Brody said he thought ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ was “very invasive and not very genuine”

From left: Caitlyn Jenner and Brody Jenner attend the Brandon Jenner Record Release Party For “Burning Ground” on November 19, 2016 in Malibu, California. . Photo:  

Brody Jenner is opening up about his complex relationship with his father Caitlyn Jenner.

On the Jan. 15 episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, The Hills alum, 41, revealed that while his relationship with Caitlyn — who transitioned in 2015 — is “better now,” they were distant when he was growing up.

“I’d randomly see him — ‘him’ at the time — you know, here and there,” he recalled. “But, mom would tell me that I would write on cards, ‘Why doesn’t dad call me on my birthday?’”

From left: Caitlyn Jenner and Brody Jenner pose for a portrait at Brandon Jenner’s Interactive Party, Live Show And Video Premiere For His New Single “Death Of Me” on May 11, 2019 in Malibu, California. 

The reality star — who also starred on The Hills: New Beginnings — reflected on how the difficult dynamic between him and Caitlyn has made him look at fatherhood differently. He and fiancée Tiarah “Tia” Blanco welcomed daughter Honey in July 2023.

“I think not having Bruce around growing up and her doing that transition, it was tough just being her son,” he explained. “I just had a beautiful little daughter. I’m not living for myself anymore. I’m living for her.”

He then told his fellow recruits, “I think it’s gonna make me a better father.”

After impressing the directing staff (DS) in back-to-back challenges, he elaborated on building a bond with his daughter, sharing, “I’m gonna do the exact opposite of, as far as being there for her, as my father did for me.”

Brody Jenner and his family. 

While recalling his own childhood, Brody explained, “I had an incredible mother. Father, Bruce, at the time, wasn’t around that much. They split, and then he met a woman. She had kids as well. The woman that he met … they had kids together.”

Caitlyn starred on Keeping Up with the Kardashians for 2007 to 2021 alongside then-wife Kris Jenner and their daughters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, as well as Kris’ children from her first marriage to Robert Kardashian Sr.: Kourtney Kardashian Barker, Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, and Rob Kardashian.

When asked how he felt about the famous family’s former reality show, he responded, “To be honest, a little bit abandoned.” However, Brody has since come to recognize his father was navigating personal issues during that time.

“I will say he was going through his own struggles, transitioning, and it was all that was put on TV, and there were these moments that we would have that was all filmed, and it just felt very invasive and not very genuine, I would say,” Brody recalled.

“Just recently, I got a real, sincere apology,” he continued of Caitlyn. “It was the first time in my life that I’ve ever gotten an apology. You know, I’m sorry for not being there, and honestly, it meant a lot.”

A rep for Caitlyn tells PEOPLE, “Caitlyn has a positive relationship with Brody and Tia” and declined to comment on anything related to their private conversations.

Brody Jenner on ‘Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test’.

In a confessional on Special Forces, Brody explained, “When I found out that Caitlyn, or Bruce, wanted to be Caitlyn, it was sort of a relief. I think that there were a lot of things that started to make sense, you know, just in my life, about my father, and maybe why he wasn’t there all those years.”

He added: “And I think when you have kids, you need to accept a little bit of responsibility that the things you do are also going to reflect on them as well. I think it really has shaped me to do everything different and to really be there and to be present to my little girl.”

In a YouTube video documenting his daughter’s birth in 2023, Brody also reflected on his relationship with Caitlyn, sharing, “I think that what I’m most excited about is doing things differently than my father did. Growing up, I didn’t have the greatest relationship with then-Bruce.”

He explained Caitlyn “wasn’t really around for me growing up. So I think that just doing the exact opposite, being the absolute best father I could possibly be and getting ready for the journey and just so very excited.”