Imagine knowing a child that was being molested by their mother’s partner. Now, imagine knowing that this mother had once again began to see her partner, allowing him to be in close proximity to said child.
This is exactly what happened in the case of June Shannon, also known as Mama June, who is one of the stars of the TLC reality show “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.” The show is centered around 9-year-old Alana Thompson, a previous contestant on the TLC show “Toddlers and Tiaras,” and her family.
According to Fox News, it recently came to public notice that one of Shannon’s daughters — later revealed to be 20-year old Anna Shannon in Radar Online — was sexually molested by her mother’s partner at the age of 8. The perpetrator, Mark McDaniel, was convicted of aggravated child molestation on May 20, 2004 and registered as a sex offender in 2014.
It was revealed by TMZ that Shannon had been secretly dating McDaniel after his release from prison.
“TLC is not in production on ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” said a representative for TLC. “We are very concerned about this new information and are reassessing the future of the series.”
After days of debate on the fate of the television show, it was revealed by TMZ that “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” had been cancelled until further notice.
According to TMZ, this cancellation is going to result in a massive financial hit for TLC because the show was extremely profitable; however, TLC is standing firmly by its decision.
“Supporting the health and welfare of these remarkable children is our only priority,” TLC said. “TLC is faithfully committed to the children’s ongoing comfort and well-being.”
This is not the first time Shannon’s actions have been a cause for controversy. According to an article written by ABC News, Shannon came under scrutiny in 2012 after it was revealed she was feeding Alana, then 6, a drink known as “Go Go Juice” — which was a combination of Mountain Dew and Red Bull. Shannon defended herself by stating that she “could be giving her alcohol” and it shouldn’t be a big deal because “everybody does it.”
This recent revelation of Shannon’s actions have stemmed a high concentration of extremely passionate, yet differing, opinions about the family and the TV show in general.
Some individuals, such as biology junior Jennifer Katigbak, believed that TLC was correct in choosing to cancel the show. Katigbak said that the lifestyle of the characters in the show were not appealing to her.
“I’ve only watched an episode of it through its entire duration,” Katigbak said. “I think TLC’s response was appropriate. They did what they had to do in regards to what’s best for their company’s image.”
Others, such as business management junior Justin Novosad, were more concerned with the children in the family.
“I’ve heard about it, but never really watched it,” said Novosad. “I’ve been seeing a lot about it in the news lately though. I think it’s crazy how the mom could be bringing a person with such a past around her minor children. I think it’s sad that the children have to suffer now with the cancellation of the show because of their mom’s choices.”
When asked to comment on the incident, Shannon said in a video shown on TMZ that the reports were completely false, despite the fact that she was recently pictured with McDaniel.
“The statement of me dating a sex offender is totally untrue,” Shannon said. “I would not ever ever ever put my kids in danger. I love my kids too much.”
If Shannon really loves her children as much as she says she does, the decision to parade her then 6-year-old daughter around in a beauty pageant was probably not the best idea. If she really loved her children, she would not have allowed them to be a part of this reality television show, as the majority of the children were minors when the show started.
The children should have been allowed to enjoy their childhood. They should not be subjected to the stress of being on television, followed by cameras everywhere they go, at such a young age.
Shannon is not an example of a good mother. Not only did she continue to see the man who molested one of her children, she used another child for fame and money.
She may claim she loves her children, but it seems her love is hidden by lust and greed.
Opinion columnist Trishna Buch is a print journalism senior and may be reached at opinion@thedailycougar.com.
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“‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’ mother dates her daughter’s former molester” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar