The stepsister of Matt Brown is speaking out after the initial tribute by the Brown family following his passing. Twila Byars, Billy Brown's daughter from a previous marriage, spoke out about her brother's death and why she hadn't said anything about it immediately.
Byars was introduced in Season 5 of Alaskan Bush People, which is available to stream with an HBO Max subscription. She shared some brief photos of herself with Matt, and added a caption as to why she hadn't done so sooner:
I want to pay tribute to my little brother and his life, but the self-serving feeling is a bit much for me. So this will be the last of them for now. Rest in Peace, little Brother
It's hard to say exactly what Byars meant by "self-serving," and whether it was strictly speaking about herself or speaking about others posting tributes. It may be in reference to her other stepsiblings, some of whom were estranged from Matt Brown for years before his death.
I Thought Alaskan Bush People Was Canceled, But Bear Brown Shared An Encouraging New Update
Matt Brown had publicly discussed his struggles with addiction on Alaskan Bush People, and they ultimately played into his eventual exit from the show and estrangement from family members. Matt was not with the series when his father, Billy Brown, passed away, and he also faced accusations of rape from former producers of the show.
The recent days since Matt Brown's passing have brought varied responses from the rest of the Alaskan Bush People cast. Bear Brown has perhaps been the most active and shared a lot of information given to the family by authorities when it was first suspected he went missing. It's reported the search for Brown started after a bystander reported seeing him lying face down in a river and floating downstream.
The body was eventually recovered by a search and rescue team, which Matt Brown's brother, Noah, was a part of. In a video, Noah confirmed that he found the body and identified it as Matt Brown. He also said that more details would be shared about the death, presumably meaning more will come as an autopsy and other reports are filed.
Noah also shared that he had seen Matt the day before he died, in what was described as a "driving by" situation. In hindsight, the youngest Brown brother wished he would've stopped to talk to his brother, and that they hadn't actually spoken in a few weeks before his death. It's a sobering look at the current lives of a family once part of one of the best reality television shows, as they continue to wrestle with the aftermath of the tragedy.
It will be interesting to see what, if anything, more family members have to say as time passes, and if more tributes to the late reality star will pour in. CinemaBlend continues to offer its condolences to the friends and family of Matt Brown, and wishes them well during this difficult time.
