Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson to Undergo Weight Loss Surgery After 17th Birthday in August

Going under the knife! Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson is heading to New York City to undergo weight loss surgery.

After her 17th birthday on August 28, the reality star will travel to Queens to receive a suture sculpt endoscopic sleeve from weight loss doctor Steven Batash. The procedure can cost up to $13,000, TMZ reported on Wednesday, July 20.

Alana reportedly weighs 275 pounds and is hoping to drop 150 after not seeing results with various diets. The outlet reported that the Toddlers & Tiaras alum is concerned her weight is genetic and believes surgery is the only way to reach her goal weight.

She has support ahead of the surgery, as her sister and guardian, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, signed off on Alana getting the procedure.

Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Dralin Carswell, will be by Alana’s side and is also getting the procedure done.

The Mama June: From Not to Hot star and Dralin, 20, have been dating since mid-2021. However, they didn’t make their relationship Instagram official until the end of September.

A rep for Alana did not immediately respond to In Touch‘s request for comment.

Later on July 20, Alana addressed reports about the surgery during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. The TV personality said the surgery is “still in the works,” adding it’s not something she’s positive she’s ready to do yet.

“I just wanna make sure that this is actually something I wanna do before I just go and do it,” she said. “I wanna make sure that it’s, like, not something that’s, like, gonna kill me. And I just wanna make sure it’s something I actually wanna do before I go and do it.”

While the former beauty pageant contestant noted that dieting and working out could lead to her weight loss goal, she admitted she wants to process to be faster.

“I know for a fact I could get in the gym and I know for a fact I could diet and I know for a fact I can do this to lose my weight,” Alana explained. “I will say I’ve tried, but the one thing with me is I have no motivation. I have no motivation to just keep going to the gym every day. I have no motivation to keep eating healthy because, like, I’m gonna eat what I think is good. I’m not [gonna] sit there and force myself to eat no Caesar salad because I think it’s healthy. No. I’m gonna eat what I think’s good. So, I just think I don’t have motivation, and I feel like the surgery would be, like, probably the easiest way to just, like, lose it fast.”

Lauryn, 22, then expressed concerns that Alana would need to make major lifestyle changes after the surgery in order to keep her weight down. “I’m really happy for Alana if that’s something that she really wants to do,” the mother of four said. “I definitely think before she takes that big step, which I haven’t told her this yet, but I think she does need to start making the lifestyle changes.”

However, Alana insisted she could adjust her lifestyle. “If I do go through with the surgery, I think I would be willing to change my lifestyle because my manager told me, like, you basically lose 100 pounds basically instant[ly],” she said.

Alana will possibly go under the knife after Lauryn was granted full custody of the teen.

In March 2019, their mother, Mama June Shannon, was arrested on charges of possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. Her then-boyfriend, Eugene “Geno” Doak, was also arrested and charged with third-degree domestic violence, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Following the arrest, Alana moved in with Lauryn and her husband, Josh Efird.

June and Geno were sentenced in August 2021. As part of a plea agreement, the Mama June: Road to Redemption star was sentenced to 100 hours of community service, court supervision and other conditions that included random drug screenings, according to E! News. Meanwhile, Geno was sentenced to 16 months in the community corrections program. The pair later split the following month.

Alana continued to live with Lauryn, Josh and their kids as June, 42, worked to become sober. After caring for her sister as a guardian for nearly two years, Lauryn filed for custody in December 2021, according to court documents obtained by In Touch. 

On April 11, a judge awarded sole custody of Alana to Lauryn. As part of the new custody arrangement, June was ordered to pay Lauryn $800 in child support per month for Alana.

Then in June, the mother of four opened up about the custody battle while speaking to Page Six. “People don’t understand the custody thing,” she said. “It’s not that somebody ‘lost custody.’ In the state of Georgia, you do temporary guardianship every year, and [Alana] had been living with Pumpkin [since] my addiction.”

“At the age of 12, you’re able to make your choice, so Alana made that choice to stay in that environment,” June said of her youngest daughter. “It’s not like I don’t see Alana, it’s not that I don’t talk to her because I do see her, I do talk to her, we do communicate.”

“The only difference is that she’s not sitting here right beside me in my home every day,” the TV personality added.