# Mike and Carol Brady-who were their exes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 30, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799 "2004-05-30T15:50:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sidle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@sidle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sidle)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/1 "2004-05-30T15:50:49Z")
Did you ever hear anything about them? Were they divorced, widoewd, what? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/2 "2004-05-30T16:21:29Z")
I’m pretty sure they were widowed (widowered?). No cite, though. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/3 "2004-05-30T16:24:05Z")
> [@](#): > > **Mike Brady, a widower** with sons Greg, Peter and Bobby and a wisecracking housekeeper called Alice, married Carol Martin, whose daughters were Marcia, Jan and Cindy. They all moved into a new home designed by Mike and various family problems ensued. Initially scripts focused on the various family member’s attempts to adjust to the new blended family. Later, problems of growing teenagers such as school yard rivalries, dating problems and household squabbles were explored. Source: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The\_Brady\_Bunch](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Brady_Bunch) I’ve found one of them. So who’s up to find the other? ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/4 "2004-05-30T16:43:38Z")
In the pilot episode (Mike and Carol’s wedding), I know the death of Mike’s first wife is mentioned briefly - I think Bobby finds a picture of her and needs some reassurance that no one expects him to forget about her or let his new stepmother replace her. Of course by the end of the series she pretty much had, since the “blended family” themes got dropped early on 😛 But I don’t think the girls’ father/Carol’s first husband was ever mentioned at all. I wonder if they left it that way on purpose, so that if an episode came up where it would be useful to show the girls’ biological father they could claim they had always intended for Carol to be divorced. Or maybe I just didn’t spend as much time watching this show as a child of the seventies should have…? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/5 "2004-05-30T17:35:48Z")
In _A Very Brady Sequel_ it’s revealed that Carol’s first husband, Roy, died at sea on an expedition. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it but IIRC there’s dialog that indicates he was The Professor on _Gilligan’s Island_. Of course The Professor isn’t dead, and it’s an open question as to whether the Brady movies are canon. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/6 "2004-05-30T17:45:04Z")
Moving this to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/7 "2004-05-30T18:37:46Z")
From what I always understood, Mike was a widower and Carol was a divorcee. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/8 "2004-05-30T18:43:50Z")
Here [Did you know](http://www.sitcomsonline.com/thebradybunch.html) > [@](#): > > Originally, both Mike and Carol were going to be divorcees. However, when the concept was announced, A.B.C. was very much against it. It was then decided to make Mike a widower and leave Carol the divorcee ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/9 "2004-05-30T18:46:34Z")
Here’s an interesting factiod from that list > [@](#): > > Tiger, the Bradys’ dog disappeared after the second season of the show. In reality, Tiger ran away and supposedly got hit by a car. The reason the dog house remained was because one of the studio lights fell and burned a hole in their beloved Astro-turf, so they moved the dog house to cover up the burn hole. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/10 "2004-06-04T04:27:52Z")
> [@](#): > > In A Very Brady Sequel it’s revealed that Carol’s first husband, Roy, died at sea on an expedition. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it but IIRC there’s dialog that indicates he was The Professor on Gilligan’s Island. Of course The Professor isn’t dead, and it’s an open question as to whether the Brady movies are canon. Although I can’t find anything about this on [snopes.com](http://snopes.com) I’m pretty sure I’ve heard this mentioned before. Both shows were created & produced by Sherwood Schwartz so it could have been his little joke… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/11 "2004-06-04T07:16:38Z")
It was Tim Matheson, who lost both Carol Brady and the Vice Presidency to Gary Cole. ---
**Author:** ![Kings\_Gambit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kings\_Gambit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kings_Gambit1)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/12 "2004-06-04T14:04:48Z")
Carol’s reason for being a single mother was never explained on the air. 😕 Ok, trivia time! I’ll start… **What was Carol’s nickname**? ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/13 "2004-06-04T14:41:49Z")
Ms Wessonality?? No wait I think it was Honey 'cause that’s all Mike ever called her. What was her maiden name? The Proffessors was Hinkley so if her’s was the same then we have an inside joke. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/14 "2004-06-04T15:16:31Z")
> [@Kings\_Gambit1](#): > > **What was Carol’s nickname**? Not sure. I seem to remember the old high school football star calling her something. He also had a nickname but damned if I can remember it. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/15 "2004-06-04T16:45:43Z")
> [@Kings\_Gambit1](#): > > Carol’s reason for being a single mother was never explained on the air. 😕 > > Ok, trivia time! I’ll start… > > **What was Carol’s nickname**? Her high school boyfriend, Tank, called her Twinkles. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/16 "2004-06-04T17:05:18Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > In _A Very Brady Sequel_ it’s revealed that Carol’s first husband, Roy, died at sea on an expedition. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it but IIRC there’s dialog that indicates he was The Professor on _Gilligan’s Island_. Of course The Professor isn’t dead, and it’s an open question as to whether the Brady movies are canon. I like this so much I will accept it as gospel. Greg \*does \* look a bit like the professor… ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/17 "2004-06-04T17:17:40Z")
In Barry Williams book ‘Growing Up Brady’ he interviews Sherwood Schwartz and SS says something to the effect that Carol was going to be a Divorcee but the network wouldn’t accept it so he dropped it. But that he kept the concept and just never mentioned it. He really cackled when he mentions that he got a divorce through the network. Seems quite proud of it. Oh, and the ‘Growing Up Brady’ book is astonishingly good. A worthy read for any fan of the show. ---
**Author:** ![jeevwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@jeevwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeevwoman)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/18 "2004-06-04T17:28:24Z")
> [@Jonathan Chance](#): > > In Barry Williams book ‘Growing Up Brady’ he interviews Sherwood Schwartz and SS says something to the effect that Carol was going to be a Divorcee but the network wouldn’t accept it so he dropped it. But that he kept the concept and just never mentioned it. He really cackled when he mentions that he got a divorce through the network. Seems quite proud of it. > > Oh, and the ‘Growing Up Brady’ book is astonishingly good. A worthy read for any fan of the show. I can vouch for this. I own an _autographed_ copy that my sister got for me the day I had my tonsils out. Oddly enough, my first name is Cindy and Cindy Brady is the one who had hers out, so my sister said to him “Uh, Mr. Williams, sir, my sister CIndy is having her tonsils out today just like your sister Cindy had her tonsils out.” He just stared at her. (Should be noted, my sister was in GRAD SCHOOL at the time and still called ‘Cindy’ his ‘sister.’ \) But hell, I got a book out of the deal. ---
**Author:** ![Kings\_Gambit1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kings\_Gambit1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kings_Gambit1)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/19 "2004-06-04T17:36:43Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > Her high school boyfriend, Tank, called her Twinkles. Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! 🙂 I have one more, then I’ll turn it over to you guys. **What item in the Brady Bunch’s back yard was never used in any of the episodes throughout the series?** :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799/20 "2004-06-04T17:57:21Z")
The swing set? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mike-and-carol-brady-who-were-their-exes/247799.md?page=2)