On ‘Sister Wives,’ Kody, Janelle, Meri and more reveal how they took news of Garrison’s death
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News of son Garrison Brown’s suicide blindsided the core cast of “Sister Wives.”
One by one, on Sunday’s episode of the TLC reality show, father Kody Brown, his wife Robyn and the women who used to consider him their husband — Meri, Janelle and Christine — told how they found out about Garrison’s death.
Kody and Meri Brown of TLC’s ‘Sister Wives’ confirmed that they’ve ended their marriage, making Meri the most recent of three women who’ve left the polygamous family.
The cameras were trained on Meri Brown as she sat on a couch and prepared to talk about her birthday. “That’s weird. Kody’s calling me,” she said, looking toward her phone and mentioning the man she had called her husband until January 2023.
“Do you want to take it?” a crew member asked. “Nope,” she replied. “He can text me if he needs me.”
“He’s calling again,” she said later, appearing annoyed. “I already texted him.”
Then she said, “He said it’s an emergency.” The crew called cut and she got on the phone. “What?” she asked. Then the picture dissolved into text: “On March 5, 2024, Kody and Janelle’s son Garrison passed away.”
‘Sister Wives’ star Janelle Brown told police that her son Garrison sent alarming texts before his apparent suicide, prompting her to have someone check on him.
Garrison, who was 25 when he died, was one of the former family’s 18 children. He was found by younger brother Gabriel, Meri said.
“It is with great sadness I confirm Mr. Robert Garrison Brown was located in his residence deceased, as a result of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” police told The Times last March.
Garrison’s roommates and his brother Gabriel told police that Garrison had been struggling with a drinking problem and possible mental health issues. But Gabriel said his brother had started a job at a medical facility and seemed “OK.”
“It was just this weird, weird, surreal moment that’s like, ‘No ... not one of our kids. They’re not going to do that,’” Meri said later in the episode. “And I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ and he’s like, ‘No.’”
Garrison Brown, the son of ‘Sister Wives’ stars Janelle and Kody Brown, was laid to rest after dying in an apparent suicide last week.
Robyn, who was the last wife to join the previously polygamous group and is Kody’s legal wife, said her husband looked “really shocked” when he came into the room where she was working.
“I’m just trying to gather the details, trying to figure out what’s going on, trying to be there for him, trying to register the shock myself. Trying to register what’s going on myself,” Robyn said. “And — he just fell apart.”
Christine, meanwhile, said she “fell on the floor” after getting a rare phone call from son Hunter, whose biological mom is Janelle.
“He just said, ‘Garrison killed himself.’ And I just fell on the floor in the office. ... We all knew that he was sad,” she said, then trailed off, saying “and then we all hoped that he would just ... “ before going silent.
Suicide prevention and crisis counseling resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, seek help from a professional and call 9-8-8. The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline 988 will connect callers with trained mental health counselors. Text “HOME” to 741741 in the U.S. and Canada to reach the Crisis Text Line.
Biological mom Janelle shed tears throughout her testimony.
“So Gabriel had found him,” she said. “He’s like, ‘Mom, he’s gone.’ And I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ And he’s like, ‘He’s dead. He killed himself.’
Janelle said she didn’t remember the next few minutes, but said through tears, “I got in the car and I drove.”
Garrison was introduced in 2010 during the debut season of the “Sister Wives” reality series, which chronicles the highs and lows of a polygamist family headed by Kody. The series has followed the family during its time living in Lehi, Utah, Las Vegas and Flagstaff. Janelle, Meri and Christine have ended their marriages to Kody, while Robyn remains his legal wife. Although marriage to more than one individual at a time is not legally recognized in the United States, Kody has called his relationships with the women “spiritual unions.”
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Before his death, Garrison texted a group of people whom the family works with, writing, “I want to hate you for sharing the good times. But I can’t. I miss these days.” According to a police report, hearing about that message prompted Janelle to text Garrison, who was estranged from dad Kody. They had a short conversation that ended abruptly.
“He was a bright spot in the lives of all who knew him,” Janelle posted on Instagram at the time. “His loss will leave such a big hole in our lives that it takes our breath away.”
Kody had just that kind of visceral reaction, he said in Sunday’s episode.
One man’s death may not have been preventable, but understanding what led to it offers hope for others.
“The first moment the grief really clobbered me was when I was sitting down with [daughter] Gwendlyn holding her hand,” he said. “I look inside myself, I’m looking down my esophagus, in my imagination, and into my lungs. And I feel this sort of grief come up out of me. Everybody’s silent. I think that Gwendolyn’s sobbing and Robyn’s trying to console her. This grief comes out of me and I wailed.
“And that’s when I first I think became really aware that this situation has gone down and it’s just sort of unreconcilable. I just don’t know what to do. I’m lost in this.”
Former staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
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