In October of last year, TLC canceled Here Comes Honey Boo Boo after it was revealed that June Shannon dated a man who was convicted of molesting one of her daughters.
In a bizarre case of history repeating itself, the network found itself dealing with a similar problem in May of this year when the world learned that Josh Duggar molested five young girls (four of whom were his sisters), and his parents went to great lengths to cover it up.
The situations are similarly appalling, but there’s one major difference between them:
While TLC permanently cut ties with Honey Boo Boo’s proudly redneck family, the network is giving the Duggars a second chance with Jill and Jessa: Counting On premiering next Sunday.
Clearly, the decision was based on the bottom line, as the Duggars consistently brought on much higher ratings than the Shannon-Thompson clan.
But despite the fact that her family never had quite as much clout as the Duggars, “Mama June” Shannon is still calling the network out for what she sees as an act of egregious hypocrisy.
Of course, she didn’t put it in quite those words:
“TLC does some crazy stuff. Jill and Jessa are going back on TV,” Mama June said in a recent interview with Radar Online.
“Don’t tell me the Duggars aren’t going to be a part of that. They are working the Duggars back on TV in their own secret way.
“TLC took everything from us. They took so much away from the girls. Their bodyguards. They made them leave. The Duggars had security for weeks after they were canceled.”
Yes, apparently Honey Boo Boo had a full-time security detail. And Mama June is pissed that they’re not still around:
“They took out the two people who had been in my kids’ lives for three years,” she told the website. “If you were concerned about my kids, then why did you do that?”
And June believes TLC’s preferential treatment doesn’t stop with the Duggars:
“They are bringing Kate Plus 8 and they told me she was the worst person to work for and they were never going to bring her back,” she said. “I can’t believe TLC is bringing her back.”
June and “Sugar Bear” Thompson will star in the new season of Marriage Boot Camp, which premieres tonight on WE TV.
Shannon says she’ll take the opportunity to clarify some misconceptions about her affair with convicted child molester Mark McDaniel:
“Mark’s not an issue. I’m not with him. I’m not dating him I never have,” Shannon told Radar.
“I honestly will feel better once the show comes out and the truth is revealed. The truth. Not just me saying it, the truth.”
Shannon adds that she Boot Camp producers even had her take a lie detector test while answering questions about her relationship with McDaniel.
Should be interesting – but it’ll never bring in Duggar ratings.