‘Sister Wives’: 3 Ways Kody Brown’s Marriage ‘Charade’ Was Clear as Day
Sister Wives viewers remain an astute lot who are as dedicated to as they are critical of the Brown family. Throughout 17 seasons of the TLC series, the Browns have spent lots of time trying to cover up some of the not-so-nice parts of their polygamist marriages. However, some viewers maintain that they’ve seen through Kody Brown’s marriage “charade” from the beginning. Here are three ways his ruse was clear as day.
Kody Brown’s claim that ‘love should be multiplied, not divided’ fell flat in season 1
TLC’s Sister Wives set up the premise of their series in its first season. In a voiceover where the cast is introduced, and each takes a moment to speak, Kody Brown claimed he could manage to keep four wives happy. He told viewers, “love should be multiplied, not divided.”
Each wife provided a voiceover for their introduction. Meri shared, “I believe in living this lifestyle. It just makes each of us better.” Janelle followed with, “I think we have something awesome. I wouldn’t want anything else.”
Christine spoke third. She said, “I like sister wives. I wanted the family; I didn’t just want the man.” The intro concluded with Robyn, who said, “It seems like destiny. Like we should have all been together from day one.”
However, there were cracks in the veneer of the Brown family from the very beginning when Kody gave the woman he was courting, Robyn Brown, equal time as his three other wives before they even spiritually said, “I do.”
One fan said of the first season on Reddit, “The moment where I was like f*** this guy was watching him court Robyn while Christine was heavily pregnant with Truely. It didn’t feel like we were watching him fulfill some sacred religious duty. It felt like watching a charade of a man in a midlife crisis have an affair and destroy his family.”
Moving from Las Vegas to Flagstaff was reportedly for a better life, but fans later found out it was for Robyn Brown
In 2018, Kody Brown decided moving his entire family from Las Vegas to Flagstaff, Arizona, would be best. The Brown family lived in Las Vegas for over seven years before relocating in 2018.
They sold their houses in 2019 and purchased a plot of land called Coyote Pass for $820,000. They have yet to break ground more than five years later because they still owe money on several parcels.
According to tax records obtained by In Touch, Kody and Robyn Brown owe $6,711.77 in taxes on the property. Currently, none of the Brown family lives on Coyote Pass.
Paedon Brown revealed details of the move in a 3-hour interview for John Yates’s YouTube channel. He claims the family moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, because Robyn wanted to follow her oldest son, Dayton, to college.
Kody Brown’s son explained the family had no relatives or anyone they knew in Flagstaff. He alluded that Arizona wasn’t even discussed until Dayton was accepted to college in the area.
‘Sister Wives’ Kody Brown acted disengaged toward three wives and their children
Before spiritually marrying Robyn Brown, Kody Brown appeared disengaged from his three existing wives and their combined 13 children. From episode one, Kody never gave enough time to his wives or children. Instead, he spent hours outside of the home working and, at night, focused on one wife at a time.
Throughout the day, Christine tended to all the kids while Meri and Janelle worked to provide for their supersized family. In the early morning hours, Janelle relied on Logan to help with chores around the house and tend to his siblings.
However, in the show’s earliest seasons, the Browns lived in a multi-family home. Therefore, all Kody needed to do was walk down the hall, wake up his children, and get them ready for their day. Instead, this task was left up to his oldest son.
A second Reddit user says the series “stank of midlife crises, deceit, adultery, and neglect from the first episode. The oldest children were forced to act as parents to the younger siblings, whether they wanted to or not because their mothers were stretched too thin by the demands of a polygamous household.”
They continued, “Forget the father. No child got any consistent, individualized attention or nurturing from their parents, no matter how much their parents may have tried, because there weren’t enough family resources (time and money) to provide that for them.”
Gwendyln Brown weighed in on that assessment in a YouTube video. She revealed she never got one-on-one time with her father when she was younger. Gwendlyn claimed only her mother, Christine, was always present for her.
Sister Wives is currently on hiatus. The series will reportedly return for season 18 in Sept. 2023.
