Season 19 of Sister Wives may be shaping up to the the most heartbreaking one yet. The reality TV show follows the Brown family, the members of which have split into several different branches as patriarch Kody has been divorced by three out of four of his wives.

In the most recent episode of the show, one of Kody’s exes, Janelle, opened up about what it was like learning that she’d lost her son, Garrison, to suicide. In her time of grief, she noted, one of the unexpected sources of comfort has actually come from the support of longtime fans of the show.

Janelle Was Shocked By Garrison’s Passing

The latest episode of Season 19 featured many of the other Brown family members learning of Garrison’s passing, the shock palpable among the group. For his mother, Janelle, this was the most heartbreaking and unexpected news imaginable, and she explained how caught off guard she was by the loss. Janelle said that she and her son had been “texting all day long” shortly before his passing, and that she didn’t at all suspect anything might be amiss.

While she and Garrison (who was 25 at the time of his passing) may not have been in constant contact, Janelle explained that going a couple of days without chatting was perfectly normal for them. Now over a year after his passing, she reflected on how she tried to always be there for him, even if it was just letting him know that she was available to him:

Part of the complication of the situation, she admitted, was that Garrison had also been struggling with his drinking. “He would go through periods where he was really good, and then he just would have a binge just as part of the cycle,” she admitted to the cameras. In the end, Garrison passed from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March of 2024.

Janelle Expressed Appreciation To Supportive Fans

Viewers of the show are now seeing the aftermath of Garrison’s passing play out over a year later on the show. As fans of the show are catching up on the tragedy, Janelle has noted how grateful she is for the outpouring of love and support that has since come from the Sister Wives fanbase.

This past week, after the episode aired, she took to her personal Instagram account to share more about what reliving the loss via the TV episode has been like. In the text across the photo, she wrote, “Thank you to everyone for the amazing messages of support since the episode aired,” likely alluding to the outpouring of love she’d experienced from viewers of the show and her followers on social media.

In her caption for the post, she expressed her gratitude for all those around her during such a difficult time, including her surviving family members. She also shared that she truly believed she did everything she could for her son while he was alive, offering her most vulnerable words since his passing:

Though Janelle turned off the comments for the post, fans were able to offer their support under her other photos. In a photo Janelle posted for her birthday, one fan offered a message of admiration. “You’re an inspiration to women everywhere. Your independence, resilience and level-headedness are truly unmatched ❤️” they shared.

“Janelle, you are awesome! I would love to be your friend! So happy for you. Spread your wings and fly!” shared another. For now, Janelle appears to be forging ahead with the next chapter of her life, setting down roots in Santa Fe away from the land in Arizona where she raised the children she shares with Kody. Garrison’s remains were scattered in one of his favorite spots in Wyoming—a fitting final resting place, according to his mother.