Where the ‘Toddlers & Tiaras’ Cast Is Now 》

TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras is one of those really divisive shows. Some people thought the show was little more than child exploitation, while others couldn’t deny the trainwreck entertainment of ridiculously young beauty pageant contestants and the crazy antics of their stage moms.

Toddlers & Tiaras aired from 2009–2013 and featured contestants as young as 2–11 years old. But what has become of these kids in the years since? Did they achieve their dreams of modeling and acting, or did they fall by the wayside once their 15 minutes of fame had expired?

Without further ado, here’s the scoop on where the Toddlers & Tiaras cast is now.

Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson

Who was the real breakout star of Toddlers & Tiaras? In terms of hilarious lines and meme immortality, there can be no other answer than Alana Thompson (better known as “Honey Boo Boo”).

What has she been up to? In many ways, Alana never really left the world of entertainment. She starred in the popular spinoff Here Comes Honey Boo Boo from 2012–2014, and ventured into music with a rap single (complete with video), “Movin’ Up” in 2015.

From 2017–2020, Alana appeared in her mother’s reality show Mama June: From Not to Hot. The show tracked June “Mama June” Shannon’s weight loss journey as she lost 300 pounds, and Alana was right there to cheer her along.

Sadly, in March 2019, Mama June and her boyfriend were arrested and charged with felony drug possession. Now 15, Alana has been living with her 21-year-old sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon ever since.

Eden Wood

Out of all the Toddlers & Tiaras stars, Eden Wood has done an impressive job of balancing the real world with her career choices. For example, she followed up her appearances on the show with her own spinoff called Eden’s World. And she broke into acting by starring as Darla in the 2014 direct-to-video movie The Little Rascals Save the Day.

Right now, though, Wood has put all that behind her. Now 15, she’s focused on cheerleading her way through middle school at the moment. But while pageants are no longer part of her life, she still loves the occasional red carpet appearance.

For the next contestant, though, the pageant lifestyle never went away!

Madison ‘Tootie’ Berg

In retrospect, Madison “Tootie” Berg never really got a fair shake. She was older than the other kids and many fans of Toddlers & Tiaras thought she was a little too snooty and snarky for her own good.

However, at 22 “Tootie” is now all grown up and absolutely killing it. She became a cheerleader at Belhaven University and still found time to rock those beauty pageants. She won Miss Mississippi Teen United States 2017, and we’re pretty confident we haven’t seen the last of her.

Taralyn Eschberger

The nature of reality TV is that you never know how “real” things are. Some people are dramatically different when the cameras stop rolling. But for Taralyn Eschberger, she has been remarkably consistent for all these years.

For example, she was mostly a goody-two-shoes on Toddlers & Tiaras. Now 16, she is simply enjoying her life as a student, and received straight As in middle school. She participates in hobbies like sports, singing, dancing, and even the gung-ho art of indoor skydiving!

Our next two contestants, though, were quite gung-ho from the very beginning!

Alycesaundra and Giavanna Lyerly

Fans loved Alycesaundra and Giavanna Lyerly (who were soon nicknamed “The Tiara Twins”). Their over-the-top mother Kelly spent a not-so-small fortune on their pageants. As HuffPost reports, she claimed to have spent “probably near a million dollars” on things like a tour bus, a bodyguard, and even their own 13,000 square-foot practice building.

That must cause an insane amount of pressure, but the girls have adjusted very nicely. And they are taking the pageant world quite seriously. Now 13, Alycesaundra has created some designer fashions while Giavanna took up modeling and even found time to win Little Miss South Carolina United States.

Paisley Scott Dickey

When the show was on the air, Paisley Scott Dickey was a divisive figure. Some fans dubbed her “Peppermint Paisley” as a term of endearment. But some of her stunts (including the time her mother made her dress like the protagonist of Pretty Woman) left a bad taste in some fans’ mouths.

Fortunately, Paisley has transcended that controversy with some modest entertainment successes. Now 13, she has had roles in film and TV shows such as Beacon Point and Red Band Society. And in her downtime, Paisley has started writing and performing her own music.

