If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen the pictures of mama june now circulating through your feed. It’s a wild ride. Honestly, it’s hard to reconcile the woman we see today with the person who first burst onto our screens back in the Toddlers & Tiaras era. June Shannon has lived about ten lives in the span of a decade. From the "Coupon Queen" of McIntyre, Georgia, to the glitzy (and controversial) transformation on From Hot to Not, her physical appearance has been a constant focal point for both fans and critics.
People look at these photos for a reason. They aren’t just looking at a reality star; they’re looking at a map of addiction, recovery, massive weight fluctuations, and the physical toll of a life lived under a microscope. It’s messy. It’s human.
What the Recent Photos of Mama June Actually Reveal
When you look at the most recent snapshots from 2024 and 2025, the first thing you notice is that the "Hollywood version" of June—the one from her size 4 reveal—is gone. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing or a "failure." It's just reality. After her well-documented struggle with substance abuse alongside former partner Geno Doak, June’s body changed significantly.
Recovery is heavy.
She has been open about the fact that during her sobriety journey, her weight shifted. In recent Instagram Lives and paparazzi shots, we see a woman who looks more like the "original" June, though with the visible markers of the many surgeries she underwent. You can see the remnants of the skin removal procedures and the dental work that cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The most striking pictures of mama june now often come from her own social media. She doesn't use the high-end lighting of a WE tv set anymore. Instead, it’s shaky iPhone camera footage in her kitchen or car. There is a raw quality to these images. She looks tired. She looks like a grandmother—which she is. But there’s also a defiance there. She isn’t hiding the weight gain that followed her stint in rehab.
The Weight Management Cycle
It is a mistake to think June’s physical changes are just about diet and exercise. We have to talk about the medical reality. June underwent a gastric sleeve procedure back in 2016. According to medical experts at the Mayo Clinic, bariatric surgery isn't a "set it and forget it" fix. Long-term weight maintenance requires a level of metabolic stability that is incredibly difficult to maintain when you are also battling a stimulant addiction recovery.
Basically, her body has been through a metabolic war.
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When you see photos of her today, you’re seeing the result of "weight regain," a common phenomenon for bariatric patients, especially those under extreme stress. Her daughter, Alana "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson, has frequently commented on the family's health struggles, noting that their relationship with food has always been emotional. This shows up in the photos. You see the puffiness that comes with certain medications or high-sodium diets, and you see the fluctuations that happen when someone is trying to find their footing in a "normal" life after years of chaos.
Why "Mama June Now" Looks Different Than the 2017 Reveal
Remember 2017? That was the peak of the Mama June hype. The photos from that era were everywhere. She had lost 300 pounds. She was wearing red bandages and walking onto stages like a pageant queen. It was a total transformation.
But it was also unsustainable.
- The Surgery Factor: June didn't just lose weight through cardio. She had a gastric sleeve, a breast lift, and skin removal on her neck, arms, and stomach.
- The Cost: The total bill for that transformation was estimated at over $75,000.
- The Maintenance: Doctors like Dr. Michael Feiz, who has appeared on similar reality programs, often point out that without psychological intervention, the physical changes from surgery rarely stick for more than five years.
If you compare those 2017 professional portraits to the pictures of mama june now, the difference is jarring. The skin has lost some of its elasticity. The "From Hot to Not" glow has been replaced by the reality of a 40-something woman living in the South. She often appears in casual wear—leggings, oversized t-shirts, and messy buns. It’s a far cry from the evening gowns, but in many ways, it feels more authentic to who she actually is.
The Impact of Grief and Health Crises on Her Appearance
You can't talk about how June looks today without talking about Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell. The loss of her eldest daughter to stage 4 adrenal cancer in late 2023 changed everything. Grief shows up on the face. In the months following Anna’s passing, photos of June showed a woman who looked physically drained.
There’s a specific kind of hollowness in the eyes that cameras pick up.
June also suffers from legally blind status due to untreated cataracts from her childhood. This affects how she presents herself. If you notice in many videos or candid shots, she often squints or holds her phone at a specific angle. It’s a reminder that beneath the reality TV drama, there are actual physical disabilities at play.
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Furthermore, her recent health scares, including issues with her lymph nodes and unexplained headaches that led to hospitalization in 2022, have clearly impacted her mobility. She doesn't move with the same energy she had during the "Hot to Not" era. The photos capture a slower, more deliberate version of June.
Justin Stroud and the "New" June
Since marrying Justin Stroud, June’s aesthetic has shifted again. Justin is younger, and June often tries to match his more urban, casual style. We see them in a lot of "couple photos" where June is heavily filtered. That’s a key detail: a lot of the pictures of mama june now that she posts herself are heavily edited using TikTok or Instagram filters.
To see the real June, you have to look at the unscripted moments.
When she is caught by photographers in Florida or Georgia, she looks like any other person running errands. She has been honest about her "Lipedema" and "Lymphedema" diagnoses in the past—conditions that cause painful swelling in the limbs. This is why, in many photos, her legs may appear disproportionately large compared to her upper body. It’s a medical condition, not just a matter of "letting herself go," which is a common (and cruel) comment found in tabloid sections.
The Social Media Illusion vs. Reality
If you go to June’s TikTok, you’ll see a version of her that is bright, filtered, and energetic. She’s selling products, doing "battles," and engaging with fans. This is her business. But if you look at the tags she’s mentioned in, or the screenshots from her live streams when the filter glitches, you see the texture of her skin, the wrinkles, and the actual shape of her face.
It's a fascinating look at the "digital mask."
- Filters: She frequently uses the "Bold Glamour" or similar AI-driven filters that sharpen the jawline and brighten the eyes.
- Angles: She has mastered the "high angle" shot to minimize the appearance of a double chin—a habit left over from her surgery days.
- Lighting: Most of her content is shot with a ring light, which washes out the imperfections that are visible in natural sunlight.
The "mama june now" people search for is often a hunt for the "gotcha" moment—the photo that proves she isn't as "transformed" as the TV show claimed. But the truth is more nuanced. She is a woman in her 40s who has survived poverty, extreme weight loss, extreme weight gain, drug addiction, and the death of a child.
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She looks like a survivor.
Actionable Insights: What to Take Away from the Evolution of June Shannon
When looking at the trajectory of June's appearance, there are real-world lessons about health and the reality of body image that go beyond celebrity gossip.
Understand the Bariatric Reality
If you or someone you know is considering weight loss surgery based on results seen on shows like June's, remember that the "after" photo is not a permanent state. Maintenance is a lifelong psychological battle. Statistics from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) suggest that while surgery is a powerful tool, lifestyle and mental health support are the actual drivers of long-term success.
Look Past the Filters
In the age of AI and social media, "celebrity photos" are rarely accurate representations of health. June’s use of filters is a coping mechanism for being in the public eye. When analyzing her photos, look for the "candid" shots to see the reality of how chronic illness and aging affect the body.
Acknowledge the Role of Lymphedema
June has brought some awareness to Lymphedema. If you notice persistent, asymmetrical swelling in your limbs that doesn't respond to diet, don't dismiss it as simple weight gain. Consult a vascular specialist.
Prioritize Mental Health in Recovery
June’s physical "backsliding" coincided with her most turbulent mental health periods. The lesson here is that the body follows the mind. True "transformation" requires addressing the trauma that leads to addiction or disordered eating in the first place.
Instead of just scrolling through photos, use the evolution of June Shannon as a case study in the complexity of human health. She isn't a "before" or an "after." She is a work in progress, living out a very public, very difficult journey toward some kind of stability. The photos are just 1/1000th of a second of that struggle.