Brody Jenner Opens Up About Rare KarJenner Reunion at Caitlyn Jenner’s Birthday (Exclusive)

Brody Jenner knows nothing good comes from holding grudges. 

Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE, the son of Caitlyn Jenner and Linda Thompson reveals what it was like growing up in the spotlight, why he repaired his relationship with Caitlyn and where he stands with his famous family these days.

When asked about the weight of growing up with the Jenner name, the reality star, who’s competing in Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, admits he was still able to have a pretty “normal” upbringing.

“I never really looked at celebrities and fame as celebrities or as being famous,” Brody, 41, admits. “We all do the exact same stuff. Just because our faces are put on a television really doesn’t make us any more special than anybody else. So I never looked at fame as something to be put on a pedestal. I just looked at it as another line of work, another job.” 

Though being the son of an Olympian and actress had little impact on his childhood, he does note that Caitlyn’s absence from his early years did play a role in his life later on, specifically how he parents his own daughter Honey, whom he welcomed in July 2023 alongside fiancée Tia Blanco. 

“It had a lot of influence I would say of kinda what not to do,” he tells PEOPLE.

Though he makes sure to point out that he and Caitlyn — who transitioned in 2015 — have a “great relationship now,” he adds that “in a lot of ways she did me a favor by not being around that much when I was growing up” as it made him want to be even more present for his own daughter. 

“I look at it as a positive,” he says. “Yeah, she wasn’t around for me growing up that much. I still saw her sometimes, she wasn’t completely absent, but I still say I definitely am going to be much more present as a father, and it taught me to be that, so I’m grateful for it.” 

On mending his relationship with Caitlyn through the years, he notes that he’s learned to accept that “life’s too short to hold grudges and to focus on the negative.” 

“There’s so many positive things about life and about relationships, and there’s so many good things that you can focus on,” he says. “It only does damage to yourself the more you focus on negative stuff. I think that our relationship over time is I just kind of let things go.” 

“She apologized to me since then and we’ve talked, we’ve hashed it out, and she’s regretful of not being there growing up, and I forgive her for that,” he continues of Caitlyn. “I totally forgive her and I understand. I understand that she was going through a lot of stuff as well. None of us are perfect, and she had a lot of things that she was dealing with. You just have to just let those things go and move forward. There’s so many beautiful things in life, why hold grudges?”

Coming from a big family, he adds it’s extra special when everyone can join together like they did for Caitlyn’s 75th birthday in October 2024.

“They’re great when they happen,” Jenner says of the family get-togethers, noting he saw his half-sisters and stepsisters at Caitlyn’s birthday. “We all got together over at Kylie [Jenner]’s house and got all the aunts together, and I got to see Kim [Kardashian] and Khloé [Kardashian] and I got to see the whole family, and it was great.”

“It’s just so easy with them because I’ve known them for so long and we don’t get to see each other that often,” he adds. “We rarely ever get to see each other, even Kendall [Jenner] or Kylie. We are all busy doing our thing, so we don’t get to hang out that often, but when we do, you know how that is with siblings or best friends, it doesn’t matter if one year or 10 years goes by, as soon as you see each other, there’s so much to talk about and catch up on. So that’s how it was at Caitlyn’s birthday. It was just good to see them and get them to meet Honey.”

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.