‘Sister Wives’ Shake-Up: Fans Debate Robyn and Kody Brown’s Roles in Family Turmoil
In light of Garrison Brown’s death, Sister Wives fans took to social media to openly debate Robyn and Kody Brown’s roles in their family’s turmoil. The couple appears to have isolated themselves and their children from their extended family, leading to bitterness and hurt feelings.
The ‘Sister Wives’ cast is far from how they first depicted themselves: Are Kody and Robyn at fault?
The Brown family first entered public life in 2010. Sister Wives was their attempt at trying to show the functionality of a polygamist family.
Eighteen seasons later, the series is now far removed from season one, when Kody Brown had three wives and shared 18 children. He proclaimed love for all his wives and acted as a devoted father to each of his offspring.
Today, Kody is in a monogamous relationship with Robyn Brown. They live in a home with their five children appear separated from the rest of the family.
But who’s fault is this? Fans lay the blame squarely on Kody and Robyn’s shoulders. Kody and many of his children became estranged for years due to Kody’s preferential treatment of Robyn over his children and other wives.
On Reddit, fans believe Kody and Robyn are at fault for how their behavior affected the family. Here’s some of their commentary.
“I can’t understand how one human being can be so wrong about his choices and parenting. He has failed as a polygamist, he has failed as a husband (3 times), he has failed as a parent to most of his children, and failed as a father to his adoptive kids,” wrote one follower.
“Robyn effectively kept Meri and the other wives from having the opportunity to connect with any of them. This is the lady who advocated keeping the family together,” penned a second Reddit user.
A third viewer concludes, “Kody also says Robyn supported and enhanced the family and holiday traditions, even though we’ve heard through multiple people from the OG13 that that is not true. Kody is the ONLY ONE saying Robyn made them better. She is all Kody has seen since the day he met her.”
Kody Brown turned away certain family members who didn’t comply with his rules
Garrison Brown’s death on March 4 turned the tide on how the Brown family has been perceived publicly. Frustration set in for viewers who took issue with how Sister Wives Kody and Robyn Brown ostracized his son with Janelle Brown for three years prior to his passing.
Problems between Kody and his sons Gabriel and Garrison were rooted in rules related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Kody asked for his sons to quarantine from work, school, and friends, so he would be able to visit them.
However, Kody also said that if the boys weren’t compliant with his rules, they needed to move out. “That’s what I don’t understand, because if one of my little children were to die because somebody had to get his pencil wet, that made me so mad.”
In an October 2023 Sister Wives episode, Janelle said she was worried about how her kids were coping. “I have worried about my boys’ mental health,” she said. “Gabriel feels everything very, very deeply, and Garrison just seems angrier and sadder. He’s not as happy-go-lucky as he used to be.”
“We’ve reached out and tried to be open, but it’s been neglected and overlooked for offenses that were believed to have happened, but they never did,” Garrison told TLC’s cameras in a confessional with his siblings Savanah and Gabe.
However, Kody refuted this statement in his interview. “The idea that Robyn and I are rejecting them is not true. I have reached out only to get a rejection. They’re not being fair,” he said.
The Brown kids blamed ‘gaslighting’ Robyn and Kody for their estrangement
Season 18 was the first real insight Sister Wives viewers had into the private relationships between Kody Brown and some of his adult children. During a dinner at Garrison’s home, he, Gwendlyn, Savannah, and Gabriel Brown exposed Kody and Robyn’s lousy behavior.
Gwen revealed the Brown kids wanted to do a Secret Santa, but Robyn derailed their plans. “Robyn made it all about herself, bringing up how there’s all this past trauma. Which, by the way, where’s the trauma coming from? Because dad prefers them,”
“Robyn turned it into us trying to ostracize her and played the victim. We said no, this is about us trying to figure out how to do this and adjust to your new Christmas rules,” explained Garrison.
“She was gaslighting everyone into treating her with special treatment,” he added. Gwen agreed, “For the past eight years, she’s made herself the victim because she was the last wife.”
“I don’t care to talk to Robyn anymore. I’m not going to do this. I’m doing my own thing. And Robyn’s mad that she can’t have this effect on our lives anymore because we just don’t care anymore,” he continued.
“This is what I think all the siblings think. This is us going, Robyn, to have him; we don’t care anymore. We’re all grown adults that don’t need a father figure.”
However, reacting in his confessional, Kody exclaimed to his sons Gabriel and Garrison, “All of you are just kinda jerks. I don’t wanna be around you, and I am tired of it, and I don’t want to call them, and I don’t want to talk to them.”
Sister Wives airs on TLC. The series is currently on hiatus.
