‘Honey Boo Boo’ breakup: Mama June, Sugar Bear split

Story highlights

Mike "Sugar Bear" Thompson and June "Mama June" Shannon have separated

The pair weren't married but had a commitment ceremony in May

Shannon: We've decided to take some time apart to figure out some things

CNN  — 

Honey Boo Boo’s parents are calling it quits.

June Shannon and Mike Thompson – a.k.a Mama June and Sugar Bear on the hit TLC reality show “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” – revealed Friday that they are separating.

“Sugar Bear and I have decided to take some time apart to figure out some things in our relationship,” the mother of 9-year-old beauty pageant contestant Alana Thompson (Honey Boo Boo) said in a statement to TMZ.

Honey Boo Boo (Alana Thompson), Mama (June Shannon), and Chubbs (Jessica Shannon) sitting on a pickup truck bed.

“We are taking things day by day, but regardless of what happens, the girls will always be our number one priority,” Shannon continued. “We want to thank y’all for your support.”

Although the couple were never officially married, they exchanged vows in a commitment ceremony in May. Thompson is Alana’s biological father, and stepdad to her older sisters Lauryn (a.k.a. Pumpkin), Jessica (Chubbs) and Anna (Chickadee).

Photos have recently surfaced of both Shannon and Thompson stepping out without their symbolic commitment rings.

Shannon is reportedly thinking of taking the kids and moving closer to relatives once the latest round of filming on “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” wraps.