On 'Sister Wives,' Kody, Janelle, Meri and more reveal how they took news of Garrison's death

News of lad Garrison Brown’s termination blindsided the halfway formed of “Sister Wives.”

One by one, connected Sunday’s occurrence of the TLC world show, begetter Kody Brown, his woman Robyn and the women who utilized to see him their hubby — Meri, Janelle and Christine — told however they recovered retired astir Garrison’s death.

The cameras were trained connected Meri Brown arsenic she sat connected a sofa and prepared to speech astir her birthday. “That’s weird. Kody’s calling me,” she said, looking toward her telephone and mentioning the antheral she had called her hubby until January 2023.

“Do you privation to instrumentality it?” a unit subordinate asked. “Nope,” she replied. “He tin substance maine if helium 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 unit called chopped and she got connected the phone. “What?” she asked. Then the representation dissolved into text: “On March 5, 2024, Kody and Janelle’s lad Garrison passed away.”

Garrison, who was 25 erstwhile helium died, was 1 of the erstwhile family’s 18 children. He was recovered by younger member Gabriel, Meri said.

“It is with large sadness I corroborate Mr. Robert Garrison Brown was located successful his residence deceased, arsenic a effect of an evident self-inflicted gunshot wound,” police told The Times past March.

Garrison and Janelle Brown laughter unneurotic arsenic Janelle helps marque meal connected TLC’s “Sister Wives.”

(TLC)

Garrison’s roommates and his member Gabriel told constabulary that Garrison had been struggling with a drinking occupation and imaginable intelligence wellness issues. But Gabriel said his member had started a occupation astatine a aesculapian installation and seemed “OK.”

“It was conscionable this weird, weird, surreal infinitesimal that’s like, ‘No ... not 1 of our kids. They’re not going to bash that,’” Meri said aboriginal successful the episode. “And I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ and he’s like, ‘No.’”

Robyn, who was the past woman to articulation the antecedently polygamous radical and is Kody’s ineligible wife, said her hubby looked “really shocked” erstwhile helium came into the country wherever she was working.

“I’m conscionable trying to stitchery the details, trying to fig retired what’s going on, trying to beryllium determination for him, trying to registry the daze myself. Trying to registry what’s going connected myself,” Robyn said. “And — helium conscionable fell apart.”

Christine, meanwhile, said she “fell connected the floor” aft getting a uncommon telephone telephone from lad Hunter, whose biologic ma is Janelle.

“He conscionable said, ‘Garrison killed himself.’ And I conscionable fell connected the level successful the office. ... We each knew that helium was sad,” she said, past trailed off, saying “and past we each hoped that helium would conscionable ... “ earlier going silent.

Biological ma Janelle shed tears passim her testimony.

“So Gabriel had recovered him,” she said. “He’s like, ‘Mom, he’s gone.’ And I’m like, ‘What bash you mean?’ And he’s like, ‘He’s dead. He killed himself.’

Janelle said she didn’t retrieve the adjacent fewer minutes, but said done tears, “I got successful the car and I drove.”

Garrison was introduced successful 2010 during the debut season of the “Sister Wives” world series, which chronicles the highs and lows of a polygamist family headed by Kody. The bid has followed the household during its clip surviving successful Lehi, Utah, Las Vegas and Flagstaff. Janelle, Meri and Christine person ended their marriages to Kody, portion Robyn remains his ineligible wife. Although matrimony to much than 1 idiosyncratic astatine a clip is not legally recognized successful the United States, Kody has called his relationships with the women “spiritual unions.”

Before his death, Garrison texted a radical of radical whom the household works with, writing, “I privation to hatred you for sharing the bully times. But I can’t. I miss these days.” According to a constabulary report, proceeding astir that connection prompted Janelle to substance Garrison, who was estranged from dada Kody. They had a abbreviated speech that ended abruptly.

“He was a agleam spot successful the lives of each who knew him,” Janelle posted connected Instagram astatine the time. “His nonaccomplishment volition permission specified a large spread successful our lives that it takes our enactment away.”

Kody had conscionable that benignant of visceral reaction, helium said successful Sunday’s episode.

“The archetypal infinitesimal the grief truly clobbered maine was erstwhile I was sitting down with [daughter] Gwendlyn holding her hand,” helium said. “I look wrong myself, I’m looking down my esophagus, successful my imagination, and into my lungs. And I consciousness this benignant of grief travel up retired of me. Everybody’s silent. I deliberation that Gwendolyn’s sobbing and Robyn’s trying to console her. This grief comes retired of maine and I wailed.

“And that’s erstwhile I archetypal I deliberation became truly alert that this concern has gone down and it’s conscionable benignant of unreconcilable. I conscionable don’t cognize what to do. I’m mislaid successful this.”

Former unit writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.