‘Sister Wives’ Robyn Brown Only Has the Power Kody Brown Gives Her Says Fans

As TLC’s Sister Wives continues to explore the breakdown of Kody Brown’s marriages to three of his four wives, a bigger picture has emerged in online forums among the show’s fans. What if Robyn Brown’s alleged power position in the family all stems from Kody? Here are the details.

Did Kody Brown give Robyn Brown power over their polygamist family?

Much ado has been made by viewers of the series about the amount of power Robyn Brown has held within the Brown family over the years. As Kody Brown’s fourth wife, Robyn was the newest, most adaptable of all his spouses, which included Meri, Janelle, and Christine Brown.

Therefore, her versatility toward Kody’s needs, including his demand for respect and being seen as a family patriarch, placed her in his favor. Some fans discussed their relationship online, saying Robyn tried to cement her place in the family; others blamed Kody for allowing her to become the focus of his affections and reportedly neglecting his other wives.

“Robyn is definitely the root of a lot of the family problems. BUT…. the reason she’s been able to do so of these things is because Kody allows it. She manipulates and plays Kody like a fiddle–because he allows it. When you get right down to it, Robyn only has the power Kody gives her,” wrote one fan.

A second viewer shared, “I used not to be sympathetic to Robyn per se, but I just wholly blamed Kody for everything. After this season, though, Robyn drove more than I thought. Kody was easy to manipulate.”

“I do think maybe he was in on it and wanted his fairy tale life with Robyn while the OG3 financed it all. But even then, I don’t think he ever once thought about it backfiring and the repercussions of losing his whole family,” penned a third Reddit user.

How did the Brown family function before Robyn Brown?

While the Brown family claims they functioned as a cohesive unit before Robyn’s entrance into their group, it has since been revealed that there were always personal difficulties between the wives. However, it appeared that each member of the Brown family held their own clearly defined position within the clan, which allowed it to function.

Meri was the head wife and, at the time, Kody’s legal spouse. Janelle managed the finances. Christine stayed at home, nurtured their shared children, and homeschooled them. All the women worked to contribute to their shared expenses.

However, the clearly defined positions became muddled when Robyn entered the Brown family in 2010. Robyn didn’t work, didn’t allow Christine to watch her children, and, from the start, claimed her rightful entitlement to Kody’s time to nurture their relationship.

Therefore, Kody fell in line with Robyn, defending her against the other wives’ complaints against her. He cemented her place within their family by divorcing Meri in 2014 and making Robyn his legal wife.

Following a move to Vegas, Kody claimed to split his time evenly between Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn while living together in their cul-de-sac. However, during season 18, Kody admitted he spent more time at Robyn’s house because she reportedly gave him an office and a parking spot for his car.

Therefore, the sister wives began to function independently from Kody. However, he continued to believe he was the head of their families.

When did Kody stop being the head of the Brown family?

Kody Brown appeared to stop being the head of the supersized Brown family in Las Vegas. But, he insisted he held the role despite his wives living their lives separately.

Fans later learned that Meri, Christine, and Janelle Brown raised their children and handled most of their family crises without Kody. This way of life continued when the family moved to Flagstaff, AZ, in 2018.

The move upended the polygamist clan once again. Although the move appeared to be Kody’s idea, viewers later learned via a YouTube interview with Christine’s son, Paedon Brown, that Robyn was behind the move so she could be closer to her son Dayton, who planned to attend college in the area.

Ultimately, the women settled into separate homes with a plan to build on their Coyote Pass property. But this never came to be. Kody settled into domesticity with Robyn and appeared to neglect his other three wives and children entirely.

In 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic upended the clan after Kody made a series of arrogant and unrealistic rules for the family to be together. In 2021, he insisted he didn’t have a “head wife” and that all his wives were equal.

Christine claimed Kody had a favorite wife in Robyn. Janelle wouldn’t defer to Kody’s insistence that she become more like Robyn in order for them to have a fully functioning marriage.

Meri held Robyn at arm’s length while maintaining their friendship. Ultimately, those women left Kody and their spiritual marriages behind.

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.