‘Brady Bunch’ kids reveal why the fate of Carol's first husband was never mentioned

"The Brady Bunch" chose to leave the fate of Carol Brady's first husband ambiguous after executives and the creator clashed over the storyline, the cast says.

"We were playing to a very conservative country, so they wanted Carol to be a widow, and Sherwood never changed it. But they agreed to disagree, and it was left unhandled, which is why you never see in our pilot episode Carol’s ex-husband or even referenced."

"There was a whole discrepancy in the basis of the show, in the concept of the show that the network fought [creator] Sherwood Schwartz on, and that is the premise was a widower with three sons and a divorcee with three daughters, and the network felt a divorcee created too many problems for the series," Barry Williams, who played oldest son Greg Brady, said on his "The Real Brady Bros" podcast.

Williams said executives felt custody details and the issues that would have led to the divorce would complicate the premise of the show.