Many people applaud the Discovery Channel for their depiction of unconventional lifestyles, and for enabling everyday people to achieve fame by doing no more than being themselves. For Rain Brown, it is no different – the youngest star of the scripted docudrama “Alaskan Bush People”, Rain debuted on the screen when she was only 12 years old, and has become a favorite amongst the show’s fans for her varied interests and complex personality. Rain has been the victim of cyberbullying in the past, facing derision and questions about her sexuality.
Despite this and other difficulties, she remains strong in her beliefs, and her desire to inspire others.
Early life and Family
Parents and Siblings
Merry Christmas Kathryn Raindrop Brown (yes, really!) was born on 23 November 2002, in Alaska, USA, to Amora (Ami) Brown and Billy Byron Brown. Admittedly, her full name is a bit of a mouthful, so she goes by Rain or Rainy in all circles. Rain is the youngest of seven siblings, just one of whom is her sister.
The names of her siblings follow a similar trend to her own: Matthew Jerimiah (Matt), her brother who has sought care in rehab twice for alcohol abuse; Joshua ‘Bam Bam’; Solomon Isaiah Freedom ‘Bear’, who is expecting a child with his ex-fiancée; Gabriel Starbuck (Gabe), also now a father; Noah Darkcloud, who is now married and has a child; and Amora Jean Snowbird, the only other daughter in the family. Rain has another half-sister, Twila Byars, from her father, but they have had minimal contact as her father and Twila are practically estranged.
Hobbies
Despite the apparent rustic lifestyle in which she grew up, Rain was always noticeably well put together and neat, taking a lot of pride in her fashion sense and appearance. Growing up, she was an avid reader with special affection for the “Nancy Drew” detective novels. After her father gave her a ukulele, she also discovered a passion for music. Her unconventional life has allowed her to develop some more unusual skills such as sculpting, but this is only one other facet of her creativity and artistic personality.
Education
At the start of “Alaskan Bush People”, Rain was only 12 years old, so the show followed her progression all the way through high school.
Although she is not currently engaged in tertiary education, or expressing any interest in doing so, it is evident that she is a smart and discerning young woman.
Career
“Alaskan Bush People”
“Alaskan Bush People” is a scripted docudrama on Discovery Channel, that premiered on 6 May 2014. This show has been even more criticized than many of the Discovery Channel works, as almost every aspect has been shown to be false in one way or another. The show purports to show the life of an Alaskan family that lives, in the bush, subsisting on their hunting and fishing prowess. Not only is the Brown family not actually Alaskan, a fact that saw them in court in 2014, but they are not quite as in tune with nature as they like to claim.
The filming locations and their ‘bush’ home is nearby a small town, with access to all basic amenities.
While all filming of the show initially took place on Chichagof Island, Alaska, the Brown family is now based on Palmer Lake, Washington State. By most reports, the family spends most of their time in regular housing, only resorting to the rough outdoors for filming. Rain played a prominent role in the docuseries, and proved to be resourceful and reliable. However, this didn’t stop her, from pursuing her other interests. She has a large fanbase who she affectionately refers to as her ‘Rainbows’.
Personal life
Depression and Sexuality
Rain revealed that she suffered from severe depression throughout her childhood, an amalgamation of the stressful life in the spotlight that she led, and the family dynamic. However, she chooses not to keep this fact in the dark, instead using her experiences to assist and motivate others.
Due to her personal style, and preferred hairstyle – a close-cropped cut – Rain’s sexuality has been the subject of much speculation. While she’s never confirmed that she’s gay, and later went on to deny it, she faced a lot of hate for this suspected trait.
Rain explained regarding her haircut that “The shorter I go the more like the true Rainy I feel.” She also assured the public that while she herself is not gay “I’ve had plenty of friends who fly those rainbow colors, and if it makes you happy, I see nothing wrong with it!”
Family Dynamic and Relationships
To date, Rain has not been publicly involved in any relationships, choosing instead to focus her time on artwork, writing and family. She experienced another bout of depression when her mother, Amora Brown, was diagnosed with lung cancer. Fortunately, she beat the disease and is now healthy and strong.
Appearance
Rain wears her dark brown hair in an iconic pixie cut that expresses her edgy personality and confidence. She has a slim build and mossy green eyes, but her vital statistics haven’t been published. Despite the controversy that her appearance has caused, Rain is confident and comfortable in the image she chooses to portray to the public.
Net Worth and Salary
Rain’s sole source of income remains her earnings from Discovery Channel’s “Alaskan Bush People”. This venture has seen her earn a net worth of $200,000 as of mid-2020, an impressive amount for an eighteen-year-old.