‘Sister Wives’: Will Season 19 Be Kody Brown’s Redemption After Family Tragedy?
If there has ever been one reality television star who needed redemption, it’s Sister Wives star Kody Brown. His on-camera reputation as one of TLC’s most conniving, neglectful husbands and fathers has cemented him in a villainous role that could be tough to get past. However, will season 19 be his chance for redemption after family turmoil and a tragedy no father should endure?
Kody Brown is one of the most disliked men in reality television
Throughout Sister Wives‘ 18 seasons, Kody Brown’s behavior turned him into one of the most disliked men in reality television. He uprooted his family, ignored his children’s and wives’ needs, and blatantly manipulated situations.
However, now that he has faced the tragedy of his son Garrison’s death, knowing how he was portrayed publicly toward the young man in the past three years, could Kody change his ways? Or will he allow TLC to continue the narrative that has pushed ratings for the series to the detriment of his family?
Kody could pull an about-face during season 19 and become the hero. However, TLC will have to maneuver carefully to paint him in such a light.
That would take some apologizing to everyone in his family and becoming more involved in their lives instead of hiding at the home he shares with Robyn Brown. Kody needs to apologize not only to Meri, Janelle, and Christine Brown for how he spoke about them publicly but also to his children for appearing to act neglectful.
But, as the TLC train rolls on, how much of a storyline will Kody allow the network to make of his family tragedy? Also, will he finally address the elephant in the room, and how he spoke disparagingly about his son on national television? These are just some elements that need to be addressed by TLC if they plan on redeeming Kody in viewers’ eyes.
What will it take for Kody Brown to change his television persona?
Although Kody Brown always acted questionably in the eyes of many Sister Wives viewers, it wasn’t until season 17 that he truly embraced his villainous role. He tried to enforce patriarchy, compared his wives to dogs in the season-ending tell-all, and called his role as head of the polygamist clan “all ego baby.”
From that moment on, Kody and TLC painted him as unredeemable. His remarks, actions, and overall persona were based on his arrogance, combative, and demeaning attitudes toward his wives and their shared children.
He called Christine and Janelle Brown “two princesses giving ultimatums” when they didn’t want to move into one house on Coyote Pass. Kody also publicly ended his relationship with Meri Brown during season 18. In a confessional before telling her face-to-face, he said, “I don’t really consider myself married to Meri. If she wanted to move on and marry another, she wouldn’t get an argument with me.”
On Reddit, some fans believe Kody could change, but it would be challenging. “I think he has the capability to apologize. However, he would have to put some SERIOUS actions behind his words. I don’t know if he is capable of that,” one viewer wrote.
“I don’t think he would ever want to. He’s a narcissist,” claimed a second Redditor. However, a third fan believes differently. “I think it’s possible, and I believe Kody will step up and own his mistakes in time. So, hopefully, he’s begun reflecting on his actions. It’s going to be hard to be truly introspective with Robyn in his ear, blaming everyone else, but I think he will come around.”
However, one wife appeared to be spared from Kody Brown’s drama
There has historically been one wife spared from Kody Brown’s drama. Kody’s fourth wife, Robyn, is his favorite and now his only spouse.
For the most part, Kody spared Robyn and her children from criticism. While there were times he said he didn’t like this or that about her reaction, he never was critical of her publicly, and he spoke against Christine, Janelle, and Meri Brown repeatedly.
Kody went out of his way to praise Robyn. He told the cameras, “I’ll tell you something that Robyn has done from the beginning of coming into our family. She sat her children down and said, ‘We’re going into this family. You will be kind to this family. You will accept this family, and you will respect the parents. And you will respect Kody as your father.”
In the season 18 tell-all, he also said, “There’s a shift of blame toward Robyn. That got to the point that was making me angry.”
Kody continued, “I was getting to the point where if you had a complaint about her, I would be like, ‘shut up. I will punch you in the mouth.'”
Can Kody Brown redeem himself for season 19, or is he too far into a villainous role to shift gears effectively? Let us know in the comments section below.
Sister Wives is currently on hiatus.
