‘Sister Wives’: Kody Brown’s Unequal Treatment of His Children on Full Display in Season 17

Kody Brown is problematic. Sister Wives fans have accused the polygamist patriarch of being narcissistic, self-involved around, and frankly unintelligent. While the trouble he is having in his plural marriages has taken centerstage in recent seasons, we don’t think that’s the father of 18’s biggest sin. Kody’s biggest transgression is his entirely unequal treatment of his children. Despite TLC’s main focus being on his crumbling marriages, his unequal treatment of his children is also on full display. We’ve collected three times in the last two seasons when Kody treated the children he shares with Robyn Brown substantially better than those he shares with Meri Brown, Christine Brown, and Janelle Brown. 

Kody suggested Janelle throw her sons out because they were old enough to live on their own

Kody expects his wives to bow to his whims, even if that means kicking their own children out of the house. During the height of coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, Kody suggested that Janelle Brown, his second wife, ask their sons, Garrison and Gabriel Brown, to move out of the house. Angered by their refusal to follow his strict protocol rules, Kody stated that the boys, both over the age of 18, were old enough to go out on their own. He proclaimed that their age meant they were supposed to be living independently. 

While Kody was adamant that both Gabriel and Garrison should not be allowed to live with their mother anymore because of their ages, two adult children were still living in Robyn’s house. Both Dayton Brown and Aurora Brown were over 18 when Kody made the comments about Gabriel and Garrison. Gabriel is actually younger than Dayton. 

Kody claimed the “younger” kids needed him, despite Truely being just a year older than Solomon Brown

Kody has attempted to explain away his desire to stay almost entirely at Robyn Brown’s house by claiming there are younger children in that household that need him. While his argument would make sense if Robyn were the only member of the family who still had minor children in the home, that isn’t the case. Robyn’s minor children are the youngest, but not by much. Solomon Brown was born in 2011, while Christine gave birth to Truely in 2010. The half-siblings were born just 18 months apart. 

When the family moved to Flagstaff, Ysabel Brown was under 18, and Janelle’s youngest child Savanah Brown is still just 17. Savannah turns 18 in December. If Kody insists that his younger children need him around, surely he would have made more of an effort to connect with Savanah, Ysabel, and most importantly, Truely. He actively avoided spending time with them, so his excuse proves he is treating his children differently. 

Kody Brown didn’t know how old Ysabel or Truely Brown were 

In season 16 of Sister Wives, Kody was very concerned about Ariella Brown’s birthday and whether or not the family would be able to get together to celebrate it. Despite Kody’s concern about his youngest child’s birthday, he seems to have limited knowledge about the age of the children he shares with Christine Brown. 

Last week, Kody seemed shocked that his daughter, Ysabel Brown, was 18 years old. This week, the father of 18 claimed that he didn’t want Truely Brown to have to deal with her parents’ divorce because of her age. He referred to the now 12-year-old girl as “10.” Christine quickly corrected Kody, reminding him their youngest child was 11 at the time before she opted to move the conversation forward. The fact that Kody has no idea how old Truely is and remains concerned with the parties of his other child proves that preferential treatment is a real thing in the Brown family. 

New episodes of Sister Wives air on TLC on Sundays at 10PM. All episodes are also available on discovery+.