Reality TV
Sister Wives’ Janelle Speaks Out After Show Covered Garrison’s Death: We’ll Be ‘Reunited 1 Day’
Sister Wives star Janelle Brown spoke out after the TLC show covered her and ex-husband Kody Brown’s son Robert Garrison Brown’s death by penning a touching note.
“It’s taken [a while] to accept the fact that, in the end, we did everything we could. Sometimes the mind convinces someone there’s no hope, even when all the evidence says otherwise,” Janelle, 56, wrote alongside a black and white photo of herself and Garrison via Instagram on Monday, May 5. “Being in Flagstaff this past week brought a deep awareness of how much I need this new chapter — somewhere different. Everywhere I looked, I could see traces of Garrison.”
She continued, “I’m so thankful for all of my children, and especially for my grandbabies — they are truly life-giving. And because of my faith, I know I’ll be reunited with Garrison one day. That promise brings me immense comfort.”
In addition to the personal caption, Janelle also wrote over the photo, “Thank you to everyone for the amazing messages of love and support since the episode aired.”
Garrison died at the age of 25 on March 5, 2024, from a self-inflicted gun wound. More than one year later, fans watched his death play out of the family’s reality show.
During the Sunday, May 4, episode, Janelle explained that she was traveling to Flagstaff, Arizona, where she previously lived with Kody, 56, and their kids. After the former couple called it quits in December 2022, she relocated to North Carolina to be closer to daughter Maddie Brush (née Brown).
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Janelle said that she and Garrison – who remained in Flagstaff – had been “texting all day long” the day before his passing. “And this was not unusual because he and I talked probably three times a day,” she noted.
“I knew he was struggling,” she continued, referencing Garrison’s struggles with anxiety and depression. “And I always just picked up the phone and I always make it a point to just talk to him.”
The mother of six went on to note that her and Garrison’s last conversation didn’t seem out of the ordinary. “It was just, I think he needed the connection,” Janelle recalled.
Janelle added that she wasn’t concerned when Garrison stopped responding to her messages, noting that she knew he had been drinking. “He would go through periods where he was really good and then he just would have a binge just as part of the cycle,” she explained.
When she was ready to go to bed, Janelle asked her sons Hunter Brown and Logan Brown to keep an eye on Garrison. It wasn’t until the next morning that she learned that he took his own life.
“Gabriel [Brown] had found him,” Janelle said of Garrison. “He’s like, ‘Mom, he’s gone.’ I mean, ‘What do you mean?’ He said, ‘He’s dead. He killed himself.'”
After she learned of Garrison’s death, Janelle said she didn’t “remember the next few minutes” but managed to get “in the car and drove” to Garrison’s home.
The episode also saw Janelle and Kody decide on Garrison’s burial plans. “Kody and I decided that we would cremate him,” she explained. “I knew that that’s what he wanted, so we did that. And that way it gives us the opportunity to have the funeral in a better time of year.”
Garrison’s final resting place is on the family’s plot in Wyoming. “He loved it there,” Janelle said. “So it felt appropriate.”
