When Garrison Brown passed away in March 2024, Sister Wives fans felt completely caught off guard. Sadly, it seems like many of his family members felt the same way. For the past six months, Kody Brown hasn’t shared much about his son’s death. But now, he’s speaking out.

Kody Brown Comes Clean About Garrison’s Death

On the six-month anniversary of Garrison’s passing, his mother Janelle and sister Maddie shared heartbreaking posts about him. Nothing will make the loss easier, but sharing their thoughts and feelings helps them work through their grief.

For the most part, Kody Brown has been pretty tight-lipped about his own feelings. But in a new interview, he’s reflecting on Garrison’s death and how it personally impacted him.

Sister Wives/TLC

“The hard part is giving away that future that I saw for him, the excitement,” Kody shared with PEOPLE, noting that Garrison’s death came as a total shock. “It’s strange having your child pass. The wave of grief is different that any wave of grief I have ever had with a best friend passing, with a relative passing. It’s different. And it is different in the idea that it’s irreconcilable — the future that we missed with him.”

The family patriarch went on to acknowledge he and Garrison had a tense relationship leading up to his death.

“We could have been talking more. I’d get texts, stuff like that, and we could have, retrospectively, we could have done so much more. And it was almost like — I’m busy with my life, he’s busy with his life, and when we connect, we’ll connect,” Kody revealed. “It was kind of like, we’ve got forever. It was more like it was a convenience of time that I felt like I had. Retrospectively, there would’ve been more of a regular catching up and touching base.”

The Family Patriarch Reflects On His Personal Regrets

Sister Wives viewers know Kody Brown to be incredibly stubborn and unshakeable. However, Garrison’s death seems to have changed him from the inside out.

 “I can’t get back to where I was. I can’t reconcile that he’s not here,” the TLC star shared. “You do have a little bit of an expectation — and especially with somebody who’s got essentially a bright future. … He always wanted a story to tell, some adventure. He was always either cracking a joke or wanting to talk about an adventure.

Kody adds that he sincerely regrets not taking more time to connect with his son. More than anything, he would love to go to dinner and have a beer with Garrison.

“The only regret is just, gosh, I would just do that more often,” the 55-year-old concluded. “The only regret is that you didn’t do something. You didn’t take more time.”

What do you think about Kody Brown’s views on his son’s tragic death? Do you think this will prompt him to spend more time with Gabe? Share your own thoughts in the comments.

Tune into TLC at 10 PM Eastern time on Tuesday, September 15 to catch the Sister Wives Season 19 premiere.