Bear Brown Shuts Down ‘Alaskan Bush People’ Fake Claims in Candid Instagram Q&A
Alaskan Bush People star Bear Brown is setting the record straight.
Over the weekend, the reality TV personality took to Instagram to respond to a wave of fan questions—most notably, whether the hit Discovery Channel series that brought his family into the spotlight was staged or fake.
And Bear didn’t hold back.
“Where to start?” he began in a video posted on Saturday, May 3. “I’m not a real Alaskan? Was the show staged? Was the show faked? Did we leave Browntown in a mess? Did construction people actually build stuff in Browntown? Are we hated by all locals in Alaska?”
His answer? A definitive “No, no, no, no, and no.”
“The Show Was Not Faked”
The 37-year-old, who was born in Wrangell, Alaska, clarified that he is indeed a real Alaskan, having lived in the state for three decades before relocating.
Addressing ongoing skepticism about the show’s authenticity, Bear asserted:
“The show was not faked. It simply followed my family, which you can actually tell how not faked it is if you actually watch the show. Not faked at all.”
Since its 2014 premiere, Alaskan Bush People has chronicled the Brown family’s efforts to live off the grid, deep in the Alaskan wilderness. While fans were captivated by their rugged lifestyle, the show has long been under scrutiny—with critics questioning just how “real” the family’s off-grid life actually was.Bear didn’t shy away from explaining the logistics behind the scenes. He confirmed that professional builders did assist in Browntown, but only for crew support.
“Construction people did build stuff in Browntown—for the crew, for the producers, for the camera people—so they weren’t standing in the weather all day,” he said. “It rains a lot there.”
However, Bear was adamant that Browntown itself was not built just for TV. “Browntown already existed,” he added.
Addressing the Hate—and Setting the Record Straight
Bear also tackled another persistent rumor: that the Brown family was unwelcome in Alaska.
“Not true,” he said. “A few people under a computer that were jealous our family was picked up for a show when theirs wasn’t? Sure. But we’re adored by a lot of people in Alaska. A lot of people I grew up with aren’t on computers. They’re not on the internet. They’re out there in Alaska in the bush.”
As for allegations that the family trashed Browntown when they left, Bear pushed back strongly, calling the claims “just not true.”
“We left it in pristine condition,” he said. “But people will always believe bad before they believe good—and that’s something that’s really, really sad.”
A Personal Reminder: “Life Is Too Short for Drama”
The post comes amid a challenging chapter for Bear, who recently announced his split from wife Raiven Brown just eight months after welcoming their third child. Still, Bear ended his message with a positive tone.
“Life is just much too short to dwell on drama,” he said. “I suggest that people get out more, smile a little bit bigger, and enjoy the time that you have while you have it.”
The Future of ‘Alaskan Bush People’
Though Alaskan Bush People enjoyed 14 seasons on the Discovery Channel, the show has not aired new episodes since 2022. While the network has not officially canceled it, industry reports suggest it’s on an indefinite hiatus. According to The U.S. Sun, production remains stalled amid a reported $500,000 legal dispute.Still, Bear’s latest post reveals what fans have always known: the Brown family continues to weather every storm—on and off screen—with grit, heart, and resilience.
