The depiction of the Brown family’s unusual wilderness existence in Alaskan Bush People enthralled viewers for years. The Discovery Channel series, which ran for 14 seasons from 2014 to 2022, followed Billy and Ami Brown as they brought up their kids off the grid.
Fans have long wondered if the show would come back. While a case is still pending, recently made public court documents appear to have verified its end.
The End of an Era?
The last new episodes of Alaskan Bush People aired in 2022, leaving devoted fans hopeful for a possible fifteenth season. Since then, many have kept up with the Brown family through social media as their lives have evolved.
The passing of family patriarch Billy Brown in February 2021 only added to speculation about the show’s future.
Despite no official cancellation announcement from Discovery, a report by The U.S. Sun states that the show is no longer in production.
Court documents related to a lawsuit against Billy’s estate and business, Alaskan Wilderness Family Productions, have described the series in the past tense.
As part of a testimony given in April 2024, Ami Brown, who now oversees the estate, acknowledged that Alaskan Bush People “ultimately had 14 seasons, with the last season being filmed in 2022.”
Further reinforcing this idea, the lawsuit notes that “These breaches occurred despite the significant profits generated by [Alaskan Wilderness Family Productions], particularly through the television series Alaskan Bush People which was featured on the Discovery Channel network.”
The Legal Battle Behind the Scenes
The show’s uncertainty comes amid an ongoing $500,000 breach of contract lawsuit filed against Billy Brown’s estate by his former business partner, Robert Maughon.
The lawsuit, filed in April 2021—just two months after Billy’s passing—alleges that Maughon had an agreement with Billy dating back to 2009.
He claims he invested $20,000 with the expectation of receiving 10% of the business’s gross income from Billy’s creative projects, including books, films, and television. Maughon later invested an additional $10,000 under a separate “lifetime” contract.
According to the lawsuit, “Billy Bryan Brown failed to pay to Plaintiff Robert Micky Maughon the monies called for in the Ten Year contract,” and similarly, “Billy Bryan Brown and [the business] have failed to pay to Plaintiff the monies called for in the Lifetime contract.”
Discovery Channel has also been indirectly implicated in the case. Legal filings suggest that the plaintiff may issue a trial subpoena for a Discovery Networks representative to testify about the financial earnings and payments related to Alaskan Bush People.
As part of her role as the estate executor, Ami Brown has fought to dismiss claims against her.
In a motion filed in February 2025, she argued that under Alaska law, there is “no joint community obligation of a spouse for the debts of the other spouse.” A settlement conference has been scheduled for April 25, which could bring more clarity to the situation.
A New Chapter for the Brown Family
Although the original series appears to have ended, some members of the Brown family remain in the public eye. In April 2024, Billy and Ami’s son, Bear Brown, teased a new project: Alaskan Bush People Behind the Scenes with Bear Brown.
“Over the past year, I have been asked if there will be a new season of Alaskan Bush People,” Bear wrote on Instagram. “While I can’t answer that question at this time, I am excited to announce Alaskan Bush People Behind the Scenes with Bear Brown.”
He explained that the project would revisit the first season, offering both on-camera insights and behind-the-scenes stories. The first episode is expected to drop in summer 2024, and in the meantime, fans can still stream previous episodes on Max.
Ami Brown’s Health Scare
Amid the legal battles, the Brown family faced another challenge earlier this year. On February 13, Ami Brown was medically evacuated to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with pneumonia. Her son Noah provided an update on February 15 via TikTok, reassuring fans that his mother was improving.
“It looks like she might be coming back Monday and be released. That’d be like the earliest possible, apparently,” Noah shared.
He added, “So, yeah, again, thank you all for the well wishes and the prayers and everything. Oh, she had me a little bit worried, she did. Yeah, but she’s OK, she’s gonna be good. I’m just gonna move on from here.”
On February 25, Noah confirmed that Ami had returned home and was continuing her recovery.
The Future of Alaskan Bush People
While Alaskan Bush People is still listed on Discovery Channel’s website, it is notably absent from the network’s media properties page, which includes other long-running shows like Naked and Afraid and Gold Rush.
The lack of official updates since September 2022, coupled with Ami Brown’s testimony and the ongoing lawsuit, strongly suggests that the series has reached its conclusion.
However, with Bear Brown’s behind-the-scenes project and the family’s continued social media presence, the spirit of Alaskan Bush People may live on in new forms—even if the original series does not return to TV screens.
Be sure to catch up on everything happening on ‘Alaskan Bush People’ right now
