Summary
Sister WivespatriarchKody Brownfavored his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, and drove his other three wives away. When the series premiered in 2010, Kody and his first three wives, Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, and Christine Brown, all shared a custom-built multifamily home in Utah. Each wife lived in her own wing of the house with her children, and Kody went back and forth between them. The show was intended to present a functional polygamous family, to contrast the more negative image of the lifestyle often represented in the media. Instead, the show chronicled the destruction of the Brown family.
Sister Wivesseason 1 focused on Kody’s marriage to his fourth wife, Robyn Brown. 16 years had gone by since Kody married a new wife. The Browns added Robyn and her three children from a previous marriage to their clan. After Kody and Robyn had two of their own,thetotal count of Brown childrenswelled to 18. With so many people always needing Kody’s time, there was never enough of him to go around. As time went on, he stopped trying to hide the fact that Robyn was his favorite, which ultimately led to the dissolution of the family.
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Kody Brown Made Meri Divorce Him
“I Keep A Close Watch On This Heart Of Mine”
Of all of Kody’s wives, Meri was the most loyal. Meri, his first wife, married Kody in 1990, and the couple had one child together. TheSister Wivesseason 18star had always wanted more children, but wasn’t able to, which was part of the reason Kody took on more wives.Meri had been neglected by Kody for yearsbefore ending the marriage. He even legally divorced Meri in 2014, so that he could marry Robyn, to adopt her children.
Despite the fact that they hadn’t lived as husband and wife in many years, Meri stuck around and tried to make the marriage work. She stuck around even after Kody told her that he was no longer attracted to her.
It got to the point whereit seemed like nothing Kody said or did would get Meri to give up on the marriage. She didn’t leave until he told her that he couldn’t see himself having any kind of real marriage with her. In 2022, after 32 years of marriage, Meri finally walked away from Kody.
Kody Brown Stopped Sleeping With Christine Brown
“I Keep My Eyes Wide Open All The Time”
Of all of Kody’s wives, Christine struggled most with feelings of jealousy. She had a hard time living in a dysfunctional marriage with Kody, while he enjoyed a fully functional relationship with Robyn.Things got worse for Kody and Christineafter the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic divided the family irrevocably. ThoughChristine was already unhappy with the level of intimacy that she was receiving from Kody, he pulled away from her even moreduring the pandemic.
Christine tried to be patient, but when things didn’t improve, even after everyone already had COVID, she gave up on the marriage. Things between them werestrained even further when the time came for their daughter, Ysabel Brown, to have scoliosis surgeryin a different state. Not wanting to travel during COVID, Kody did not join Christine in going to support Ysabel.
In 2021, Christine was the first of Kody’s wives to walk away from the marriage and has since married David Woolley.
Kody Brown Avoided Janelle Brown During The Pandemic
“Because You’re Mine, I Walk The Line”
Kody and Robyn were terrified of COVID-19 and enacted strict viral mitigation rules that some of Kody’s adult children couldn’t follow.Garrison Brown and Gabriel Brown. Kody’s sons with his second wife, Janelle, couldn’t stop working and seeing their friends, so Kody refused to see them. When that didn’t change his son’s behavior,Kody demanded thatJanelle kick her sons out of the house. Janelle’s refusal is what triggered their eventual divorce.
Janelle knew that refusing Kody’s demand would be trouble, but she chose to put her sons ahead of her marriage. In 2022, theSister Wivesstar decided to end her 30-year marriage to Kody. Sadly,Kody wasn’t on speaking terms with Garrison when the 25-year-old National Guardsman passed awayin March 2024.
1990
2022
1
1993
6 (1 deceased)
1994
2021
6
2010
–
5 (3 from previous marriage)
Sister Wivesseasons 1-18 are available to stream on Discovery+
Sister Wives
Cast
Sister Wives is a TV series created for TLC that follows Kody Brown and his four wives as they raise their eighteen children and tackle the challenges associated with their massive family dynamic and the stigma that comes with their way of life.
