Madison Brown Brush has spoken out, for the first time, on the most personal and painful of topics:
Her late brother.
On March 4, Garrison Brown committed suicide inside of his apartment in Flagstaff, Arizona.
He was only 25 years old.
In the two weeks since this tragedy, many members of the Sister Wives family have posted tributes on social media to Garrison, writing how they will always remember and honor their loved one.
Madison has taken a slightly different approach, however.
One week after her sibling was laid to rest, his Madison shared a lengthy and emphatic message about the importance of talking about mental health.
From what we’ve gathered to date, Garrison’s roommates told the police that Brown was suffering from Depression at the time of his death.
“I wanted to get back to normalcy here, but I want to address some things first,” Madison — Kody Brown and ex Janelle Brown’s oldest daughter — said in a March 18 Instagram video.
“Mental health is so important and I don’t think we talk about it enough and I don’t think we do enough to bring awareness.
“It wasn’t bullying, it wasn’t a lack of love that Garrison had, it was mental health, and I am going to continue talking about mental health and self care until I am blue in the face.”
As she absolutely should.
We applaud Madison for focusing on this urgent issue, which touches on so, so many individuals.
The 28-year-old — who shares kids Axel, Evangalynn and Josephine with husband Caleb Brush — then reflected on conversations she and Garrison had about his challenging relationship with social media.
“Social media is not real — it’s a highlight reel and that was something that Garrison and I talked a lot about,” she went on.
“I know my other siblings and my mom have expressed this: that Garrison used to feel like he wasn’t doing enough because he was comparing himself to things on social media and I don’t think that it’s real and we need to remember that.”
This is another urgent issue that impacts so, so many individuals.
Garrison was found dead (by his brother, Gabriel) at his home on March 5, a day after authorities confirmed he took his own life.
In addition to Madison, Garrison is survived by siblings Logan, 29, Hunter, 27, Gabriel, 22, and Savannah, 19… as well as a dozen half-siblings from Kody’s relationships with ex-spouses Meri Brown, Christine Brown and wife Robyn Brown.
He had been estranged from his famous father for about two years.
“I have worried about my boys’ mental health. Gabriel feels everything very, very deeply. But he’s also the kid who doesn’t say anything,” Janelle said on a 2022 episode of Sister Wives.
She added on air that Garrison “just seems angry or sadder, like, he’s not as happy-go-lucky as he used to be.”
While sharing insight into her family’s dynamic on Monday, Madison admitted that her siblings tended to “disagree” on a lot, but they have come together to grieve Garrison over the last few weeks.
“Time is so precious and if you’re not happy with how you’re spending your time, and you don’t feel fulfilled in life, then I would encourage you to reevaluate,” she said.
“Thank you to all of you who have shown love and kindness in the last few weeks.”