‘Sister Wives’: Kody Brown Claims He Might Be ‘Manipulated’ By Producers During Filming

On TLC’s Sister Wives, polygamist patriarch Kody Brown often gets a bad rap. Many fans don’t like the way he seems to treat his four wives (Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn Brown), while others think he seems self-centered and egotistical.

Still, some fans have wondered over the years if the drama on the show is manufactured. After all, Kody seems to get along well with all of his 18 children, and his wives have stuck with him through many challenges. During the Season 14 finale, Kody took to Twitter to address the issue of whether or not the reality show about the Brown family is ever scripted.

Kody claimed he might be ‘manipulated’ on the show, but it wasn’t scripted

During the Sister Wives season finale on Apr. 12, Maddie Brown Brush had her second child, Evie K. Brush, with husband Caleb Brush. Kody and his second and third wives (Janelle and Christine) headed out to North Carolina to attend the birth, which ended up having more than one unforeseen complication. (Thankfully, little Evie is beautiful and doing well today!)

While the episode aired, Kody took to Twitter to comment on how shocking some aspects of the birth were. “Maddie having [her] water break at the mall parking lot was like the movies,” he wrote. “I’ve never seen a water break like that.”

One fan took the opportunity to tell Kody they were tired of all the moving, rental, and real estate arguments on the season up until Maddie’s labor. “So thankful Maddie is sharing her pregnancy because we are all dead dog tired of the house buying/selling drama. Ugh,” they wrote in response to the Sister Wives star.

Kody quote tweeted the fan to clarify something about the show that many viewers have wondered in its decade on the air. “We are not scripted….maybe I’m manipulated…hmmm?” he wondered, seeming to hint that TLC producers might have more of a hand in what happened onscreen than he knew. He added, “But I digress…. We show the S/;# that is happening to us, even sometimes when it is boring.”

Some fans were dubious about Kody’s claim

Of course, some Sister Wives fans shot back, suggesting that Kody’s behavior on the show couldn’t possibly be as edited as he claimed.

“They can’t edit you saying incredibly cruel things to Meri and Christine,” the viewer wrote in response to Kody’s tweet, calling him out for his allegedly harsh treatment of his first and third wives. “You actually say these horrible things to some of your wives. They can’t edit [you] not knowing sh*t that’s going on in most of [your] children’s lives. You actually don’t know and don’t seem to care.”

Another Sister Wives fan agreed, arguing that the show (and Kody) spent too much time focusing on Robyn and not enough on the Brown kids or the other wives. “Yes, Maddie Caleb and Axel are a fabulous diversion,” the Twitter user wrote. “So sick of Kody’s selfishness, disrespect and narcissistic ways. You have FOUR wives Kody – not just Robyn. Man up!!!”

Other ‘Sister Wives’ viewers expressed their disappointment with the latest season

Overall, many fans of Sister Wives were disappointed in Season 14. As Kody live-tweeted the finale, some critics took the chance to tell him what they thought of the latest episodes.

One fan said they were frustrated that they hadn’t seen more of the family and kids in favor of plenty of “moving to Flagstaff” scenes. “It’s bad when that’s their entire story line for [the] season, ‘rental.’ Hearing Robin say rental one more time,” the Twitter user complained.

Some viewers told Kody that the family and show had seemed to change so radically that they weren’t sure if they would be tuning in again in the future, scripted or not. “The show could be good again. It just needs to focus on Meri, Christine, and Janelle,” one fan wrote to Kody. “We all love Meri (even if you don’t). Without her, I’m betting your show will get cancelled.”

Another Sister Wives fan wrote in response to Kody’s claim that the show isn’t scripted, “Always been a fan but this whole season felt like it was just all about God finding Robyn a rental… I’ve loved watching this show since day one but this season almost did me in as a viewer.”