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Sister Wives appears to be about the lives of all the members of the Brown family. However, looking back, there is only one person historically at the center of every storyline of the TLC series, and it is the person the series was created around.

Who is at the center of every storyline of ‘Sister Wives’?

Throughout 18 seasons of TLC’s Sister Wives, there is one person at the center of every storyline: Kody Brown. From the get-go, the Sister Wives story was based around Kody and his role as the Brown family patriarch. Kody’s decisions changed the scope of the Brown family from the beginning and continue to do so to this day.

Kody chose to bring Robyn Brown into a family that already included his wives, Meri, Janelle, and Christine. He then chose for his family to flee Utah for Las Vegas and again, to Flagstaff, Arizona.

Kody ignored Meri so much that she was forced to seek companionship outside their marriage. He distanced himself from Christine and Janelle in favor of Robyn, hurting the core of their marriages.

He didn’t take care of his children in the way a parent should, leaving the bulk of the parenting to their mothers. Most of all, Kody created a world where he could do and say whatever he wanted, and his wives deferred to whatever he wished until they didn’t.

Kody Brown’s attributes make him the least appealing man on reality TV

For the most part, Kody Brown appears to have convinced himself that his wives had all the power in their marriages. He regularly told TLC’s cameras the women were free to leave, but when Christine exercised that option, he fought tooth and nail to keep her in line with their family.

For at least five years, the Kody of seasons past drastically differs from the goofy, slightly sweet man depicted in Sister Wives‘ early seasons. The series, once about normalizing polygamy, is now Kody versus his family and this helps to make him the least appealing man on reality TV.

Three of Kody’s four wives left their spiritual marriages in two years. First was Christine, then Janelle Brown, and then Meri Brown.

Many of Kody’s adult children have spoken out against their father. These Brown family members include Gwendlyn Brown, Paedon Brown, and Mykelti Brown. Many of these relationships remain strained to this day.

Kody speaks to his wives; he tells the world he wouldn’t care if Meri left him for someone else years before she did. He called Janelle “lazy” and Christine a “s*** sister wife.”

However, it’s rare that any of these women fought back. Most times, they allow Kody to react however he wishes but vent their true feelings the cameras in their TLC confessionals.

Kody Brown’s now a monogamist, so what’s next for ‘Sister Wives’ season 19?

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‘Sister Wives’ Robyn Brown: The Giant Wall That Separates Kody Brown From His Family

Sister Wives season 19 will debut on TLC sometime later this summer. However, as the series has diverted so far from its original premise, is the show still centered around Kody Brown and any semblance of plural marriage?

Yes, the show is still centered around Kody Brown, even though he is now a monogamist. Meri, Janelle, and Christine have left him, leaving his legal wife, Robyn, as his sole partner.

Throughout this season, Kody will be front and center as he navigates his relationships with his wives of decades. However, how Kody will handle these massive changes remains to be seen.

He will also be prominently featured as he navigates his relationships with his children. Thus, it is unlikely that the tragedy surrounding the death of his son, Garrison Brown, will be featured this season.

Season 18’s finale was filmed around late 2022 or early 2023. Therefore, the series has a year’s worth of catching up before they near Garrison Brown’s death timeline.

Sister Wives is currently on hiatus. The series is expected to return to TLC in late summer 2024.