The premiere of the 19th season of Sister Wives deals with the death of Garrison Brown

Sisterwives Season 19 began on a somber note and paid tribute to the late Garrison Brown.

“This season of Sisterwives “Filming began in late 2022,” TLC revealed during the opening credits of the Sunday, September 15 episode.

The network subsequently confirmed Garrison's death, writing: “On March 5, 2024, Garrison, the son of Kody and Janelle, passed away. He was very loved and will be sorely missed.”

Janelle And Kody Brown confirmed Garrison's death in March and shared a joint statement. “Janelle and I are deeply saddened to announce the loss of our wonderful boy, Robert 'Garrison' Brown,” the Instagram post said. “He was a bright spot in the lives of everyone who knew him. Our loss will leave such a huge hole in our lives that it takes our breath away.”

We weekly reported at the time that Garrison had committed suicide in Flagstaff, Arizona. He was 25 years old.

Related: All the Sister Wives siblings who publicly mourned Garrison Brown

The Sister Wives siblings continue to pay tribute to Garrison Brown even after his death. Garrison's sister Maddie Brown was the first to break her silence after his death. “Our hearts [are] broken and we are now overwhelmed by the love we have left behind for this wonderful brother,” she wrote. Garrison's parents, Janelle and Kody […]

While Janelle and Kody, both 55, announced their separation in December 2022 after more than 30 years as a couple, they came together to mourn the loss of Garrison and celebrated his life with a private funeral in March.

The ex-partners, who married in spirit in 1993, also have daughters together Maddie28, and savannah19; and sons Logan30, hunter27, and Gabriel22.

The entire Brown family was shocked by Garrison's death, including Janelle's former sister wives Christine And Meri Brownwho publicly paid tribute to the late reality star. (Christine, 52, divorced Kody in November 2021, while Meri, 53, announced her and Kody's separation in January 2023.)

Related: Janelle Brown and Kody Brown's relationship timeline from Sister Wives

Janelle Brown and Kody Brown's plural marriage from Sister Wives was anything but conventional before their split in 2022. Janelle and Kody's lives were intertwined long before their spiritual wedding in 1993. Janelle's late mother, Sheryl Brown, and Kody's father, William Winn Brown, were married for years before William died in 2013, which led to the later […]

“Garrison was a wonderful, caring brother who understood Truely's need for a hobby and built her a flower bed,” Christine wrote on Instagram in March, sharing a video of herself working in her home with her youngest daughter Truely, 13. “We will miss him forever. #gratitude #missyou #loveyou #tellthoseyoulovethatyoulovethem.”

Meri reflected on how much Garrison meant to her and her extended family in April, writing on Instagram: “See [this photo] brought tears to my eyes immediately, a testament to the love I feel for him, the pain of losing him. It is a reminder that grief comes in unexpected waves, memories of the moments with him are all that remain. Today marks four weeks without him being here with us. A lifetime full of memories that are sacred to us.”

Robyn Brownwho is still married to Kody, has not made a personal statement about the tragedy.

Although Garrison's death has been on many of his family's minds in recent months, it was not discussed further in the season 19 premiere.

Instead, the episode began around the time when Meri and Kody broke up and the family was trying to figure out what to do next.

“Christine and I just don't talk and Janelle and I are separated,” Kody told the cameras. “Meri, shall we say we're divorced? No, I don't think so. But we're not married and I don't want to be married.”

He confessed: “The emotions of my family breaking up are just raw. Who am I without my family?”

Related: Kody and Janelle Brown's 'Sister Wives' Family: Guide to 6 Kids

Kody Brown and Janelle Brown shared a lot of love before their split in 2022 – including raising their six children. The Sister Wives stars’ spiritual wedding in 1993 marked the beginning of their multi-family. Kody was already legally married to Meri Brown when he welcomed Janelle into his life. He subsequently married spiritually […]

Janelle, for her part, remained firm in her decision to leave Kody. “I mourn the loss of that ideal that we aspired to as a family,” she said, noting that Kody's alleged inability to prioritize their children ultimately led to her decision.

“The big spark for me came when his relationship with my kids was falling apart and he didn't seem to want to move heaven and earth to fix it,” Janelle said. “I thought, 'OK, that's what was really keeping me here.'”

Meri claimed that her breakup with Kody was due to him slowly distancing himself from me. “For the past almost ten years, he has completely distanced himself from me emotionally,” she claimed.

Related: Sister Wives Family Guide: Meet Kody Brown's Spouse and Kids

Sister Wives star Kody Brown has his hands full with his wife Robyn Brown and his three former partners Meri Brown, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown. Kody's family – which includes 18 children in total – was thrust into the spotlight in September 2010 when Sister Wives premiered. At the time, Kody was courting his fourth wife Robyn. […]

Meri added that the only difference between them is that she now plans to sever her spiritual connection with the church. “Why on earth would I want to commit myself forever to someone who doesn't want me?” she asked.

Christine, meanwhile, said she has embraced her new family unit, which includes Janelle and her children. “When I married Kody, I thought we were going to be together forever, but then it fell apart,” she explained. “And now I still have Janelle. … I think we're sister wives raising children together who are part of the multi-family.”

She continued: “The kids don't have a good relationship with Kody. Not all the women have a good relationship with each other. So I wouldn't say it's a plural family. I would say Janelle and I have a sister wives family.” (Christine's family now includes her husband David Woolleywhom she married in October 2023.)

Sisterwives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.