What happened to Sugar Bear from ‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’?

Here Comes Honey Boo Boo was all the rage when it debuted on TLC in 2012. At the center of the reality TV show was the unconventional familial dynamics of The Shannon family. There was matriarch Shannon “Mama June” Thompson, and her four daughters, including the spotlight-stealing Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson who first gained popularity on the children’s pageant show, Toddlers and Tiaras. However, there was also Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson, Mama June’s then-partner, who has since flown under the radar.

Sugar Bear’s struggles

Things have since changed dramatically for the Shannon-Thompson family, especially in comparison to the heydays of Honey Boo Boo. Alana herself has even since denounced the pet nickname that brought her into the limelight. Sugar Bear and Mama June also divorced, and moved on to other relationships that would lead them down separate roads as time passed. Sadly, Thompson’s road seemed to diverge from his only daughter’s.

In 2022, not long after his 50th birthday and his divorce from Jennifer Lamb, he started on a bumpy road to a complete makeover. He was scheduled to undergo several procedures including hair transplants, botox injections, fillers, liposuction and extensive dental work, which involved the removal of twenty teeth. The bump in the road however, came during his dental makeover, when the physician discovered a growth in Sugar Bear’s gums that was indicative of cancer. Luckily it was declared benign and removed at a separate time, and he could continue with the cosmetic procedures in April. However, this was just the beginning of his troubles.

While he looked great after his $30k plus makeover, Sugar Bear was still dealing with his mental health struggles, and being a father. Years of dealing with diabetes led to the unwanted side effect of a prescription drug addiction to help with severe depression and anxiety. Sugar Bear then reportedly reached out to celebrity sportsman Lamar Odom for help. He was then admitted at one of Odom’s rehab clinics: the Gold Bridge Treatment Center in Louisburg, Kansas.

Sugar Bear and Honey Boo Boo’s relationship

It is possible that Sugar Bear is deciding to finally treat his addictions and mental health because of Alana. For years, his relationship with his only daughter has been estranged and only seems to be worsening over time. Most recently, it was reported that he was not present at the now 18-year-old’s graduation, and only called two weeks afterwards.

The rift between the father and daughter duo seemed to have hit its peak in 2022 when both Mama June and Sugar Bear were convinced to relinquish legal custody rights to Shannon’s daughter Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird. But before, and especially since then, Alana has consistently chosen to distance herself from her father. 

That didn’t stop Sugar Bear from trying to mend the relationship, as Alana revealed in Mama June: Family Crisis that despite her unwillingness to entertain him, “He definitely does try and blow up my phone constantly and constantly and constantly.” Hopefully, Sugar Bear’s likely recovery journey is a step in the right direction to reconciling with Alana.