“The Big Explosion: ”Christine’s Son Paedon Is Moving Cross Country to Be Closer to Janelle: ‘I Feel Like a Crappy Mom’
Christine Brown’s son Paedon is moving away.
In PEOPLE’s exclusive clip from the Oct. 19 episode of Sister Wives, 27-year-old Paedon tells his mom he’s moving to North Carolina to be closer to Janelle Brown. Both Christine and Janelle used to be “spiritually” married to Kody Brown.
In a confessional, Christine, 53, says it’s “actually rubbish” that her only son is moving away. “Why? Why does he need to move as well? It’s hard that my kids don’t want to live close to me, yeah, absolutely.
What is it about North Carolina that has people moving there? It’s insane.”
The reasons behind Paedon’s move, though, are sensitive, as he opens up to his mom about his plans now that he’s done with the National Guard, which he joined in 2019.
“I very possibly could sign on to the [National] Guard in North Carolina. It’s just — I wanted it to end,” Paedon tells his mom. He’s hesitant about that, though, considering Garrison “was trying to transfer for a year” to join the Arizona Guard, and it “finally went through” right before he died in March 2024.
In a confessional, Christine describes Garrison, whom Janelle shared with her ex Kody, as Paedon’s “best friend.”
“And they joined the military together. So many parts of their life — they’ve been together and they’ve been a unit,” she says. “They were frick and frack when they were younger — that’s what Kody called them — was frick and frack.”
Paedon admits that his move to North Carolina is largely driven by his grief over Garrison’s death.
“I mean, Janelle’s lost a son, and I lost a best friend. And I really want to be close to her,” he tells Christine. “I really want to be close to Maddie’s kids, I really want to be close to Maddie.”
“I just lost a huge chunk of me, and it’s not here,” Paedon continues. “I’m trying to find something that isn’t here.”
Despite Christine’s sadness that her son is moving, she says in a confessional, “One of the best things about plural marriage is — what I wanted most for my kids — was that relationship with their other mom.
And so I’ve got Paedon, who is so close to Janelle, that, she’s someone that I trust. I trust her influence on Paedon.”
Still, it’s hard. “It feels like sometimes I feel like a crappy mom because they’re not choosing to live next to me,” Christine admits. “Sometimes I feel like Janelle’s a better mom because they’re choosing to live next to her.”
Garrison died by suicide a year and a half ago at age 25. He was found dead in his home in Flagstaff, and Janelle confirmed her son’s death in a post on Instagram. “He was a bright spot in the lives of all who knew him.
His loss will leave such a big hole in our lives that it takes our breath away,” she wrote. “We ask that you please respect our privacy and join us in honoring his memory.”
