Six months after the tragic death of his son, Kody Brown is speaking out.
The grief shared by the Sister Wives family over losing one of their own has been palpable.
Garrison Brown was only 25 when he took his own life on March 5, 2024. His mother Janelle, as well as his siblings and Kody’s other former wives Christine and Meri have shared their grief over his passing.
But for his part, Kody has kept to himself about the death of one his eldest sons.
Until now.
Kody Brown Breaks Silence On Garrison’s Death
It’s strange having your child pass,” Kody shared in an intimate interview four days before the premiere of the newest season of Sister Wives.
Admitting that his son’s apparent suicide “still feels like a shock,” he explained to People Magazine how he’s been coping the last six months.
“The wave of grief is different that 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 was one of Kody’s 18 children who he shares with his current wife Robyn, as well as his ex-wives Christine, Meri, and Janelle, who was the boy’s birth mother.
Fans of the show have been angry with Kody for years over his estranged relationships with many of his kids, including Garrison.
To that end, Kody admitted in the interview that his relationship with his son “certainly could have been better”.
Kody & Garrison’s Complicated Relationship & Placing The Blame
“We could have been talking more,” Kody said of his bond with his son, referring to himself and Garrison.
“I’d get texts, stuff like that, and we could have, retrospectively, we could have done so much more. And it was almost like — I’m busy with my life, he’s busy with his life, and when we connect, we’ll connect.”
Kody continued to hint in the interview that the fault of their falling out was shared blame. While he never takes full accountability for the fracture in their relationship – something fans online have called him out for – he admitted continuously that he took for granted how much time he’d have with Garrison.
“It was kind of like, we’ve got forever. It was more like it was a convenience of time that I felt like I had,” he added. “Retrospectively, there would’ve been more of a regular catching up and touching base.”
Kody Shares His “Regret” Over Son’s Passing
Garrison’s death has changed Kody “irrevocably,” he says.
“I can’t get back to where I was. I can’t reconcile that he’s not here.”
In looking back at the time he did spend with his son, Kody tried to remember the part about him that he’ll miss the most.
“He was planning a future. He always wanted a story to tell, some adventure. He was always either cracking a joke or wanting to talk about an adventure.”
Now, there will be no more adventures for the sweet young man, beloved by his family and friends and fans alike.
Finally, Kody added that his “only regret” when he thinks back is that he wishes he’d taken “advantage of the time” he had with Garrison
“I want to go out to dinner again. I want to sit down. I want to have a beer. 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,” he says.
“The only regret is that you didn’t do something. You didn’t take more time.”
