Reality television personality Bear Brown has publicly denied rumors that his family abandoned his missing brother, Matt Brown, amid a search in Washington state.
In a TikTok video posted Friday, May 29, 2026, Bear addressed claims that the family turned their back on the former "Alaskan Bush People" star before his suspected drowning near the Okanogan River.
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"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.
He suggested that public perception would shift if all details about Matt's personal struggles were known, but declined to elaborate during the ongoing crisis.
"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 stated.
The family reportedly made multiple attempts to support Matt through professional rehabilitation programs over the years.
"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," Bear added.
According to Bear, the family consistently expressed support, but Matt ultimately cut off communication on his own accord.
"Everybody was trying to tell him that everybody cares about him, that everybody loves him. Matt distanced himself from the family completely," Bear claimed.
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Bear maintained that he kept in contact with his brother, while other relatives chose to step away individually for personal reasons.
The update follows an initial announcement on Thursday, May 28, 2026, where Bear shared unconfirmed reports from witnesses regarding Matt's alleged suicide in the river.
"Witnesses say that he was seen in a river … or close to a river..." Bear noted in his initial social media video.
Local authorities were contacted by an individual at the scene, prompting a search operation by emergency personnel that has yet to locate a body.
"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," Bear stated regarding the status of the search.
Local eyewitnesses and officials provided descriptions of the individual seen in the water that match the missing reality star.
"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," Bear said.
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Prior to his disappearance, Matt was last seen one week ago during a nude livestream broadcast where he appeared to be under the influence while holding an object resembling a firearm.
