Matt was best known to viewers as one of the original stars of “Alaskan Bush People.” According to IMDb, the show followed naturalist and adventurer Billy Brown, his wife Ami, and their seven children as they chose to live life on their own terms, connected to wild nature and bonded to one another.
Matt Had Always Been Open and Honest About His Struggles
For fans, Matt was part of the family’s earliest TV identity. But behind that rugged public image, he had also spoken openly about addiction, recovery, family pain, and the difficulty of staying on track.
In a 2016 interview with People, Matt said he knew his drinking had become a problem before he entered an inpatient rehabilitation program. “I could see myself spiraling,” he told the outlet at the time.
Matt explained that he began drinking lightly after spending time with friends in town, but it gradually became more frequent, adding that he saw “the problem around the corner” and did not want to become “one of those guys.”
He also admitted that telling his family about his struggles was incredibly difficult. “There was a lot of anxiety. It took a couple days to work up the guts to tell my parents,” he shared, while saying their support was “unbelievable” and made him feel he could succeed.
