'Bush' Star Ami Brown's Estranged Mother Reveals Heartbreak Of Reunion Rejection
July 8 2016, Updated 9:57 p.m. ET
As RadarOnline.com exclusively reported, Alaskan Bush People star Ami Brown's estranged mother traveled from her native Texas to Alaska in a desperate attempt to reunite with her long-lost daughter.
However, after a nine-day journey, Earlene Branson was "unsuccessful" is making her 83rd birthday dream come true, she told RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview.
"They were gone," claimed Earlene, who returned home on July 7. "They didn't answer the door."
"I said, 'I'm not here to cause any trouble. I just want to see my daughter!'"
According to local social media accounts, Ami, husband Billy and their seven children ditched Alaska for the much warmer climate of Hawaii during her mother's trip.
Earlene and her son, Les Branson, tell RadarOnline.com they reached out to the Browns several times long before the visit so the stroke survivor could be sure to see her daughter for the first time in 36 years, a dying wish.
Though Earlene says she was disappointed by her daughter's rejection, she was pleasantly surprised by the warm reception she received in the Brown's hometown of Hoonah, Alaska.
"They were so nice," she raved of the locals. "They gave me a welcoming party!"
Les, who did not accompany his mother, sister and cousin on the journey, said he doesn't think of the exhausting trip as a complete waste.
"It opened a wedge and showed we do still care about her," he claimed, adding that he has sent his absentee sister birthday cards every year for more than three decades. "We still love Ami."
The mother/son duo also deny Ami's claims on their Discovery Channel show that she grew up in an abusive household before Billy married and whisked her away from home at just 15 years old. (Billy, as RadarOnline.com first reported, was 26 at the time, and left a wife and two kids for his teen bride.)
After ditching a husband both say was alcoholic when Ami was just 8, Earlene was "a civil servant and doting single mom," Les insisted.
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Both blame "controlling" husband Billy for isolating Ami from her family.
If she ever saw him again, "I'd knock the hell out of him!" the grandmother to the seven Bush children warned.
