They're Not About to Waste All of Their Money

Have you ever noticed that once TLC reality stars start bringing in the big bucks, the entire game changes? The money starts rolling in, their lifestyles start changing, and we lose everything that resembles why we fell in love with that family in the first place. I'm looking at you, Jon & Kate Plus Eight. So when Here Comes Honey Boo Boo first premiered, I was really worried that the Thompsons would fall victim to the same money trap and lose the charm that keeps drawing me back in week after week. Fortunately, though, that never happened — because it turns out, Mama June is one hell of a financial wizard.

First of all, this family? Yeah, they're making a lot of money. Celebrity Net Worth claims that Alana herself is worth $800,000 while Mama June is worth a cool $1 million. How is net worth calculated? You subtract what you owe from your assets, and that's what you're worth. It's near impossible to confirm these figures, but if they're even close, June is way better off than I'll be at 33 — thanks student loans. Sorry, didn't mean to depress everyone all at once like that.

However that number might not be too far off, considering reports that TLC pays the Thompson family $50,000 per episode. Damn. Not that the family ever sees any of this money, of course. Mama June reportedly has it set up so that TLC deposits the money into trust funds for her daughters, which will eventually be released to them as they each turn 21. Not only does this prevent them from living beyond their means, but it also keeps them from falling into the TLC "We Have Money Now! Let's Buy Four Houses On The Same Cul De Sac Even Though Our Credit Sucks!" trap that the Sister Wives clan has fallen into. Smart, smart, smart, because staying simple will be what prolongs the Honey Boo Boo legacy and keeps those hefty paychecks rolling in.

"I want my kids to look back and say, 'Mama played it smart. Not like those other reality TV people,'" June told TMZ in 2013.

But since everything's going into savings, this means Sugar Bear's job as a contractor is what pays all the bills — and explains why you haven't seen Alana riding one of these bad boys around town. But hey, her 21st birthday is only 13 years away, maybe she'll use those paychecks to buy herself the grown-up version.

Images: TLC, Giphy