However, it was channeling a certain musical that landed our next celeb in serious hot water!

Destiny Christian

Let’s be real: one of the biggest draws of Toddlers & Tiaras was the drama it caused. And few were as dramatic as Destiny Christian, the four-year-old who pretended to smoke a fake cigarette while dressed as Sandy from Grease.

Where is the little firebrand now at 12? While she dabbled in acting briefly, she mostly ended up focusing on completing elementary and middle school. Along the way, she discovered a passion for dancing, and she’s quite good at it! In 2020, her dance team won first place in a competition.

Isabella Barrett

Most of the young ladies on this list have achieved varying degrees of success. But if we’re just talking about dollar signs, none of them has been as successful as Isabella Barrett, now 14.

Back in 2016, Inside Edition reported that Barrett was worth $1.9 million due to her successful clothing and jewelry line. And her mother clarified that the young lady is also an equity holder in both companies, meaning that she may be much more successful in the future.

For the next girl, though, her mother was a little too willing to create a future for her at any cost.

Alaska Mathews

Another part of Toddlers & Tiaras’ appeal was just how weird it was. To many people, children and beauty pageants will never go together. And Alaska Mathews seemed to prove that, with the public reeling in horror from her mother bleaching her teeth and even giving her an eyelash dye job that went bad.

Now 18, what has she been doing lately? In addition to teenage hobbies such as cheerleading and theater, she hasn’t fully walked away from beauty pageants. She competed (though she did not win) in the Feast of the Flowering Moon Teen Queen competition in 2017.

Alexis Todd

During Toddlers & Tiaras, Alexis Todd was willing to do anything to get an edge. In one memorable moment, her mother even gave her a chiropractic adjustment before the competition to help her win.

Sadly, she was only a runner-up of that particular competition. But she had later victories, and this continued after the show ended. Now 15, in recent years Todd has competed in pageants and even taken up gymnastics and competitive cheerleading.

When we last saw the next contestant, though, it seemed like she had taken up competitive tantrums!

Ava Bartello

You’re never too young for a meltdown on a national stage. That was a lesson that five-year-old Ava Bartello taught us. When she won the title of “Grand Supreme” instead of the more coveted “Ultra Grand Supreme,” she freaked out with a major tantrum.

Now 13, she seems much more chill, and she has seemingly traded the pageant life for social media stardom. Fans of Bartello can catch her on Instagram and YouTube as she entertains fans with greater glimpses into her life, her family, and her habits.

Kylie LaDuca

The different Toddlers & Tiaras contestants came into the show with various levels of experience. For example, Kylie LaDuca’s mother bragged that the youngster was already a model pulling down major bank. And in Kylie’s own words on the show, “The money is my favorite part. I love money.”

Whether for love or for money, LaDuca has branched out into other forms of entertainment. Now 15, she’s acted in a few TV shows over the years, and she has taken up dancing and modeling on top of that. With her drive and her experience, it seems LaDuca has a long career ahead of her.

A will to succeed is something she shares in common with our next inspirational contestants.

SaLiz Anderson

SaLiz Anderson ended up being one of the most surprising contestants. Despite competing in pageants when she was 11 years old, both Anderson and her mother had a great attitude and never sought to tear the other girls down.

That good attitude has certainly helped Anderson later in life. Now 16, she’s focused on being a great student. She reported on her Facebook page that she entered junior high taking nothing but AP and Pre-AP classes as well as basketball. And while she doesn’t seem interested in pageants lately, she enjoys entertaining as part of the theater group and the school band.

Lacey-Mae Mason

Lacey-Mae Mason made history when she appeared on Toddlers & Tiaras when she was just eight years old. That’s because she was the first contestant with dwarfism to appear on the show. And she managed to dazzle the judges, walking away with Best Outfit of Choice.

So, how are things going for Mason? Now 17, she has continued to participate in pageants while also using her platform to fight against bullying. If you’d like to keep track of what she’s up to, we recommend you visit her “Peace By Piece” Dwarfism Awareness and Anti-Bullying page on Facebook!