Alana Thompson is reclaiming her story. The former child star, famously known as "Honey Boo Boo," is returning to television to narrate her own Lifetime biopic, I Was Honey Boo Boo, premiering on May 17. Read on to learn what time the film premieres, how to watch, and what the project means to the now 19-year-old.

Thompson rose to fame at the age of six after appearing on the hit TLC show “Toddlers & Tiaras." TLC eventually gave her family their own reality show, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” in 2012, which revolved around their life in the small town of McIntyre, Georgia. The show was canceled in 2024 after reports surfaced that her mother, June Shannon, also known as "Mama June," was dating a registered sex offender.

In an exclusive interview with People, the former child star revealed that she’s never seen any money from her years on “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.” Thompson also claimed that her mom also took $35,000 of her earnings from her 2019 appearance on “Dancing with the Stars” (which she only recently returned to her).

As Mama June struggled with a crack cocaine addiction, Alana’s sister Lauryn gained full custody of her in 2022. Thompson focused on finishing school and graduated in 2023. Now, she’s studying nursing and living with her longtime boyfriend, Dralin Carswell.

“I just always told myself you know that you want to do something better with your life and bigger with your life than just being on TV, so you’ve got to get up and go, you’ve got to graduate so you can make it to college and be the nurse that you want to be,” she told the site.

In the biopic, Thompson narrates the film and reflects on her days in the spotlight. The movie will give viewers a glimpse of what happened behind the scenes, including how Honey Boo Boo’s confident on-stage persona “concealed the harsh reality of constant criticism and family struggles, particularly with her mother, Mama June,” per the official logline.

Although she’s excited to finally tell her story, Thompson admitted she’s nervous about how the film will be received by her mother. “I did not want this movie to be throwing punches at my mama and making her out to be the bad guy,” she told the outlet. “But I didn’t hold back and if she gets mad, at the end of the day it’s the truth.”

Ready to hear and see Thompson’s perspective? Find out when and how to watch I Was Honey Boo Boo below.

I Was Honey Boo Boo premieres on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Lifetime.

I Was Honey Boo Boo will air on Lifetime. If you don’t have cable, you can stream the film on a live TV streaming service that carries Lifetime, including DIRECTV Stream, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, Philo, and Frndly TV. (All four sites are currently offering free trials.)

I Was Honey Boo Boo will also be available to stream the next day on Mylifetime.com and the Lifetime app for cable subscribers. Additionally, you can add Lifetime to any Hulu plan for $9.99 per month.

Lifetime released the official trailer for I Was Honey Boo Boo on April 25, 2025. Check it out below.