Trigger Warning: This story contains mentions of suicide.
Sister Wives star Kody Brown is opening up about his son Garrison’s death, six months after the 25-year-old died by suicide.
While other members of the Brown Family have spoken out about Garrison’s death since the tragedy, Kody has not given any interviews about it and has not publicly spoken about Garrison since announcing his death on Instagram in March.
On Thursday, Kody broke his silence to People, telling the magazine that he regrets not spending more time with Garrison before his death. (As The Ashley previously reported, family members confirmed to the police following Garrison’s suicide that he and Kody were still estranged at the time.)
“I can’t reconcile that he’s not here,” Kody said, adding that he regrets putting off trying to better his relationship with Garrison. “…We could have been talking more.
“We could have done so much more…It was kind of like, ‘we’ve got forever,'” Kody added. “It was more like it was a convenience of time that I felt like I had. Retrospectively, there would’ve been more of a regular catching up and touching base.”
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As ‘Sister Wives’ fans know, Garrison was just one of many of Kody’s adult children with whom he is estranged from. On the most-recent season of the show, Garrison often spoke out about his strained relationship with Kody. During one episode that aired in October 2023, Garrison spoke to family members about how Kody’s (now only) wife, Robyn, had caused Kody to become estranged from many of his kids.
“Robyn’s mad that she can’t have this effect on our lives anymore because we just don’t care anymore,” Garrison said in the Season 18 episode. “…. ‘You know what Robyn? Have him. Because we don’t care anymore. We’re all grown adults that don’t need a father figure anymore.'”
In his interview with People, Kody did not mention Robyn or the role she did (or didn’t) play in Kody losing touch with his kids. He did, however, that he would take “advantage of the time” he had with Garrison, if he had it to do over again.
“I want to go out to dinner [with Garrison] again. I want to sit down. I want to have a beer,” Kody said. “I want him to try and make me laugh because he was kind of that way. The only regret is just, gosh, I would just do that more often. The only regret is that you didn’t do something. You didn’t take more time.”
Kody also reflected on his own grief.
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“It’s strange having your child pass,” he said. “The wave of grief is different than any wave of grief I have ever had with a best friend passing, with a relative passing. It’s different. And it is different in the idea that it’s irreconcilable — the future that we missed with him.”
Garrison’s mother Janelle Brown and sister Maddie Brown Brush recently opened up about how they are dealing with the six-month anniversary of Garrison’s death. In an Instagram post, Maddie stated that she and her family were “blindsided” by Garrison’s suicide and unaware of how badly he was struggling.
“My brother, Garrison, had his struggles, but this was not something any of us saw any signs for,” Maddie wrote. “We were truly blindsided. We talked regularly, and my mom’s kids have always been close-knit, even as life changed around us. Garrison was sarcastic and witty, and in moments of seriousness, he seemed almost uncomfortable with it–like it was hard for him to be vulnerable.”
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The 19th season of ‘Sister Wives’— which premieres on Sunday— will address Garrison’s death, although it is currently unknown how it will play out on the episodes. Garrison’s sister Mykelti Brown Padron recently expressed her fears about how the show’s editors and producers will choose to incorporate it.
“I’m so nervous about how they handle all the Garrison stuff,” Mykelti revealed last month on her YouTube channel. “I’ve heard a couple of stories about how they address [his death in Season 19], talk about it, share it, and I don’t love any of their ideas on it.”
Mykelti went on to say that she hopes the show’s producers and editors will cover her brother’s death in a respectful way and not focus on the turmoil within the Brown family.
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“It’s very unlikely I will like any of it, but I guess we’ll find out what happens with it all,” Mykelti said. “But I do hope whatever they do, it’s respectful and it’s about him. It’s not about petty grievances, or about anybody else or anybody else’s relationship. [I hope] it’s just about him. I hope they do him that courtesy and that honor. But, we’ll find out.”
Season 19 of ‘Sister Wives’ premieres Sunday, September 15 on TLC. Click here to watch a trailer for the season.
(Photos: TLC; Instagram)
14 Responses
He acts like there is a mouse in his pocket when he says “We”. No that isn’t the way this works. YOU should be ashamed of yourself to treat your kids the way YOU do.
“I want to go out to dinner [with Garrison] again. I want to sit down. I want to have a beer,”
He had a problem with alcohol my guy!
This is just for publicity before the new season appears and, as usual with Kody, wasn’t genuine at all. I cannot imagine horror of losing a child. But, I also cannot imagine using my child’s death for a publicity interview to promote a reality show.
I’d like to believe he’s genuine, but his relationships with all of his adult bio children is are strained. Madison named her second child after him and now says he doesn’t have a relationship with her kids at all. Mykelti was super supportive and now barely has any kind of relationship with him. What has he done to repair those relationships after learning this lesson through Garrison?
As sad as Garrison’s death is, I hope Kody uses this tragedy to mend his relationship with ALL his kids. Gabe & Garrison were fighting with him because he wasn’t seeing them, he was treating Robyn’s kids as his only priority, they just wanted some of his attention. It just breaks my heart. All his kids seem like they just want some attention from him, imagine how far a text checking in once a week or once a month would mean to them.
I don’t think that’s the case, since Mykelti isn’t speaking with him even now.
But there is always tomorrow.
I really hope Janelle is okay, I hope she has people with her on Sunday when it premieres since she is online and probably will see things.
I don’t care what Kody has done or hasn’t done in the past. Losing a child is absolutely the worst thing that can happen to someone. I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. My prayers are with Kody and I hope he is able to heal and make peace with this tragedy along with the rest of the Brown family.
You are a nicer person than me. While I agree with you, I can’t get over how insincere this interview was-I read it when it came out yesterday, and how generally unmoved he appeared to be by Garrison’s death-and I draw this conclusion only using his language and answers in the interview. To me, as a parent of a child exactly Garrison’s age, I couldn’t come to terms with how nonchalant Kody appeared in this interview, and how shallow it felt to me. I could be wrong.
Kody should contact Gabe and resolve their issues before mentioning Garrison’s name. It seems deliberate that Kody is ending his silence right before the new season of Not Sister Wives begins.
I want to know why Mykelti is mad at Robyn after Garrison’s funeral – get the deets The Ashley! (Please and thank you 🙂 )
@Flower G– ME TOO! I will do my best haha -The Ashley
Kody trying to play this off like he just should have made a little more time for Garrison. As if they weren’t completely estranged, with Kody making zero effort to change that fact.
So which is it? I saw an article where Jenelle was saying all of the signs were there and they were all trying to help him. But now someone was blindsided? And why did Jenelle hear about his disturbing texts from Production. I would love to hear that kody has changed his ways. Doubt that will ever happen. Sad for everyone but Kody and Robyn.
Kotex is straight trash point blank period.
I wonder if Kody has now repaired the relationship with the adult children he has left because it appears he has not. Garrison and Gabe tried on the show to talk of their deep pain of not having a relationship with Kody anymore and Kody was horrible to them. I’m not saying that Garrison took his life just over Kody. You never truly know what someone else is going through mentally.
Robyn absolutely played a role in Kody cutting off every child but hers. At the same time Kody is an adult. There will never be anyone (even a partner) who tells me to cut off my kids. I would leave them and divorce before I would ever not have a relationship with my kids.
Garrison was clearly loved by so many people. He will be missed and the hole he left will probably never be filled. As a huge animal lover I know that Garrison would be so happy to know that donations to animal shelters were made in his name. So he is still looking after the animals from heaven.
I totally agree. Great post. Mrs. Frown’s hand is up Kootie’s butt, and he is a weenie for allowing her to dictate which of his children he can have any relationship with. She’s a witch.