There goes Honey Boo Boo. TLC has abruptly canceled its polarizing reality sensation after co-star “Mama June” Shannon allegedly started dating a convicted child molester.
Earlier this week, TMZ first reported that Shannon had started dating Mark McDaniel, who was convicted in 2004 of aggravated child molestation of an 8-year-old. After the report, members of Shannon’s family denied the two were together—saying the two had not dated in 10 years and that Shannon was “all about the kids” these days. But TLC became convinced the claim was accurate and executives pulled the plug on the reality series early Friday.
TLC released this statement to EW: “TLC has canceled the series Here Comes Honey Boo Boo and ended all activities around the series, effective immediately. 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.”
On Thursday, TLC wrote this: “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.”
The decision halts the Toddlers & Tiaras spin-off two years into its run. Here Comes Honey Boo Boo may not have charmed critics, but it delivered strong ratings for the network, at one point topping 3.2 million viewers. The most recent season averaged 1.5 million viewers and ranked No. 1 on Thursdays among women 18-34 watching basic cable.
