Mama June Shannon Dating History: Husband, Ex-Boyfriend

A dark past. Mama June: From Not to Hot star June “Mama June” Shannon is a happily married woman after tying the knot with husband, Justin Stroud, in March 2022. The two took the next step in their whirlwind relationship after just five months into their romance. However, the reality mom has a toxic dating history, dating back to the father of her eldest daughter, Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell.

The reality personality dated ex-boyfriend David Dunn in the ‘90s before they welcomed Anna in 1994. He quickly exited the picture after getting arrested a year later for stealing a handgun.

In 1999, June began dating Michael Anthony Ford, who is the father of Lauryn “Pumpkin” and Jessica “Chubbs” Shannon. While the sisters share the same dad, Lauryn was unaware that Michael was her biological father until 2014.

“Jessica and Pumpkin have the same dad, but Jessica’s dad has had nothing to do with her over the years,” June told Entertainment Tonight in November 2014. “So, why the hell would I open up that can of worms until today? I lied to my family and told them it was somebody else.”

Michael was arrested in 2005 and served two years in prison after attempting to solicit oral sex and expose his genitals to a police officer in an online chat room, who was disguised as a 13-year-old girl, according to records obtained by In Touch at the time.

A year before the arrest of Jessica and Lauryn’s dad, the Toddlers and Tiaras alum met Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson’s dad, Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson on an online chat room and, well, the rest is reality TV history.

After their 2012 engagement, the two worked out their spousal issues on Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars. During the 2016 show, June revealed that she found inappropriate flirtatious texts on Sugar Bear’s phone.

“I believe there was more than one. The text messages that I have seen [are from] men and women,” she explained during a confessional on the show. “I want him to be honest, and I don’t feel in my gut that he’s fully honest.”

Following her long-lasting relationship, the TLC star started a relationship with ex Geno Doak, with whom she entered a dark time that revolved around substance abuse. June revealed in June 2020 that they spent $150,000 in six months, leading them to sleep in their car.

However, the pair attempted to turn their lives around and even embarked on a weight loss journey in December 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic. “We like to cook together,” she told In Touch at the time. “We eat together. We eat about the same food. I don’t do the rabbit food, though, but outside of that, yes, we do a lot of things together and eat as much as possible together.”

Nearly a year later, June revealed that she split from Geno around the same time that he was sentenced to a 16-month jail sentence. He was charged with the possession of crack cocaine and a domestic violence case after a dispute with June. “Listen, Geno is not in the f–kin’ picture,” she said during her August 2021 Instagram Live. “If you want to know where Geno is, he’s got an Instagram. If you want to know where he’s at, that’s his business. That’s not part of my life, hasn’t been.”

After making a plea deal, he will face two years of probation following the sentence that he is still serving.

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Following her split from Geno, June moved on with Justin Stroud. The duo had a whirlwind romance and tied the knot in March 2022.

Disclaimer: The following text covers substance abuse and sexual assault cases. If you’re in need of help, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 and the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.

Keep scrolling to see Mama June’s full dating history.

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David Dunn

Following his 1995 arrest and serving one year in jail, David was arrested again three years later for stealing a box of cigarettes where he pled guilty. He was unaware that he was Anna’s father until years later during a court hearing when June requested child support. He finally met his daughter after being released on prison work detail.

Michael Anthony Ford

After serving two years behind bars for sexual exploitation of a child over the internet, Michael was arrested again during a routine check where he possessed a laptop, which was a violation of his parole. He skipped a mandatory court date in 2013 and tossed his ankle monitor on the side of the highway. He was sent back to prison and won’t be eligible for parole until 2026.

Mark McDaniel

June started dating Mark around the time she gave birth to Lauryn in 2000. June claimed that he was Lauryn’s biological father until revealing the truth in 2014. Mark sexually assaulted Anna during the course of their relationship and pleaded guilty to aggravated child molestation three years later. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and was released in 2014.

“A week or so after it happened, I talked to Mama and she was upset, crying and saying, ‘I don’t believe you, I don’t believe you, why would you do this to me?’” Anna told People in October 2014. “And I was like, ‘Mama, he did that to me and I can’t do anything about it. You were never there to see it. You were always at work.’”

The reality mama was allegedly seeing Mark after his release, which led to the cancellation of Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. However, June has denied that they were in a romantic relationship.

Justin Stroud

June married the tattoo artist in March 2022 and has been pretty lowkey about their relationship. He was arrested in 2019 for the possession of marijuana, burglary in the third degree and theft of property, according to court documents obtained by The Sun. Justin pled guilty to ‘burglary of a dwelling in the third degree and theft of property in the fourth degree, the first is a felony and the second in a misdemeanor’ and was hit with a violation in October 2021, leading to a January 2022 outstanding warrant for his arrest.

“I’m not aware of any new warrants and the case I represented him on is closed,” his attorney told the outlet at the time.

In February 2023, the couple had a second wedding ceremony in Panama City, Florida. All four of June’s daughters attended, while grandchildren Stella, Sylus and Bentley were also on the guest list.