Mama June Shannon detailed her journey to receive custody of granddaughter Kaitlyn after the death of her daughter Anna “Chickadee” Cardwell.
“It was a long, drawn-out process. It was supposed to be done in a couple hours, and that court case lasted three and a half days,” Mama June, 45, exclusively told Us Weekly on Wednesday, May 28, while promoting the new series Mama June: Family Crisis. “It [dragged] on for no reason; not on our behalf.”
Alana, 19, chimed in, claiming that the court system needed to “figure out” how to proceed before issuing a verdict.
Anna died in December 2023 at the age of 29 after a battle with stage IV cancer. In addition to her mom and sisters, she is survived by daughters Kaitlyn, 13, and Kaylee, 10. (Anna shared Kaylee with ex-husband Michael Cardwell, while Kaitlyn’s biological father has never been publicly revealed.)
Since Anna’s death, Kaitlyn has seldom had contact with her younger sister.
“Unfortunately not, and it’s not because of us,” Mama June claimed. “[Anna’s eventual death] was a big conversation [for her], even outside of cameras. That was a constant thing that she would just say, ‘Y’all got to get used to it. Michael’s going to take Kaylee and y’all are never going to see Kaylee again.’ We knew that, so we were kind of prepared for that.”
Alana, meanwhile, said that Kaylee’s absence is “something [they] have to deal with.”
“There’s just nothing we can do about it,” she added.
The famous family, however, still has their memories.
“Kaitlyn is a constant reminder of Anna,” Mama June told Us. “When we say attitude, looks, [the way she] talks, the way she laughs. [You’ll be listening to her] and you’ll be like, ‘Damn, it’s Anna.’”
Anna’s death also reminded Mama June, Alana and her siblings about the importance of family. (Mama June shared Anna and Jessica Shannon with David Dunn, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird with Michael Anthony Ford and Alana with Mike “Sugar Bear” Thompson.)
“I feel like Anna passing has brought us all together as a family, just because we see that life is not as long as we think,” Alana said. “Sometimes it can end a lot faster than we were hoping. We’re not trying to take a day for granted anymore.”
The latest season of Family Crisis will document their lives following Anna’s death.
“I just feel like people are going to see me grow more into being a grown adult and actually being on my own now in Colorado,” Alana added, referring to her life as a college student. “I think that will be a big shift and, hopefully, people will now look at me as like, ‘Oh, she’s grown now. She’s not 6 [anymore].’”
Mama June: Family Crisis premiered Friday, May 30, at 8 p.m. ET via WeTV, ALLBLK and AMC+.
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