Here Comes Honey Boo Boo mother June Shannon has come under fire after rumors have surfaced suggesting that she is currently engaged in a romantic relationship with a former child molester, one who was sent away for exhibiting inappropriate sexual conduct towards one of the matriarch’s own relatives. The man himself was only just released from prison around seven months ago, in which he served 10 years for the aforementioned crime. He is listed on the sex offender registry in the state of Georgia, where the show takes place.
The man, a 53-year-old named Mark McDaniel, was convicted back in the year 2004 upon the charge of aggravated child molestation of an eight-year-old. Shannon was reportedly dating the man at the time of this conviction, with the two breaking things off after the man went away to jail for the aforementioned amount of time. It is believed that she met the show’s patriarch Mike Thompson (a.k.a. Sugar Bear and father of the show’s star Alana Thompson), as they were dating for approximately nine years before their split back in September.
Shannon and McDaniel are said to have begun seeing each other a few months ago, with the 35-year-old reportedly going out of her way to visit the man during production of the show and sneak away whenever she could for a quiet moment the two could spend together. She is also said to have been purchasing him gifts in order for him to set his life back up following his release from prison. A photo showing the pair together in a hotel room made its way around the internet earlier today, and is said to have been taken at an even that some of Shannon’s friends also attended.
Network executives at TLC, the station on which the hit reality television show has aired since 2012, say they are extremely concerned about this report and have subsequently shut down all further production of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo until they can gather further information regarding the legitimacy of the rumored relationship. A TLC official gave an exclusive statement to TMZ in which they expressed their alarm surrounding the possible connection between Shannon and McDaniel, and assured the show’s viewers that they are taking all necessary precautions when it comes to digging deeper into the matter.
Shannon split from long-time partner Sugar Bear at the end of September, reportedly due to the possibility that he was trolling online dating sites looking for new companionship. The most significant website on which Honey Boo Boo’s father is said to have had an account is PlentyOfFish, a profile on which he is said to have stated he was living in the family’s hometown of McIntyre, Georgia and looking for a long-term relationship. Sugar Bear has since denied the allegations, informing an unknown camera person outside a Georgia McDonald’s that the rumors were just not true and that he did not cheat on his partner. He refused to elaborate further on the matter, saying that he was not at liberty to discuss any more details surrounding the split.
It remains to be seen whether Here Comes Honey Boo Boo will continue for any further seasons following the reports that matriarch June Shannon has been romantically involved with a convicted child molester. Further information surrounding the decision of TLC has yet to be revealed.
By Rebecca Grace
Sources:
TMZ
People Magazine
New York Daily News
Photo by Lwp Kommunikáció – Flickr License
