The estrangement between Kody and Gabe and Garrison was a major plot point on the most recent season of Sister Wives.
But what actually happened between the three men that caused the downfall of their relationship prior to the tragic passing of Garrison Brown this week?
The issues between Kody, Gabe, and Garrison seemed to stem back to 2010, when Kody and Robyn got married. Viewers of Sister Wives watched as Kody seemed to favor Robyn to his other three wives. And quickly, the family members began to speak out about the unfair treatment.
Kody’s Relationship with Garrison Suffered During the Pandemic
But it wasn’t until 10 years later, in 2020, when things took a turn. During the pandemic, Kody created quarantine guidelines that he wanted the family to follow to be able to continue seeing each other. He wanted all of the households to stay separate so that he could continue to go to each house.
He also wanted everyone in each of the households to follow strict quarantine guidelines so that he could do this without getting sick. The only household that agreed to follow Kody’s pandemic guidelines was Robyn’s.
Almost immediately after the pandemic began, the family began to implode as all of the other wives and kids blamed Robyn for tearing the family apart and keeping Kody away from them. The two members of the family who seemed to have the hardest time with this were Gabe and Garrison.
Gabe and Garrison were both living with Janelle, and Garrison was saving money to buy a house at the time. Neither could follow Kody’s guidelines due to their jobs. Kody suggested that Janelle kick them out of the house, but she refused.
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Janelle spoke about how each of them were struggling with the pandemic on the show, specifically saying that she was worried about Garrison being lonely, because he wasn’t very social.
Janelle also made clear that she wasn’t going to kick the boys out of the house when Garrison was so close to saving enough money to buy a house, which he eventually did. But the rift between Kody, Gabe, and Garrison was never healed.
Gabe spoke about the feud in a recent episode of Sister Wives, saying: “Me and Garrison are at odds with our dad because when we expressed our discontent with how things were going with COVID, I was met with just a wall, there was no line of dialogue. I think that was what really drove the wedge between us.”
Garrison also spoke out about how they had tried to reconcile with Kody but had gotten nowhere, saying: “We’ve reached out and tried to be open, but it’s been neglected and overlooked for offenses that were believed to have happened but they never did.”
Kody Forgot Gabe’s Birthday
Arguably one of the worst moments in the history of Sister Wives, though, occurred after Kody forgot Gabe’s birthday in an episode from October 2022. According to Gabe, at that point, it was the last time that he and Kody had spoken to each other.
Gabe said, “In January, I got COVID. I didn’t even have a fever, I just lost my smell. October rolls around — specifically Oct. 11, my birthday — and dad calls me and we have a small discussion about how bad my COVID was. I shouldn’t have done this but I did anyway. I didn’t remind him that it was my birthday because I wanted to see if he remembered and he didn’t.
In the most recent episodes of Sister Wives, both Gabe and Garrison seemed to have written their dad off completely, with Garrison telling the camera that “Robyn could have him” because they were adults who didn’t need a father figure anymore.
As Janelle has since confirmed in the police report, Kody and Garrison were still estranged at the time of his passing.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
