Brody Jenner made a name for himself on the small screen thanks to his run on MTV's reality series The Hills, and he's back on the network this year for The Hills: New Beginnings. He comes from a famous family, notably including Caitlyn Jenner. A transgender woman, Caitlyn Jenner publicly lived as Bruce Jenner until she came out in 2015, after three marriages and six children.
Brody Jenner is one of two sons with Caitlyn's second wife, Linda Thompson, and he recently revealed in an episode of The Hills: New Beginnings that he's learned not to expect much from Caitlyn, who he knew as Bruce for most of his life. In the July 1 episode of The Hills: New Beginnings, Brody said this:
Bruce was just never really around — every so often maybe once every couple years. Wasn’t around for my graduation, wasn’t around for most of my birthdays so, yeah, it really wasn’t any relationship. It was very surface. Eventually, we started to become closer but then all of a sudden, it’s like, I was just getting to know Bruce and then Bruce became Caitlyn... She’s off living her life, so what I’ve learned is to just not expect too much from her.
Born on August 21, 1983, Brody Jenner was not yet three-years-old when his parents divorced in early 1986, and Bruce Jenner went on to marry Kris Kardashian in 1991. With Kris Kardashian (who later denounced the book her ex-spouse wrote), Bruce had two daughters, who of course grew up to become reality stars in their own right thanks to Keeping Up with the Kardashians. They reportedly kept their dad's secrets from their mom.
Brody Jenner's comments on The Hills: New Beginnings indicate that he didn't have much of a relationship with Bruce Jenner as a child, and so his expectations as an adult are low. They were evidently growing closer for a while, but Bruce Jenner's transition into Caitlyn Jenner apparently complicated their relationship as she began doing other (often high-profile) things with her life.
Caitlyn Jenner Opens Up About Estrangement From The Kardashians
That said, Brody Jenner made it clear in the episode that he doesn't blame Caitlyn Jenner for making the transition from Bruce Jenner, even if it did complicate their relationship. Instead, he sees it as a possible reason why they were so distant back while living as Bruce. Here's how Brody sees it:
It’s her true self, but Bruce was always holding a lot back and being somebody totally different.
Could their relationship change now that Caitlyn doesn't have to hide such a huge part of her? Only time will tell. For now, Brody Jenner doesn't have too many expectations from Caitlin. The good news is that The Hills: New Beginnings shows Brody has a support system around him, even if that support system does come with a fair share of melodrama, as one would expect of The Hills.
Interestingly, Brody Jenner's friendship with Mischa Barton is part of what brought her to the revival. The addition of Barton to the cast definitely spiced up the ensemble, not least because two of the main players from the original run of the series won't be back. Lauren Conrad and Kristin Cavallari understandably declined to return, and Barton is a reasonably big name for a reality show like The Hills to land thanks to The O.C.
You can see Brody Jenner and Mischa Barton, among others, in new episodes of The Hills: New Beginnings on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on MTV.
