June Shannon — the mother of Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson — might be a lot of things, but she's not stupid. The mom at the center of the hit TLC show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo isn't letting fame go to her kids' heads — and she certainly isn't letting them touch the big bucks they earn for each episode.
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That's right: The deal-loving mother has set up trust funds for her kids.
"I want my kids to look back and say, 'Mama played it smart. Not like those other reality TV people,'" June told TMZ last week.
So, how is the family making money? Dad Sugar Bear works as a contractor. They even turned down TLC's offer of a new house after a security scare at their Georgia abode, but they are working with Rosie O'Donnell on a few upgrades.
The family has frugality down to a science: June dubs herself the "Coupon Queen" and has only splurged on a 2005 Ford Expedition.
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"You're never gonna see me drive a Range Rover or a Mercedes," she said. "I'll drive one if someone else pays for it. Never gonna live above my means."
The one thing June's willing to do? Dye her hair blonde. The 32-year-old reality star transformed her hair from the brown/gray mess to a Marilyn Monroe-esque blonde for the Here Comes Honey Boo Boo holiday special.
The family didn't really appreciate it, though.
"Mama, you'll never be as beautiful as me. You just keep on trying though," Alana said.
Chubbs agreed.
"Mama's a hot mess. Point blank: a hot mess."
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Sugar Bear liked it, though.
"Seeing June as a blonde would definitely make my loins perk up," he said before she dyed, later adding that she "looked like a blonde bombshell."