Skip to main content

From the very beginning of Sister Wives, Robyn Brown has been accused of alienating her children from her sister wives and the rest of the family. Some viewers have pointed out that this behavior has been evident since day one. Here are some examples of Robyn’s behavior that have contributed to this perception.

Dayton Brown, Breanna Brown, Robyn Brown, Kody Brown, and Aurora Brown in a family photo as shown on ‘Sister Wives’ for TLC.
Dayton, Breanna, Robyn, Kody, and Aurora Brown, ‘Sister Wives’ | TLC

Robyn and Kody secretly go shopping for her wedding dress

One of the earliest examples of when Robyn purposefully excluded her sister wives, Meri, Janelle, and Christine, from events as early as Sister Wives Season 1, Episode 6. In that episode, Robyn took her soon-to-be-sister wives to try on wedding dresses to include them.

Robyn admitted she didn’t pick out a dress with Meri, Robyn, and Janelle. “It’s a secret now. I know what dress I want, and I have it,” she told the cameras.

In the same interview, Kody dropped a bombshell on his three wives about how he chose Robyn’s wedding dress. “Oh, I’ve got a bomb I’m dropping today. You’ll love this one,” Kody told the cameras.

Robyn Brown trying on wedding dresses on 'Sister Wives' Season 1 on TLC.
Robyn Brown, ‘Sister Wives’ Season 1 | TLC

“I picked the dress!” he blurted out. “We went to Lisa’s Bridal, and Robyn and I went to look at dresses. And she picked out one, and I was like, ‘Holy cow, it’s like I’d seen it in my dreams,” Kody boasted. When he realized that his other three wives weren’t happy about the situation, he defended himself. “I think it’s important. I don’t think it’s fair that I not be allowed to be involved in it.”

“When is the groom ever involved with the wedding dress? Like you cared at all what I wore at our wedding. ” You didn’t even care,” Christine said before walking off the set. Meri agreed, saying the sneaking around was “not cool,” and Janelle called the situation “weird.” Robyn didn’t apologize for sneaking off with Kody. Instead, she chastised Kody for not keeping it a secret. This was the first of many times Robyn kept secrets from the rest of the family.

Robyn hires a nanny instead of allowing her sister wives to watch her children

In Sister Wives Season 8, episode 4, the Browns just moved into the cul-de-sac in Las Vegas, Nevada. Robyn revealed she’d hired her “step-niece,” Mindy Jessop, as a nanny for her five children. Christine said it hurt her feelings to find out that Robyn had hired a nanny instead of asking her for help. Christine knew that if Robyn couldn’t trust her sister wives with her children, she would never “need” them, meaning their relationship wouldn’t ever grow stronger.

Mindy Jessop nannying Robyn Brown's children on 'Sister Wives' on TLC.
Mindy Jessop, ‘Sister Wives’ | TLC

Robyn defended her choice by saying that since all her sister wives were working, hiring someone else made the most sense. “Mindy is our niece. She has a teaching degree. She’s trying to substitute teach. And get a job here in las vegas. I’ve had to bring in Mindy because she helps care for kids while we work,” Robyn said.

Robyn used COVID-19 as an excuse to alienate her family completely

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Kody enforces strict rules to prevent everyone from getting sick. With the rules getting increasingly rigid as time passed, Kody refused to go to his wives’ homes that didn’t abide by the rules out of fear of getting his “tender-aged” children sick, meaning Robyn’s youngest children, Solomon and Ariella. Eventually, Kody locked down exclusively at Robyn’s house because his other wives couldn’t keep up with his ridiculous standards.

Related

‘Sister Wives’: 4 Times Robyn Wasn’t Loving and Kind to Her Sister Wives in Season 1

Again, instead of asking her sister wives for help, Robyn hired Mindy as a nanny to help with her children. Christine was outraged that Mindy could freely come in and out of Robyn’s home, but the rest of the family was locked out. This caused significant tension within the family.

“You have a nanny over. She’s over all of the time. I don’t understand why Ysabel can’t come over and hang out. She’s devastated,” Christine said. “What does the nanny do?” she questioned.

While Robyn and Kody were confident that their nanny had followed their strict coronavirus protocols, she spread the virus to the family. “I know it’s partially evil, but I just chuckle a little bit at the irony,” Christine admitted since she never caught coronavirus.

Janelle and Kody’s sons, Gabriel and Garrison, have accused Robyn of being the puppet master behind the strict rules. And many Sister Wives fans believe that this is the case. Now, Kody is divorced from Christine and Meri and separated from Janelle. And according to his daughter, Gwendlyn Brown, Kody is estranged from all of his children except for Robyn’s five kids.

Overall, it seems clear that Robyn’s behavior has contributed to a sense of division and alienation within the Brown family. While it’s understandable that she wants to prioritize her own children, it’s important to remember that plural marriage only functions if everyone works together as a unit. By putting her needs and wants above those of the rest of the family, many Sister Wives fans believe Robyn ruined the family dynamic to have Kody all to herself.

Sister Wives Season 18 is rumored to return in September 2023 to TLC.