Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Hopes to ‘Get Over’ Tension With Sons Garrison and Gabriel
Sister Wives star Kody Brown is hopeful that he and his sons Garrison and Gabriel will be able to move on from the tension in their strained relationship.
“I haven’t been in touch with Gabriel and Garrison for quite a while,” Kody, 54, stated during the Sunday, November 5, episode of the reality show. “I’m pretty sad that I’m not close anymore.”
Kody has been estranged from Garrison, 25, and Gabriel, 22, whom he shares with Janelle Brown, following their disagreements over the Brown patriarch’s strict COVID-19 protocols.
“There were just so many things in our lives that we did that were rich together, you know, just special experiences,” Kody said about the relationships he used to have with his sons. “I think and hope that in time we’ll just get over this [and] it’ll be safe being back around each other.”
Despite wanting to mend his relationships with Garrison and Gabriel, Kody admitted that they haven’t made any moves towards a reconciliation. “Right now, there’s not really an open door with Gabe and Garrison,” he said. “They’re not willing to engage [with] me.”
The tension between Kody, Garrison and Gabriel has been documented since season 17 of the TLC show, which concluded in January. At one point, the businessman claimed his sons were disrespectful toward him and Robyn Brown over his strict rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kody asked that his kids apologize for their actions, though the request led to a bigger rift in the family. Janelle, 54, and her six kids later decided to spend the 2021 holidays without Kody and Robyn, 45.
Kody’s estrangement from Garrison and Gabriel also led to problems in his marriage with Janelle, which continued into season 18.
“I have worried about my boys’ mental health,” Janelle admitted during the October 8 episode, which was filmed in early 2022. “Gabriel feels everything very, very deeply. But he’s also the kid who doesn’t say anything. And Garrison just seems angry or sadder, like, he’s not as happy-go-lucky as he used to be.”
In addition to Gabriel and Garrison, the former couple – who split in December 2022 – also share kids Logan, Maddie, Hunter and Savanah.
Kody’s latest feud update with Gabe and Garrison comes after he revealed he felt “powerless” when it came to his relationships with his older children.
“Your relationship with your 10-year-old or your 5-year-old or your babies is very different than the relationship you have with a 15-year-old, a 20-year-old, and a 25 and a 30-year-old. It’s very different,” the TV personality told People in an interview published on October 4. “I didn’t have any power in my household to say, ‘These are the rules.’”
Kody went on to admit that his relationships with his older children began to “unravel” when they were unable to work through their past issues.
“There were a lot of things … very difficult issues that we had to deal with. There were no good answers at the time,” Kody explained about the pandemic. “I don’t know what happened. All that’s left now is moving forward. Moving forward and hopefully healing these relationships. It is really a story now, moving forward. This is a story about forgiveness. Forgiveness and finding hope and joy after relationships have been severed from the way that’s the norm.”
