Matt Brown Hasn’t Been on ‘Alaskan Bush People’ in Years — Here’s Why

Ah, Alaskan Bush People — it’s a niche all its own, and fans just can’t get enough. The Discovery Channel reality docu-series follows the Brown family as they rebuke modern society and make their way through the wilderness instead.

There’s a lot to keep up with when it comes to family patriarch and matriarch, Billy and Ami Brown, and their five sons and two daughters. And as time marches on, in-laws and grandchildren have been added to the mix. People also want to know what’s up with the crew’s oldest son, Matt Brown — and more specifically, whether he has a girlfriend.

Fans have been trying to solve this for years, with plenty of speculation around the answer, but no clear facts. (Boo!) Supposedly, 38-year-old Matt has a girlfriend — but he’s never introduced her (or any partner, for that matter) on Alaskan Bush People, his Instagram, or elsewhere.

This is in stark contrast to his brothers, who share their marriages and long-term relationships openly. His alleged long-term girlfriend is simply referred to as his “mystery girlfriend” across the internet. 

Matt’s absence from his family’s show has been noticeable since Season 8 and on, but he’s been very up-front about his reasons for that. He first went to rehab for alcohol addiction in 2016, following what he calls a series of “bad choices” that he was hiding from his family, as he shared with People.

“There was a shame for feeling weak. I didn’t want to tell them that,” Matt shared. “But my family trusts each other. We don’t have secrets, so it made me feel that I was more of a bad guy.”

“There was a lot of anxiety. It took a couple days to work up the guts to tell my parents. But their support was unbelievable. It instantly made me feel better and like I could be successful on this journey.”

He returned to rehab in 2018, looking to get his life back on track with the support of his family, then went through months of inpatient and outpatient treatment toward recovery.

"We miss him terribly, but we’d rather lose him from home for a little while than lose him forever," Billy shared. "We just want him to do what he needs to do to get better."

Since finishing his second rehab stay, he has opted to remain in California, and off of the popular reality series. But post-rehab, Matt has adopted a life of sobriety, wellness, faith, and positivity, which he shares on social media and his YouTube channel.

Whether it’s televised or not, Matt seems to be visiting his family from time to time — or at least visiting their neck of the woods, which is now Washington state, as Country Living reports.

However, recent updates have revealed Matt and his family aren't communicating much, and it doesn't seem as though he will be returning to the reality show anytime soon.