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In an old Sister Wives clip from Season 1, Episode 2, Christine Brown accuses her then-husband, Kody Brown, of replacing the family they built with Robyn Brown and her children. Fast forward 17 seasons later, and Christine’s concerns have slowly come true. Kody has chosen a monogamous marriage with Robyn over the rest of his wives and children.

'Sister Wives' stars, Christine Brown and Kody Brown sitting together in an interview on season 1.
Christine Brown and Kody Brown, ‘Sister Wives’ Season 1 | TLC

Christine thinks Kody will replace his family with Robyn and her kids in season 1

In Sister Wives Season 1 Episode 2, audiences are introduced to Robyn for the first time. Kody was courting the 30-year-old single mother of three while Christine was pregnant with their fifth child, Truely Brown.

With Robyn living five hours away, Kody often spent the weekend with her during their courtship.

In an interview, Christine discussed how Kody courting Robyn has taken a toll on their family. Christine shared, “She lives far. She lives like five hours away. So I always told him, there was a couple of times, I’m like, ‘You really can’t go. You can’t leave me. And you can’t leave your family. Here you are replacing your family with Robyn and her kids.'”

“It was hard. And at the same point, I realized that it needed to happen, but it didn’t necessarily make it easier,” Christine concluded.

Kody recognizes his wife and children’s struggle as he leaves to court another woman. He knows the dating phase of the plural marriage lifestyle is the most challenging part since his wives are more comfortable with other wives than girlfriends.

The family dynamic changed after Robyn came into the family

Robyn’s introduction to the family coincides with the Brown family going public about their polygamist lifestyle. Kody was then only married to Meri, Janelle, and Christine, and together had 12 children, with one on the way. The difference between the family dynamic pre-Robyn in season 1 vs. Kody and Robyn being married for a decade in Sister Wives Season 17 is startling.

In the premiere episode of Sister Wives, Kody is beaming with pride when he introduces his family to the world. His love for each wife comes through the screen. Each wife has a unique role in keeping the family of 16 functioning properly.

When Robyn came into the picture, Kody began prioritizing her over his other wives. Not only did Robyn receive preferential treatment with an elaborate wedding and an 11-day-long honeymoon, but she also got most of Kody’s time. As time passed, Robyn slowly began demanding more and more of his time.

Christine’s prediction came true

Throughout the Sister Wives seasons, Meri’s marriage to Kody was the first to crumble. Kody legally divorced Meri to restructure the family in order to adopt Robyn’s children from her previous marriage. Around this time, Meri and Kody’s relationship began to suffer. And for over a decade, their marriage has been reduced to nothing more than a friendship.

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Now in Sister Wives Season 17, the family is almost unrecognizable. Kody is now divorced from Christine, with no form of relationship with Meri, and a struggling marriage with Janelle. It seems Robyn and Kody’s marriage is the only one that has remained intact.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the favoritism toward Robyn and her children became obvious. Kody’s strict rules caused him to lose many relationships with his wives and children. He has since been living a monogamous lifestyle with Robyn, in her house, with her children.

It’s sad to see Christine’s words in Sister Wives Season 1 coming true over a decade later. It’s almost like she knew that adding Robyn to the family would somehow destroy it.

New episodes of Sister Wives Season 17 air Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.

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