“Alaskan Bush People” star Bear Brown is addressing several “rumors” about his relationship with Matt Brown amid his brother’s disappearance.
“On the subject of y’all saying the family turned their back on Matt, that’s just not true. We don’t publicize everything,” Bear said of his brother, who is suspected to be dead following a suspicious livestream appearance, in a TikTok video posted Friday.
“Matt has done a lot of bad things, a lot of bad things that y’all don’t know about. A lot of bad things [to where] y’all’s opinion [of him] would change. Now is not the time to speak on stuff like that, in my opinion.”
Bear continued on, claiming the family “didn’t and never turned their back on” Matt.
“We spent a lot of trouble, a lot of stuff, a lot of hassle and a lot of money trying to help Matt in rehab three, four times. Everybody cared about him and was on his side,” he added.
“Everybody was trying to tell him that everybody cares about him, that everybody loves him. Matt distanced himself from the family completely.”
Bear emphasized, however, that he had maintained a speaking relationship with his brother despite the hardships he had faced, while others chose to distance themselves “for personal reasons.”
Bear alerted fans to his brother’s potential death on Thursday, sharing that he had been told that Matt — the eldest sibling of the Brown bunch — “took his own life.”
At the time, Bear couldn’t “confirm that that’s true,” however, but informed fans that Matt was allegedly “seen in a river, at a river or close to a river” and later “floating down the river.”
According to Bear, someone then “called police,” who have been “trying to find the body.”
In his Friday update, Bear doubled down on his previous statements, telling his followers that he’s “99 percent” sure that the body seen belonged to Matt.
“So, I’ve talked to quite a bit of people and stuff. I’ve heard from locals, eyewitnesses, and the coroner. At this time, the body has not been recovered,” he said.
“All eyewitnesses have said that the description fits Matt’s description to a T. So, there’s a really good chance that it is him. I’m still praying that it’s not, by some miracle, that it’s not.”
Matt was last seen a week ago, filming a nude livestream while seemingly under the influence. In the video, he rambled while carrying what appeared to be a gun.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.
