It has been over two years since the last Alaskan Bush People episode aired. Fans have been hoping it would return since then, but bad news recently came. It seems that the Discovery Channel has quietly canceled the show. While Bear Brown has plans to keep things going on YouTube, it is finished on television. Now, it appears a lawsuit is the reason for it ending.
Not only that, but the lawsuit also revealed the shocking amount of money the Brown family was paid for the series. It proves they are in no way hard up for money. However, it also proved that the kids were not part of the deal, making things difficult after Billy Brown died. Here is what you need to know.
How Much Did Alaskan Bush People Pay The Brown Family?
It turns out the reason Alaskan Bush People has not returned to the Discovery Channel for a new season was possibly due to a lawsuit. The lawsuit is no surprise. A man sued Billy Brown before the patriarch of the Brown family died. However, his death didn’t stop the lawsuit, and the Brown family still faced the plaintiff.
Ami Brown said she didn’t have the money for the lawsuit, but that might not be true. The court case revealed that the Brown family was getting paid a huge amount for the reality TV series. The show, which aired from 2014 to 2022, starred Billy Brown, his wife Ami, and their seven kids. After the family ostracized Matt Brown, the series still had the six kids, and then in the final season, the family was moving on from Billy’s death.
Billy’s business partner Robert Maughon continued his lawsuit against Billy Brown’s estate, which Ami now runs. When Ami claimed they had no money, Maughon demanded the contracts. It turns out that the Discovery Channel was paying Billy Brown $500,000 per episode.
Who Has The Alaskan Bush People Money?
It is unclear how long Billy Brown was getting paid $500,000 per episode. If it was from the start, that is tens of millions of dollars. Even if it is only in the last few seasons, it still totals millions. There have been a total of 114 episodes. The last season that Billy was alive during filming, there were 11 episodes. The season after his death had 11 episodes.
Only taking into account Season 13, which was the season Billy died, the 11 episodes would have totaled $5.5 million. If the family got the same money in the 14th season, that would be another $5.5 million. Even after taxes, that is more than any of them let on that they were worth.
There is one problem. Billy Brown was the only person getting paid. His kids, and apparently his wife, were unpaid for the show. Matt Brown has said as much, revealing before that Billy was the only person paid, and the siblings just got what he was willing to offer them. The kids were all working for free, according to Matt.
That is why, after the family disowned him, Matt has struggled to make ends meet and has been living on the land where he works, thanks to a generous boss – one that he no longer works for.
Ami gave a deposition and said that the cast members were not paid and only Billy got the money. She also fought to keep their salary out of the court case, something that failed.
