Sister Wives star Meri Brown shared an update on how Janelle and Kody Brown are coping, three months after their son Garrison’s death by suicide at age 25.
Meri, 53 — who had a polygamous marriage to Kody, 55, and his three other wives, Janelle, 54, Christine, 52, and Robyn, 45, before splitting over a year ago — shared that there were “good days and bad days for the grieving parents.
‘I just feel so much for Janelle – I watched my mother lose two of her own children before she passed away. It’s tragic,” she said on the Miss Understood Podcast on Monday.
“I think there are good days and bad days, I don’t know how there couldn’t be,” she continued.
“There are still times when I see a picture of Garrison and think, ‘Oh, I don’t like that this happened. It’s really sad.’
Sister Wives star Meri Brown, 53, shared an update on how Janelle, 54, and Kody Brown, 55, are coping, three months after their son Garrison’s death by suicide at age 25
Meri revealed there have been ‘good days and bad days’ for the grieving parents when she appeared on the Miss Understood Podcast on Monday
Meri explained that grief is “different for every situation.”
‘You really have to do what you have to do at the moment. Embrace the pain, cry when you need to, spend time alone and when you feel good, get up and take a walk.”
Meri also emphasized that grief is not a linear process.
‘I think people often have a box that we think we have to live in. Grief is not linear, it is not a checklist. It’s all emotions, whenever and wherever they decide to show up.”
She added that while life will eventually get better, love for the person who is no longer there cannot be replaced.
“I think a lot of people will say, ‘You go past it, you go through it.’ And that will happen, but I think a gap has been created and people will say that gap will be filled, but the gap will always be there.’
Garrison died on March 5 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and was buried a week later.
Ethanol intoxication was listed as a contributing factor, as Garrison’s blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit – 0.08% in the United States – at the time of his death.
“There are still times when I see a picture of Garrison and think, ‘Oh, I don’t like that this happened. It’s really sad,” Meri said
‘I just feel so much for Janelle – I watched my mother lose two of her own children before she passed away. It’s tragic,” she added
Garrison died on March 5 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, and was buried a week later
Garrison was found dead by his brother Gabriel, while Janelle announced the tragic news via Instagram on behalf of the family that same day
Garrison was found dead by his brother Gabriel on March 5, while Janelle announced the tragic news on Instagram on behalf of the family that same day.
“Kody and I are deeply saddened to announce the loss of our beautiful boy Robert Garrison Brown,” she said. “He was a light in the lives of everyone who knew him.”
“His loss will leave such a big hole in our lives that it will take our breath away. We ask that you please respect our privacy and join us in honoring his memory.”
Meri also discussed her current relationship with her former sister wives, after their polygamous marriage fell apart, leaving Kody with just one wife: Robyn.
She said that while she is “cordial” to them, she doesn’t “seek them out” to befriend them.
“When I see them, we have cordial conversations, but I don’t seek them out for a relationship.”
“I feel like we had a lot of time to be able to do that, and in the past — a little over a year since I broke up, when Kody and I broke up and were done — I’ve had a lot of things I’m working on to myself.’
“I think it’s really important to be around people who really encourage that,” she added.
The reality TV star said it was difficult to come to terms with separating from the family after growing up in a polygamous household.
Meri had a polygamous marriage with Kody and his three other wives, Janelle, Christine, 52, and Robyn, 45, before splitting over a year ago; (L-R) Robyn, Meri, Kody, Christine and Janelle in 2012
While discussing the status of their current relationship, she said that while she is “cordial” to them, she doesn’t “seek them out” to befriend; The ex-wives seen in 2010
“I think for years I thought, ‘Wait a minute, we’re family, we really need to stick together,'” she explained.
“But then I also look at my own family where I come from, and I have my own brothers and sisters that I talk to every day. I have a number of brothers and sisters who I speak to every week. And I have a few that I talk to at funerals and weddings.”
“Sometimes people are only in your life for a while and it’s okay to let things go if the relationship isn’t reciprocal and it’s not building or building me up – that goes for him, it goes for my sister wives, it goes for anyone in my life.’
She added that it was nice to see Janelle and Christine become good friends.
“I love that Janelle and Christine have such a close bond. That wasn’t the case when we were all together – it wasn’t that way all these years – so whatever has brought them so close now, I think it’s great.”
As for love, Meri revealed that she hopes to get married again but isn’t interested in ever being polygamous again.
“I always only wanted one man, but I don’t want him to have another woman either,” she said.
For eighteen seasons of TLC’s hit series Sister Wives, viewers have followed the ups and downs of Kody’s multiple family life with his four wives and eighteen children.
TLC fans were introduced to the Brown family in 2010 when Kody, a prominent polygamist, was legally married to Meri, and spiritually married to Janelle and Christine. He then divorced Meri to legally marry new wife Robyn.
The show’s first season followed Robyn’s integration into the extended family, after the other three women had already lived together and raised their children for 16 years.
In recent years, all three of Kody’s wives except Robyn Brown, 45, had left him, causing major rifts in the family.
Throughout 18 seasons of TLC’s hit series Sister Wives, viewers have followed the ups and downs of Kody’s multiple family life with his four wives and 18 children
In September 2023, Christine discussed the broken family ties during an episode of the show, saying: ‘There are so many things that are broken right now. We’re just not family anymore.’
Christine was the first to leave, announcing her divorce from Kody in November 2021 after 25 years of marriage and six children together.
Just over a year later, Janelle also decided to leave, confirming their divorce in December 2022.
Just a few days later, it was also confirmed that Kody’s 32-year marriage to first wife Meri had also been finalized. The couple welcomed one child together, Leon Brown, 28, who uses pronouns and is estranged from Kody.