Brody Jenner opened up about his relationship with parent Caitlyn Jenner on the Wednesday, January 15, episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test. The MTV alum admitted that the former pro athlete was gone a lot during his childhood.
“I’d randomly see him — him at the time — here and there,” Brody shared. “Mom would tell me that I would write on cards, ‘Why doesn’t dad call me on my birthday?’ and things that I don’t even really remember.”
In a confessional, Brody added, “I think not having Bruce around growing up and her doing that transition … it was tough just being her son. I just had a beautiful little daughter. I’m not living for myself anymore. I’m living for her. Everything that I’m doing on this course is going to make me a better person.”
Despite their difficult past, Brody admitted that his relationship with Caitlyn is “better now” than it once was.
Later, during a meeting with the instructors, Brody reiterated that his parent “wasn’t around that much” over the years. He also admitted that Caitlyn marrying Kris Jenner and starting a new family made him feel “a little bit abandoned.”
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“I will say, he was going through his own struggles,” Brody shared, referring to Caitlyn coming out as transgender and transitioning from a man to a woman in 2015. “All of that was put on TV and there were very intimate moments we would have and it was all filmed,” The Hills alum admitted. “It just felt very invasive and not very genuine, I would say.”
Brody said it wasn’t until “recently” that he got a “real, sincere apology” from Caitlyn. “It was the first time in my life I had ever gotten an apology,” he continued. “You know, ‘I’m sorry for not being there.’ And honestly, it meant a lot.”
Although navigating Caitlyn’s transition in the public eye was difficult, Brody said it was “sort of a relief” for him to learn the truth about his parent. “I think there were a lot of things that started to make sense in my life about my father and maybe why he wasn’t there all those years,” Brody concluded. “I think when you have kids, you need to accept a little responsibility and that the things that you do are also going to reflect on them, as well. I think it really has shaped me to do everything different and to really be there and be present to my little girl.”
Brody’s fiancée, Tia Blanco, gave birth to their daughter, Honey, in July 2023, and he’s now focused on his family over everything else. “The television stuff, my real true self was never shown,” he admitted, adding that he’s “always learning” about himself. “That’s one of the reasons why I’m here,” Brody said. “I really feel like, to my daughter, I’m going to do the exact opposite as far as being there for her as my father did for me.”
Special Forces, Wednesdays, 8/7c, Fox