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The moms of reality TV are exchanging a few thoughts. On Monday, Mama June responded to a video from Teen Mom alum Kailyn Lowry questioning Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson’s recent financial revelation. The teen alleges that her mom has spent much of her earnings from her reality TV career. Reacting to the tense discussions that played out on Mama June: Family Crisis, Lowry questioned why money was missing that the young reality star could use for her education and other endeavors.
Kailyn Lowry Spoke from Her Own Experience on Reality TV
In her video, Kailyn Lowry noted that she and Alana Thompson spent 12 years on reality TV. While Lowry was a minor for less of that time than Thompson, she also had to manage money for her children, who appeared on the series throughout her relationship with MTV.
Lowry made sure to explain she holds herself in no higher regard than Honey Boo Boo or Mama June, all of whom are from humble beginnings.
How are you able to spend 12 or 13 years worth of money, when you are getting your own money and making more than an average person who is not on TV and is not in the public eye? Mama June has multiple kids, so even if she’s taking up percentage of her kids money, as a management fee or whatever, to spend all of it is absolutely f–king insane.
Kailyn Lowry, TikTok
Lowry went on to explain how she managed finances with exes Jo Rivera and Javi Marroquin in relation to her oldest two sons, who spent the most time on reality television, splitting the money paid out to each child with their respective father and each managing their halves as they deemed fit. While acknowledging that she didn’t properly manage her early reality TV earnings, she said she eventually enlisted a financial advisor and investment advisor to help.
I guess what I’m trying to get at and I say all of this to say is there had to have been upwards of seven figures — like six figures into the seven figure digits, with the four of them at minimum and the amount of TV time that they’ve had. If this was one of my kids finding out that the other parent took any of their money, I would help my kids to sue their other parent, period, plain and simple. Two, there should have been more than enough money to do the plastic surgery, the buying a house, all of those things and still having money to live and money for Alana to go to college. That money should have been protected, set aside, in the event that she wanted to go away. And also the fact that she admitted this on TV on a recording, I’m very curious to see what happens from here.
Kailyn Lowry/TikTok
Mama June Didn’t Take Offense to Lowry’s Questioning and Shared Her Truth
Mama June answered not too long after, stitching her response to Lowry’s video. She explained that she wanted to answer the Teen Mom alum in particular. June felt that as someone who has been on TV, Lowry understands more of the nuances.
June alleges that the family wasn’t compensated for their appearances at the beginning of their relationship with TLC on Toddlers & Tiaras. Instead, Alana’s pageant entry fees for the first few episodes were covered. They didn’t receive a contract from the network until 2012. Then, she opened up about their experiences with Coogan accounts. The accounts are a type of protected savings account set up for child performers by their legal parents or guardians.
Through that time, there was no mention of a Coogan account. It was just lump sum payments at that time and I went and kind of divided it up, and when the kids wanted something, they got it — like tons of family vacations and stuff like that.
Mama June/TikTok
June did acknowledge that she’s never worked with a financial advisor and has had “people in my circle kind of screw me over with money.” That said, she has tried to make better decisions.
In 2015, TLC approached her for Mama June: Hot or Not and, once again, did not move to set up a Coogan account for Alana.
I did not learn about Coogan accounts until Alana went on Dancing with the Stars Jr. At that time, everybody there had been on Disney, or some other big-time celebrities that have kids. They told me you only have to put in 20% and the other 80% you could do whatever with. At the end of the day, I guess I could have put 100 in there … but the minimum was 20% and we moved forward with that.
Mama June/TikTok
As Alana has gotten older, Mama June says she’s wanted more access to her money. As a result, she has amassed money in savings for her. June plans to pay Alana back the $30,000 she believes she owes her from previous financial arrangements.
We want to be able to have her sign something that she has agreed to, that says ‘Okay, every bit of money is paid back and it’s squashed and everything else, not just for my protection but for Alana’s protection. It’s time to move forward. I’ve been trying to move forward.
Mama June/TikTok
June said that she’s glad Lowry was able to do the right thing for her kids. That says, she claims she didn’t have the kind of guidance that allowed for the same. She’s trying to write her wrongs,
