Honey Boo Boo Is All Grown Up, Living in Denver and Studying to Become a Nurse

Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson has officially turned 21, and her life today looks a whole lot different from the childhood reality TV days that made her famous.

Thompson celebrated her 21st birthday on Friday, August 28, while living here in Denver and pursuing a nursing degree at Regis University.

The former child reality star has been open about her goal of eventually becoming a pediatric nurse, sharing on social media that while college hasn’t always been easy, she feels herself getting closer to the career she’s dreamed about.

It’s a major change of direction for someone who grew up in front of television cameras.

Thompson first became famous as a young pageant contestant on TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras. Her larger-than-life personality quickly made her a breakout star and led to the 2012 family spinoff Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

She later appeared in the reality series centered around her mother, June “Mama June” Shannon, competed on Dancing With the Stars: Juniors and narrated the 2025 biopic I Was Honey Boo Boo.

But behind the television fame, Thompson’s childhood and teenage years included plenty of family turmoil.

Her life changed significantly in 2019 amid her mother’s struggles with addiction. Her older sister, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, eventually received sole legal custody of Thompson in 2022.

In recent years, Thompson has increasingly focused on building a life outside reality television.

She previously explained that she wanted to accomplish something bigger than simply being known for appearing on TV, and graduating from college and becoming a nurse became part of that plan.

Denver is now home while she works toward that goal. Thompson lives in Colorado with longtime boyfriend Dralin Carswell, whom she has been dating since 2021.

She has also said her relationship with her mother has improved, although she’s approaching it without the expectations she once had.

More than a decade after America first met her as the outspoken little girl nicknamed “Honey Boo Boo,” Thompson is entering an entirely different chapter at 21 — trading pageants and reality TV for college classes in Denver and a potential future caring for children as a pediatric nurse.