‘Sister Wives’ Star, Kody Brown, Claims Christine Brown Used to Be ‘Compliant’

In 2010, Christine Brown was presented as Kody Brown’s always bubbly, relaxed third wife. Sweet-natured and maternal, Christine won over Sister Wives fans pretty quickly. In season 15, things started to change. More independent and far more opinionated, fans rooted for Christine as she found her voice and finally started expressing herself. The change seems to have unraveled Kody and Christine’s relationship. Now that Christine has opted to leave her plural marriage, Kody is finally analyzing what went wrong. In the most recent episode of Sister Wives, Kody recalled that Christine used to be “compliant.” The descriptor feels especially problematic when you consider the family dynamic. 

Christine was pretty meek when ‘Sister Wives’ fans first met her 

Christine and Kody’s marriage was never a love match, it would seem. Kody has made pretty awful statements about his early relationship with Christine, and she once described her wedding day as “morose.” Still, the couple married and settled into life together. 

Kody once said he loved Christine’s bubbly personality, noting that he appreciated the personality contrast Christine brought to the family. Christine served as a peacemaker in her role, softening the often tense interactions between Meri Brown, Kody’s first wife, and Janelle Brown, Kody’s second wife. Christine, for lack of a better term, seemed meek. Is that why Kody opted to court her? Based on some of his current statements, it’s possible. 

Kody Brown appears to have liked that Christine was ‘compliant’ 

For years, fans have noticed that Kody seemed to pay the most attention to the wives who were most outspoken about their needs. When Robyn Brown entered the family, the plural patriarch’s focus shifted entirely to Robyn and the family they built together. At first, Christine seemed pretty laid back about the changes. Eventually, things came to a breaking point. Once Christine began voicing her displeasure, her relationship with Kody seemed to deteriorate. 

Kody noted the change in the season 17 episode, “And Then There Were Three.” In one confessional-style interview, Kody noted that Christine used to be “compliant” but grew more independent when the Brown family struck down the idea of returning to Utah. His words certainly seemed to indicate he was fine with Christine being unhappy, as long as she didn’t voice those opinions and “complied” with his will. The notion feels especially unpleasant. 

Everything that is wrong with Kody describing Christine as ‘compliant’ 

For years, Sister Wives fans have been concerned about an inherent power imbalance inside the Brown family. To be fair, that power imbalance isn’t unique to the Browns. Several former polygamists have stepped forward to reveal just how unbalanced the structure of a polygamist family can be. The husband wields a great deal of authority, and in-fighting is not uncommon amongst sister wives who all wish to be the “favorite.” 

Kody’s use of the word “compliant” indicates that Christine was once willing to bow to his “authority.” The notion that Kody was an authority figure over Christine highlights the power imbalance and could explain why Christine opted to stay quiet about her feelings for so long. One could argue that Kody’s word choice suggests Christine’s marriage and the other wives’ marriages, by extension, were never true partnerships. 

Christine has since moved from Flagstaff, Arizona. She is currently living in Murray, Utah. While Christine is not dating just yet, the mother of six told People that she is interested in finding love again. What she isn’t interested in is reentering a polygamist relationship. She revealed that she’d be monogamous moving forward.