Kody Brown has become the one of the faces of plural marriage, thanks to the 10 years he and his four wives have spent on TLC’s Sister Wives. However, during Sunday’s season premiere, the Brown Family patriarch confessed that plural marriage isn’t as great as he and his wives used to tell people.
In fact, during one scene, Kody stated that he often fears his four wives are miserable in their marriages to him, and that he might not choose plural marriage again, if he had to do things over.
“I’ve told friends recently that I didn’t want to be an advocate of plural marriage any more,” Kody told Meri, Janelle, Robyn and Christine during Sunday’s episode.
“Because I am more aware now than I ever was before about the apparent and obvious unfairness in the relationship. I have all the love I want, and you guys feel like you’re pining constantly for me to give you some [love].”
Kody— who in a previously released clip of the new season confessed that having only one wife is a “fantasy” he has—-then revealed that he may choose monogamy if he could go back and choose his life path again.
“Plural marriage, what I know about it, I wonder if I would do it again, knowing what I know and knowing how it’s hard on all of you,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong, I like my life,” Kody told the women. “If you guys complain to me very much, it sticks in my head and I wonder if you like your [lives].”
Kody and his wives have shown the ups and downs of living plural marriage; however, the Browns have appeared to be unhappy in their marriages to Kody for years, at least on ‘Sister Wives.’ In an interview with Entertainment Tonight this week, the Brown ladies discussed the idea of bringing a fifth wife into the mix. (For the record, the women seemed pretty sure there would be no more wives added to the family.)
They also seemed sure that none of their 18 children will choose to be polygamists.
“My kids aren’t open to living plural marriage, in all honesty,” Christine said. “We’ve talked a lot through the years about everything and none of my kids are going to live our lifestyle.”
“It doesn’t surprise me at all. It just proves to me— and hopefully it proves to everyone else— that we don’t force our family to do what we want them to do, or what we think they should do,” Meri added.
You can watch the Sister Wives talk about the new season in the video below.
17 Responses
We all know he wouldn’t have married any other wives if he met Robyn first. That’s the only one he seems to be romantic with at all.
If meri can rent a mansion for one person with an elevator why couldn’t she just put a cute modular house on the land? Christine bought a house.. ok but why not just do a modular home on the land as well? Wouldn’t that save money rather than renting and buying other properties? Does meri need all those bedrooms for one person?? I don’t get it tbh, they’re living beyond their means.. lots of kids are old and leaving they don’t need huge expensive homes. They don’t even have health insurance
Kody thinks polygamy is unfair — to HIM. He thinks HE does all the work, that He’s the one who is psychologically harmed by it, that HIS life is so stressed. He is such a narcissist. I think the other wives are finally feeling some of what Meri has felt for years and while Meri was never strong enough to do something about it, I think they just might take some action and leave the prick.
With the way they explained how entangled their finances are and how it delayed Kody and Robyn’s house purchase it made me think when Christine and Janelle finally split from him (I originally typed divorce then remembered there is no legal marriage) I thought how hard he’s made it (impossible?) for them to get any fair settlement from him. They’ll probably have to walk away with a huge loss while he keeps everything they own jointly (I can’t seen him being fair and buying them out of jointly owned property, etc) or them having to buy him out of everything just to get away. I think he’s structured the family with his name on everything intentionally. Prick! And one reason he was so resentful Meri was buying the B&B by herself.
The kids are now old enough to see Kody clearly and recognize how absent he has always been, even when he is physically present, and resent him for it – especially the boys. Despite having 18? children I think he’s going to be a lonely old man and lucky if even 1 wife stays with him. He singlehandedly (along with 4 weak, emotionally abused mistresses/wives) destroyed that family emotionally, financially, culturally, psychologically) as he sits there and pontificates about hard HIS life is.
He’s such a puke. Cut your hair, get a real job and be with your kids.
The mess in the family started when they foolishly left Vegas with no concrete plan. Now their finances are a shambles. I have no idea how they afford so many lavish house rentals.
I think that completely change the course of their lives and how they feel about Cody. Except for Jenelle. I think they are openly resent him for making such an abrupt move and change in the course of thiet 4 lives along with their 18 children. Big resentment s!
I feel it was always a business arrangement with Janelle.
In Utah her & Cody were the bread winners & Christine helped with raising her kids.
I have never felt like it was a in love marriage for Janelle & Cody.
If I were them I would be really bitter about that. They moved for Robyn. Robyn told Cody she wanted to follow her son to college and he jumped without really considering his other wives and his children. Frankly, if it was that important that her son have her around then he should have gone to a school in Las Vegas. Will they continue to follow that child around for the rest of their lives, uprooting their lives every time he wants to go somewhere else to live? If any of the other wives had requested that of him he would have laughed in their face. Some of the kids were really upset about it and he didn’t care. All that mattered is what Robyn wanted and what her oldest child wanted.
It doesn’t sound like they’re committed to “the Principle” anymore. If you don’t have a religious purpose as a driving force for polygamy, why do it? I’d say cut your losses, but the individual women may not be in a financial or emotional position to do that. It’s sad.
I agree with everything you said. All of the wives seem beaten down emotionally and are in too much debt to have any level autonomy. I often wonder if all the frantic moves by Kody were to isolate the women socially and keep them too financially unstable to leave. The move out of Vegas looked like an attempt to cut Meri off from her business. I don’t doubt any time she tries to go back to Utah Kody emotionally unloads on her about abandoning the family and while dangling their marriage over her head.
Robyn is a snake, and always gets what she wants. She played this family for the fools they are, all because Kody wanted to get their TV show. They all suck.
I totally agree! She acts like she cares so much about the other wives and their family but it is just an act. She wanted to follow her oldest son to college so all the other wives and their children had to uproot their lives. She did not consider anyone but her and her son. He could have gone to college close by. I also think she never really wanted plural marriage but she wanted Cody so she married him while making a plan to essentially push the other wives out of his life and him spend all his time with her and her children and her plan worked. From all accounts she is the one he spends each night with and she is also the only legal wife. She played them good.
All while being Meri BF.
When Christine said at that dinner that Kody only comes to her house “during the evening”, and that he doesn’t give notice, he looked at Robyn both times!!
1) So where’s he during the daytime ok his days to be at Christine’s house ?
2) They obviously weren’t following a fair visitation schedule BEFORE Covid or else she’d know what days to expect him (every 4th night)
3) Of course Robyn had to get validation by turning around a conversation about their family changes to mean it was all about her… the big pink elephant!… she’s definitely predictable
1. During the daytime he’s where he’s always been, at Robyn’s house.
2. I don’t think they’ve had any semblance of a fair or regular rotation since they left Utah and Robyn joined the family. He’s a full time husband to Robyn with brief visits to the other wives but his ‘base’ is at Robyn’s. When they lived in Utah in the same big house he rotated and the wives kept track, but Robyn changed everything completely.
3. You’re so right, Snarker. She never disappoints. LOL
That was so annoying!! Janelle was trying to have a real conversation, one that they should have had LONG ago, and Robin starts her water works and says “all this happened when I joined” omg..get out of here with this! The other annoyance was Mary!! You finally have someone on your side, Janelle, and you clam up and say “I don’t remember this conversation”. Omg. lol
I wish she would go all in on this bed and breakfast, leave and live there, and just be happy. Why is she “forcing” this thing with Kody?? He is repulsed by her now and it will NEVER come back…I am convinced of that.
I have no idea how they have money for that huge plot of land, 2 homes that they now OWN AND rental properties…PLUS the storage trailers on the land they own. I don’t get it.
Wonder how much child support he would owe a month?