‘Sister Wives’: 3 Times Kody Brown Neglected His Daughter Ysabel’s Needs for Robyn
Throughout the last few Sister Wives seasons, at least three times, Kody Brown neglected his daughter Ysabel Brown’s needs in favor of his wife Robyn Brown’s. Kody used the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to explain why he couldn’t be there for Ysabel, opting to stay with Robyn and her children.
Kody didn’t support her in her back surgery
One of the best examples is when Kody decided to stay back from Ysabel’s major back surgery for her scoliosis. After years of pain, Christine was finally to raise $50,000 for Ysabel’s specialized surgery, thanks to selling LuLuRoe online to her fans. Unfortunately, the appointment happened to be at the height of the pandemic, requiring them to travel to New Jersey.
Instead of Kody supporting his 17-year-old daughter in her major surgery, he opted to stay home with Robyn and her kids. He believed contracting coronavirus was too high risk and that his younger children, Soloman and Ariella, were too young to leave for weeks. Ysabel was devastated that Kody didn’t prioritize her needs and was angry at her dad.
Christine said seeing how Kody didn’t support Ysabel and breaking her heart was a turning point in her relationship with him. She realized that she could support her children on her own without Kody by her side, which was a significant step in accepting that she would have to leave Kody. It also seems to be the start of when Ysabel’s relationship with her father really began to deteriorate. Even fans can’t get over how “narcissistic” Kody acted in the whole situation, making the surgery about himself.
Kody refused to see Ysabel if she went to public school again
Another example of Kody’s selfishness is in Sister Wives Season 17 when he tells Ysabel that if she were to go back to school, he wouldn’t be able to see her. As the coronavirus pandemic waned, the public schools in Flagstaff, Arizona, opened back up. It’s Ysabel’s senior year in high school, and she will soon be leaving the state for college, so she wants to go in person.
Kody made it clear that if Ysabel chose to go back to school, he wouldn’t be able to see her out of fear of contracting and spreading coronavirus throughout the family. Then he hemmed and hawed at the “inconvenience” of talking with Ysabel outside.
Kody’s second wife, Janelle, was livid with him for giving his young daughter an ultimatum where she must choose between him or attending her senior year of high school. He told Christine that he had specifically asked Robyn’s daughter, Breanna, who is a year younger than Ysabel, that she continues to do school online. However, Christine pointed out that he never asked Ysabel directly not to go back.
Kody decided not to drop Ysabel off at college
In Sister Wives Season 17, Ysabel is going to college in North Carolina. Before Ysabel’s graduation party, Christine invited Kody to drive his daughter across the country to help send her off. “I talked to Kody, invited him to do it with us. I would totally adjust whatever plans if he wanted to come if he could come. But he’s not coming with us,” Christine revealed.
Kody defends his decision not to go across the country simply because his relationship with Ysabel is awkward. He claims that she’s become bitter since he wasn’t present at her scoliosis surgery. He then blames Christine for turning their kids against him. “She sits there and talks to the kids. She has their ear. I do not have their ear,” Kody said.
These are just three times that Kody has chosen Robyn and her children over his other wives and children. And in Sister Wives Season 17, the favoritism with Robyn is getting even more apparent.
New episodes of Sister Wives Season 17 air Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.
