‘Sister Wives’ Memoir: Robyn Was Courted by an ‘Esteemed’ Man Before Kody
In the Sister Wives memoir, Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage, Kody Brown reveals that he had asked Robyn Brown to marry him because he found out another “esteemed” man in the church asked to court her. Here’s what we know about the men that came before Kody.
Robyn’s mom suggested she get her ‘scent out there’
In the family’s memoir, Robyn recounted feeling ashamed after ending her 8-year-long marriage to her first husband, David Jessop, in 2007. Robyn was a single mom of three children — Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna Brown.
“Even though I had legitimate grounds for divorce from my first husband, a failed marriage still tarnished my reputation. So I was especially careful not to give the impression that I was desperate to marry. I didn’t want to chase anyone.”
Robyn Brown
However, Robyn’s mom, Alice Sullivan, suggested she get back into dating by putting her “scent out there.”
“I was embarrassed about showing my face as a single woman again, a divorcee. After all, everybody knew my story. I had been married to the son of a very prominent family, so my dirty laundry was public knowledge. It made me uncomfortable. But my mother insisted that I ‘get my scent out there.’ I agreed to go to the dance, but only to escort my brother and sister, who needed a social outlet.”
Robyn Brown
She agreed that her mother was right, “at least in part,” and that it was necessary to put herself out there. Apparently, she did attract quite a few men before Kody.
An ‘esteemed’ man wanted to court Robyn a month before Kody proposed
Kody met Robyn pre-Sister Wives filming, and he was already struggling to provide for his three wives, Meri, Janelle, and Christine Brown, and their combined 13 children.
In the Brown’s 2012 memoir, Kody and Robyn recount their courtship. Before he could court the single mom, he had to get permission from his other wives, the church, and her father. Robyn allegedly had other (even possibly better) options than Kody.
“I had been planning to ask Robyn to marry me on her birthday. But I jumped the gun. A few days before her birthday, she told me that an older and esteemed man in our faith had called to inquire about courting her. This was a shock to my system. I was devastated. I didn’t have the money to marry and support Robyn, but I knew that I would have to find a way. Even though Robyn told the man she knew where she belonged, I was still shaken.”
Kody Brown
The next day, Kody recalls feeling “overcome by God’s spirit” and asking Robyn to marry him. Despite being against their religious beliefs, he decided to seal their engagement with a kiss. They were engaged in September 2009 and married in May 2010.
Robyn talks about her other proposals on ‘Sister Wives’ Season 17
During Sister Wives Season 17 One-on-One reunion, Robyn defends herself from fans who accused her of wanting a monogamous marriage with Kody. She says she had turned down many men who wanted a monogamous marriage for Kody and his wives.
“I mean, I know this just sounds really funky,” Robyn said during the reunion. “But like, I had, you know, people that wanted to date me, and that I was, you know, kind of friendly with or whatever that talked about living [together] … they wanted to get more serious, a couple [of them] wanted to marry me, kind of a thing,” she said.
Robyn said she even had “turned [down]” proposals from other men to join be with Kody and have sister wives. Robyn claimed that she always wanted to live plural marriage but that her first husband didn’t want to.
“If I wanted to live monogamy, I could have [sic]. I mean, it’s not like I had no other choices. I could have had a very happy, successful relationship with some other men. It’s just the truth, I’m sorry!” she continued. “I hate saying it because it sounds like I’m, like, bragging or something, but I’m not. It’s just, this is the truth.”
Unfortunately, there’s no information about who these men were who proposed to Robyn, but it’s interesting to find out how it all went down before the cameras started rolling.
Sister Wives Season 18 is expected to premiere in September 2023.
