‘Sister Wives’: Rare Footage of Christine’s Mom Annie Talking About the ‘Dark Side’ of Polygamy in 90s Documentary
Christine Brown’s mother, Ruthanne “Annie” Stevens, has only been featured a few times on Sister Wives throughout the 17 seasons. Annie was an advocate for survivors of polygamy after leaving her polygamist marriage. Sister Wives fans unearthed some footage of Christine’s mother, Annie, in a 1998 documentary speaking about the “dark side” and dangers of plural marriage.
Christine’s mother, Annie, left her plural marriage
In one episode of Sister Wives Season 8, Annie explained why she left her plural marriage to Christine’s father, Rex Allred, after around 25 years of marriage. Annie decided to become a sister wife as a member of Apostolic United Brethren AUB, an offshoot of fundamentalist Mormonism, which teaches plural marriage as a necessary step to gaining access to heaven.
“I had a defining moment where I knew I was going to leave. And It was one of the most terrifying moments I’ve had in my life, ’cause you just don’t leave. People don’t leave. And I would go in my room and pray a lot because here I was doing life by the book, and I hated my life,” she said in the episode.
After leaving her marriage in 1992, Annie teamed up with her sister, Kristyn Decker, who had also escaped polygamy. She started a support group for women traumatized by abusive plural marriages. Being part of this group caused then-polygamist Christine to cut her mother out of her life for over six months. Christine feared being associated with her mother and aunt would put her family in danger.
Annie reveals the ‘dark side’ of polygamy
In 1998, just two years after Annie left her husband, she was on a documentary discussing abuse found within polygamous communities. A Sister Wives fan posted a clip of it on TikTok.
@content_noggin #sisterwives #christinebrown #polygamy ♬ American Beauty – Thomas Newman
“Ruthanne Stevens had six children with her polygamist husband,” The British narrator says about Annie, who legally goes by Ruthanne.
“It’s very fear-based. People are afraid to go there. They don’t talk about abuse,” Annie said. “They don’t talk about the dark side of it because they want everyone to believe that this is the picture of perfection,” Christine’s mother revealed.
“That there’s the law of God that there’s no fault here. And so it’s like if you cover it up, it perpetuates,” Annie said about the religion she was raised in.
Christine’s mother’s decision to leave
Christine comes from a long line of polygamists, and Kody even joked that she’s a “blue blood polygamist.” Christine’s great-grandfather was Byron Allred. Her grandfather is Rulon C. Allred, who was the founder of the AUB. And Rex Allred, the eldest of Rulon’s sons, is Christine’s father, essentially making her AUB royalty.
Annie and Rex were married for 11 years before he took on a second wife. Annie tried her best to be a good sister-wife for almost 14 years. She said that she struggled with her faith during that time and felt very ashamed of wanting out.
“You can’t imagine, you can’t imagine a high degree of secrecy. People are so afraid to talk about anything that goes on. The shame that is brought upon you for thinking or feelings these things. But it was just this whole concept that you can’t live from your heart and soul,” Annie said in the clip.
“But I remember when I knew that I was going to be leaving, and it just terrified me because I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to hell. I’m choosing to go to hell. But my life is hell,'” she concluded.
Christine has followed in her mom’s footsteps and left her unhealthy plural marriage and the faith. She is even living near her in Utah. Perhaps Annie will make a cameo on Sister Wives Season 18.
