‘Sister Wives’: Kody Brown’s Kids Take a Backseat to His Ego Except 1 MVP
Sister Wives star Kody Brown has morphed over 19 seasons from a goofy dad who appeared to be a hands-on father of 18, to a man who has separated himself from the children he claimed to love the most. Most of Kody’s actions stem from his bruised ego and the person who blew the whistle on him the hardest was his and Janelle’s son Gabriel.
In ‘The Year of Release’ Gabriel Brown held Kody Brown’s feet to the fire
In the Sister Wives episode “The Year of Release,” Kody Brown’s son Gabriel Brown held his father’s feet to the fire. Perhaps the most raw moment of the episode was when Gabe revealed that he no longer wanted to have anything to do with his father.
As he and his mother Janelle Brown ate breakfast together, Gabe spoke openly about his interactions with Kody. He appeared to have closed the book on any further relationship.
Gabe explained that he and Kody had a phone conversation about their differences. Kody reportedly told Gabe “I forgive you,” about their struggles. Gabe’s response, “Forgive me for what?”
Longtime Sister Wives viewers recall Kody acted viciously to Gabe and his brother Garrison, for not adhering to his strict coronavirus (COVID-19) rules. His behavior soured not only his relationships with his sons but most of his adult children.
Gabe said of the conversation, “It was strange because he was like, ‘Hey, I miss you.’ And then, he kept phrasing it like I owed him an apology,” Gabe recalled.
He added, “I told Dad that if he doesn’t change and can’t take accountability, then I just won’t ever see him again. And I’m perfectly OK with that.”
Gabriel is ‘Sister Wives’ MVP for not feeding Kody’s (and Robyn’s) egos
Season 19 of Sister Wives reportedly spans two years. Therefore, Janelle’s commentary about her children may have taken place sometime between 2022 through 2024.
Some eagle-eyed fans believe the show is cleverly editing newer footage into older scenes. This could be due to Garrison Brown’s death in early 2024, but this tactic has not been confirmed by either TLC or Puddle Money Productions.
However, it appears Kody Brown has taken no steps to rectify his relationships with his children. Today it seems none of Janelle’s children have a relationship with their father.
Janelle said she doesn’t “know what it would take at this point” to get things back on track between family members. She told TLC’s cameras, “Their dad had been expressing things to them just off the cuff about, you know, he wished that he would have waited and just married Robyn. I don’t know what dad says that to their kids, but my kids have many stories like that.”
Gabe told Janelle Robyn has a “victim complex” and “I don’t know, I just, I don’t have a lot of respect for Robyn, so it’s hard for me to rationalize some of her actions. Maybe that’s the reason that she’s like, ‘Oh, you always hated us,’ is because she doesn’t have our respect anymore because she does s*** like that.”
Fans weigh in on Gabriel Brown not feeding Kody Brown’s ego
For the first time this season, one of Kody Brown’s children spoke the truth on-camera about their father’s mistreatment. Gabriel Brown was the Brown family champion claim some Reddit users.
“Gabe was the episode MVP!! He was dropping truth bombs left and right. He sees Robyn so clearly. I think all of them do but are afraid to say anything to not get the wrath of Kody,” wrote one viewer.
“He seems super clear and won’t be easily manipulated by Kody,” claimed a second Redditor. A third wrote, that Gabe was “savage in this episode. Idk why he and Janelle would get together to make eggs, I’m guessing this was another replacement scene. I understand why he was feeling no need to mince words.”
“Instead of Kody stating that he’s reached out several times and been rejected, and hearing that Gabriel only wanted to hear some accountability from his father, Kody could have asked Gabe to tell him why he is angry. That may have started the convo. Then again, Kody doesn’t appear to be in a place where he can own his part in any situation, deflecting and shifting blame constantly,” claims a fourth viewer.
Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
