What Is Coogan Account Mama June Talks About For Alana?
Mama June Shannon confessed to taking money out of Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson’s Coogan account, which is supposed to be reserved for the child actor. When it came time for Alana to collect some of the money that should have been in the account, June shared that there wasn’t as much money in the Coogan as she thought. As more people learn the details of what Mama June did, they have found themselves asking what a Coogan account is. Here is everything you need to know.
Who Was Jackie Coogan?
A Coogan account is named after child actor Jackie Coogan. He is known as Hollywood’s first child actor. Jackie gained stardom through working in movies during the Silent Era and continued acting through the 1960s.
However, Jackie Coogan actually got his start in acting before he was even able to talk. In 1917, he played a role in the comedy Skinner’s Baby. At the time, he was only one and a half years old. He went on to play various small roles in other films until he got his big break and was discovered by Charles Chaplin.
Coogan is most famous for his appearance in the 1921 Charlie Chaplin film The Kid. In the film, he pals around with Charlie Chaplin, performing a series of hijinks. The movie turned him into a literal poster child. After that, he landed main roles in the 1922 film Oliver Twist and 1930 Tom Sawyer.
His story is one that has been heard many times. He performed in several silent films and other works as a child only to have his parents spend every dime he made. Eventually, Jackie Coogan had to take his own parents to court to recover some of the money he made as a child star. Otherwise, he would have been left completely destitute.
What Is A Coogan Account?
Throughout his career as a child actor, Jackie Coogan was only given a weekly allowance of $6.25. After his dad died and he turned 21, he thought he would finally be able to spend some of the cash he’d worked so hard for.
He was sadly mistaken. His mother and her new lawyer husband Arthur Bernstein didn’t agree. They continued to block Jackie’s attempts to collect the money he earned.
In 1938, he took his mother and stepfather to court to try and recover some of his earnings. At the time, there was no law protecting child actors like himself. So, he lost the lawsuit (and a lot of cash). This led the state to take action to safeguard child actors in the future.
Because Jackie Coogan’s struggle with his parents was very public, his financial problems led to California passing a law to protect other child stars. The California Child Actor’s Bill requires parents to put a percentage of their child’s earnings into a guarded trust fund. When the child turns 18, they gain access to the account, nicknamed a Coogan account in remembrance of what Jackie went through.
How It Impacts Alana Thompson
That being said, child actors still struggle with being exploited for their money by family members. Judy Garland’s mother, for example, collected a large fee from her daughter’s earnings for being a chaperone.
Shirley Temple, one of the world’s most famous child actors, only saw $44,000 of her $3.4 million in career earnings. Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin’s parents used a giant chunk of his money to help pay for an ugly custody battle.
Now, it seems like Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson is just another name on a list of child actors who have been exploited by their parents. Depending on the details of what was taken from the Coogan account, Alana may have a case against her mother.
Viewers may get to see this unfold on Mama June: Family Crisis. New episodes air on Fridays at 9 p.m. EST on WeTV.
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