I recently began watching Alaskan Bush People with my HBO Max subscription thanks to TikTok, and because the show is now on my algorithm, I'm pretty up to date on what the family is up to now. I was bummed, however, to see there haven't been new episodes since 2022, and I assumed it was cancelled. Fortunately, a new update from Bear Brown clarified the situation and has encouraged me that we'll see new episodes at some point.
Bear Brown is still exploring the Alaskan wilderness, though these days he's doing so on his own social media platforms. Despite that, he's also wondering if the Discovery series will return, and shared the latest on what he knew about the situation with his followers on TikTok:
I talked to the Discovery guys not to long ago, actually...I reached out again it's been about a year since I last talked to them about what the show's position was now. I was like, 'Hey just wanted to see if the show was officially cancelled or not because I'd like to let my followers know if so.'...so I heard back from [Discovery executive] and he's like, 'Bear, the official word for the show is it's on hiatus. They just don't want to let it go right now. They have a lot going on. They're doing a lot right now. They have this merger thing, and a possible new merger going on right now where it's possibly on the market for sale...' So the official term for Alaskan Bush People is still on hiatus.
It's good to hear that there's still a chance we could see the Brown family return with more episodes of Alaskan Bush People, though I'd have to question what that would look like. After all, many of the children now have their own families, and family patriarch Billy Brown passed away in 2021. Whatever a return would look like, I'm almost sure it wouldn't involve the whole crew jumping on a ship and running through the woods.
If Discovery does bring the reality series back, however, Bear Brown has confirmed he'd be up for joining. He has one condition, but given the current reality-television climate, I don't think it'd be a big ask. As he put it:
If they want to start it back up next year or the year after that even I'm all on board for it. As long as I can still do my social media and stuff I'm totally good for it.
Part of the reason Discovery may have Alaskan Bush People in limbo is the litany of controversies surrounding the Brown family in recent years. Eldest child Matt Brown had rape allegations lodged against him, and Bear Brown was arrested for domestic violence against his now ex-wife. There have also been concerning statements made by Rain Brown alleging she was sexually assaulted by her brother Noah, which the latter responded to in a TikTok video.
With Bear Brown being the only source giving updates on the fate of Alaskan Bush People, we'll have to wait and see what Discovery decides to do with the reality series. I think it's a long shot to speculate that the show will be part of the 2026 TV schedule, given all the drama between them. It's possible there could be a tell-all or reunion special recapping all their struggles since the show.
It's also worth noting that many of the children now have families of their own, and I don't see all of them packing up their lives and moving out to the Alaskan Bush. While Bear seems eager to get back to doing the show, I'd have to wonder how the rest of his siblings feel about the idea of seeing it return.
Until we get word on whether it's cancelled or getting new episodes, Alaskan Bush People episodes are available to stream over on HBO Max. I'm about halfway through the series as we speak, and might even get through every episode before the end of the year.
