Sugar Bear WON’T Be Fired From ‘Honey Boo Boo’

EXCLUSIVE

Sugar Bear will not get a pink slip from TLC in the wake of his separation from Mama June … but TLC is now scrambling to make sure “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” doesn’t implode the way “John & Kate Plus 8” did.

Sources connected with the network tell TMZ … they have made a choice — Sugar Bear is the father of the show’s star, and the report line would be “ridiculously incomplete” without including him.  The separation itself will become a significant part of the show.

One source was candid, “To tell the truth it’s good for the show.  It had hit a bit of a lull and now there are tons of report lines … dating, release parenting, breakups.”

That said … TLC wants to make sure the kids are not “emotionally bleeding” on camera because their parents broke up.  TLC watched one of their signature shows — “John & Kate” — go down the toilet because of the strife over the kids.

TLC wants to give Mama June an even higher profile on the show, following her life as a newly-release woman.  They don’t want to described her as an emotional wreck … she’ll remain the rock of the family.  

TMZ broke the report … June kicked Sugar Bear to the curb after she found out he was trolling an online dating site.