Kody Brown and his four wives were very different people before Sister Wives made them famous (and more than a little egotistical). When the series premiered in 2010, Kody had three wives: Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, and Christine Brown. They all shared a custom-built multifamily home in Utah – each wife lived in her own wing with her children. 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 Wives season 1 focused on Kody’s marriage to his fourth wife, Robyn Brown. It had been 16 years since Kody married a new wife. The Browns added Robyn’s three children from a previous marriage to their clan. After Kody and Robyn had two of their own, the total count of Brown children swelled to 18. With so many people needing Kody’s time, there was never enough of him to go around. As the family fell apart, everyone’s egos got in the way, making things worse. It was only a matter of time before the family fell apart.

His Wives Weren’t Bluffing

During Sister Wives season 1, the Browns left Utah, as they feared being prosecuted for polygamy. They went from living together under one roof to living in four separate homes. This created a lot of division in the family, and they would never live in the same house again. The family put down roots in Las Vegas, Nevada for a little while, and then ended up in Arizona. When Utah decriminalized polygamy in 2020, Christine was desperate to move back. They still had family there, and the only reason they left was a law that had been changed to make it much less strict.

With Christine and Janelle tugging the family in opposite directions, there was an implied ultimatum. Janelle refused to leave Arizona and Christine refused to stay, putting Kody in an impossible position. During a candid moment, a seriously annoyed Kody ended up calling Janelle and Christine “two princesses giving ultimatums.” He also explained that his wives had been threatening to leave him throughout their lives. His ego wouldn’t let him see that they weren’t bluffing. It wouldn’t be long before three of Kody’s four wives left him, one by one.

Janelle Brown Swore At Kody Brown

A Family In Turmoil

The Brown family was already divided by the time the COVID-19 pandemic separated them for good. Kody and Robyn were terrified of COVID and adhered to viral mitigation rules that were even stricter than CDC guidelines. When some of Kody’s adult children (especially Janelle’s sons) couldn’t follow the rules, Kody stopped seeing them. This led to a lot of resentment – Kody stopped speaking to Garrison Brown and Gabriel Brown.

During Sister Wives season 18, episode 3, things got heated between Kody and Janelle. The normally calm pair started screaming at each other in Janelle’s new apartment rental. The fight was triggered by Kody’s demand that Janelle kick Garrison and Gabriel out of the house, or he’d stop coming over. Though Kody is often emotional, Janelle was generally the calmest person in the family. However, this conversation got so heated that even Janelle lost her cool. It ended with Janelle and Kody swearing at each other before Kody stormed out.

Robyn Brown Fat-Shamed Her Rivals

Too Much Ego To Say She’s Sorry

At the end of Sister Wives season 17, Robyn sat down for the season’s One On One: Part 3. During the interview, she made an obnoxious comment about her female Sister Wives’ castmates’ bodies. “When I came into this family, I knew and I saw when there’s stretch marks and there’s weight gain … and there’s like — you’re being stagnant in your marriage and there’s fights and money problems or whatever it is …” Robyn said. “He still had this romance going with each of them.”

What Robyn was trying to say was that she appreciated the way that Kody loved his wives even though they weren’t perfect. She should have tried to communicate the same idea without bringing up anyone’s imperfections. Though it was probably unintentional on Robyn’s part, it came off as passive-aggressive fat-shaming. An apology would have gone a long way towards soothing the hurt caused by the comment, but Robyn’s ego wouldn’t let her say she was sorry.

Kody Brown Talked About His Great Six Pack Abs

He’s Feeling Himself

During Sister Wives season 18, Kody made it clear that he felt very confident about his looks. Sister Wives season 18 had little to offer in the way of comic relief, so Kody’s musings about his alleged hotness were more than welcome. Though he sounded ridiculous, there may be some truth to his claims that Janelle only stuck around for Kody’s body.

Ultimately, Janelle did get over her appreciation for Kody’s allegedly hot body. After Christine left Kody in 2021, Janelle walked out on him, and his abs – this happened in 2022. His first wife, Meri, followed them out in 2022. Now, Kody finds himself in an unintentionally monogamous marriage with Robyn. Sister Wives season 19 could potentially feature a redemption arc for Kody, but only if he gets his ego under control.