Mama June Drug Addiction Timeline & Update

Getty Mama June, whose real name is June Shannon, stars on the hit reality series "Mama June: From Not to Hot."

Mama June, whose real name is June Shannon, has been battling a spiraling drug problem over the last two years, despite numerous attempts by her children to get the reality star to rehab. Her issues with drug abuse led to a 2019 arrest with boyfriend Geno Doak, as well as ongoing issues with her (now) estranged children.

June’s drug addiction has been an open secret among those closest to her, and has been thoroughly documented on her WE tv reality show, Mama June: From Not to Hot. According to Hollywood Life, Mama June’s history with drug abuse started long before it came to a head, when she was arrested for drug possession in March 2019. Keep reading for details:

A Source Close to June Claims Production Attempted to Intervene Shortly Before Her Arrest

A source close to June told Hollywood Life that June’s drug habit came as no surprise to her closest friends, and that June and Doak were often high and looked “out of it” in the months leading up to her arrest.

“I’m so shocked this didn’t get out long before,” one insider told Hollywood Life. “When you’d go to her house she would be out of it like you’re out [of it] before you get put under before surgery. She was wiped.” The source added that that Geno also “looked out of it too,” and that June was usually “high when she was with him.”

According to the source, the situation was bad enough that production attempted to intervene, urging her to get treatment in February 2019, shortly before she was arrested. “There were needles everywhere in her home. Alana [was sent] to live with Pumpkin,” the source told Hollywood Life. “June went to rehab at the end of February in Georgia after they wrapped filming Season 3 of her show. She was in there voluntarily, but she left and was on a drug binge until she got arrested.”

Another insider added, “I’m disgusted there has not been change in June in all these years. She is still blaming others and has a drug problem. Since the very beginning there’s been issues and this is nothing new.”

Pumpkin Was Shocked by Mama June’s Addiction

Although Hollywood Life’s sources claim June’s spiraling drug addiction was obvious to those closest to her, June’s daughter, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, was shocked to find out her mother was (allegedly) smoking crack. When asked if she had noticed any signs in the weeks leading up to her mother’s arrest, Pumpkin answered “Yes and no,” according to another article by Hollywood Life.

“Only because I don’t think that…it just came out of nowhere, especially with how quickly she started using, how much she was using,” she said, according to the publication. “I honestly didn’t even notice, which was the sad thing.” The reality star added, “I should have seen the warning signs… how [she and Geno] didn’t come out of the house or any of that stuff. So [there were] definitely warning signs there.”

Pumpkin admitted that she was distracted with other things while her mother was starting to spiral, including her wedding and welcoming her daughter Ella to the world. “I had moved out due to just some stuff in general…and me getting married and having a kid. So we’d got out and got our own place, so what they were doing there I had no clue of.” She adds, “I think she hid it from everybody, or at least tried to.”

June & Doak Were Arrested in March 2019 For Drug Possession; Honey Boo Boo Now Lives With Pumpkin

Macon County Sheriff’s OfficeMama June was arrested on drug charges alongside boyfriend Geno Doak in March, 2019.

Mama June and Doak were both arrested on March 13, 2019 for a variety of drug charges, including felony possession of a controlled substance (crack cocaine), and possession of drug paraphernalia. Both reality stars were taken to jail and Doak was also charged with third-degree domestic violence harassment. Doak and Mama June both pleaded “not guilty” to the charges in October last year, People reports.

The reality star admitted in January that she and her children are not currently on speaking terms, after several failed attempts to get June to rehab put an even deeper strain on their relationship. Following June’s arrest, her youngest daughter Alana, aka “Honey Boo Boo,” went to live with Pumpkin, who now has legal guardianship of Alana.

New episodes of Mama June: Family Crisis air on Friday nights at 9 p.m. ET on WE tv. In the meantime, you can find all the latest in TV coverage and entertainment news here.

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