Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson rose to fame as the rude and perhaps tacky toddler on Toddlers & Tiaras before landing her own show Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

The show has had insane ratings since it’s debut. The show has averaged 2.3 million viewers per episode.

It’s based on the life of Honey Boo Boo, her mother June Shannon, her dad ‘Sugar Bear’ Mike Thompson, along with older sisters ‘Chubbs,’ ‘Chickadee,’ and ‘Pumpkin’ in rural, poor McIntyre, Georgia.

Controversy arose when it was leaked that the family was only making $2,000 – $4,000 per episode.

In comparison, Jon and Kate Gosselin of Jon & Kate Plus 8 fame were making around $22,500 per episode. The Duggars of 18 Kids and Counting make between $25,000 t0 $40,000 per episode (source).

Is TLC taking advantage of Honey Boo Boo and her family because of their lack of education and poor situation? Maybe, maybe not as the Huffington Post explains:

“Honey Boo Boo probably makes $2,000 per episode, max,” says reality TV producer Lauren Weber. “This will, of course, go up with the success of the show … and that rate all depends on ratings. A simple renewal of the series because the ratings were par for the course might be a slight bump, but if it’s a huge hit for the network then the ball is in the talent’s court and they can usually throw out a number that the network will try their best to meet … does that make sense?

Watch Video of Honey Boo Boo Below:

It’s certain that Honey’s paycheck will be increasing but for how long can the show keep America tuning in?