday With New Photoshoot

Published December 19, 2021

I want to take you back to a very special time. A time before Katy Perry was a judge on American Idol. A time when Pitbull was featured in every major dance track. A time when no one had AirPods or iPhones, and an Apple Watch was what you called an analog clock with a piece of fruit on it.

Yes, I want to take you back to 2011.

2011 was one of those years that doesn't often standout when we look back on the ~good ol' days~ but honestly, it deserves a lot more credit.

While a lot of things happened in 2011, one of the most prominent moments in pop culture that year was when the world was introduced to Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson.

After appearing on an episode of TLC's Toddlers and Tiaras the world was instantly enamoured with the charismatic 5-year-old.

Soon, the entire Thompson family, including June "Mama June" Shannon, was given their old reality TV show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

The show, which ran from 2012 to 2014, highlighted the day-to-day activities of this family in the small town of McIntyre, Georgia.

In the years that followed the show, the family was plagued by controversy and tragic revelations that caused a division between June and her children.

Now, Alana is looking up and onward as she approaches her 16th birthday on August 28.

In a new interview for Teen Vogue the teen got candid about being a celebrity for nearly a decade.

"I guess people still expect me to be little Honey Boo Boo, and I’m not anymore,” she told the publication. "Just because I’m from the South, people expect me to be all country bumpkin, out riding four-wheelers all the time, but that’s not really how it is. … As long as I like myself, I’m good."

When it comes to online trolls who comment on her body, Alana has a good head on her shoulders.

"I don’t understand why people think this way,” she explained. "Just because I got a little bit of extra meat on my bones, you want to hate me? I’ll never get body-shaming. … Like, I know I’m beautiful, and I know I got a banging body, so … I don’t care."

Due to her reality TV past, the teen finds it hard to make true friends.

"To be honest, I do not have many friends. At all," she told the publication, noting that her only friend is her boyfriend. "Because I feel like folks are so much like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m friends with Honey Boo Boo.’ I don’t trust nobody really, so I don’t have friends."

As for her tumultuous relationship with her mother, Alana admitted it's not easy to struggle so publicly.

"When my mama got real bad with her [drug use], I didn’t know where I was going to end up,” she admitted. "I’m proud of myself for how far I’ve come."

"A lot of folks in this world do not realize how many people are actually really affected by drug and alcohol [use]," she added.

Getty Images | JB Lacroix

"It’s very, very hard. It’s something I’d wish on nobody, for real."

As for what the future holds, Alana is optimistic about life, and with such a good head on her shoulders, we know great things are headed her way.

"I don’t know what future Alana’s like," she said. "I haven’t met her yet."

She does know it will include more reality TV for the time being.

“I want to have a life, you know?" she continued.

"I want to be able to support my kids when I do have kids and stuff like that. It’s definitely something that is good for the time being, [and] good for later on in life."

"I want to be the best I can be, and I want to make my money, and I also want to make straight A’s, so I just try my hardest," she added.

We're wishing Alana a very happy sweet sixteen!

h/t: Teen Vogue.

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