Thanks, I Hate It

‘Sister Wives’: Will Kody Brown Continue to Play the Blame Game in Season 19?

Will Kody be allowed free reign by TLC to speak poorly about his family in light of recent tragic events?

by Lucille Barilla

Published on June 1, 2024

3 min read

Sister Wives star Kody Brown will have all eyes on him during Season 19. In light of estranged relationships with his children, the dissolution of three of his four marriages, and the death of his son Garrison. The Brown family patriarch will never be more scrutinized than this season. However, Kody’s historically played the blame game among his family members. Will that happen again?

‘Sister Wives’ Season 19 may frame Kody Brown differently

All eyes will be on Kody Brown as Season 19 of Sister Wives commences. How the episodes are framed is up to production. But Kody’s behavior will undoubtedly take center stage as scenes filmed before and after Garrison Brown’s death could be the season’s cornerstone.

As Season 18 ended, Kody was painted as the true villain of the TLC series. In a telling episode titled “Battle Lines are Drawn,” Kody, Christine, and Janelle’s children discussed their feelings about how Kody left them behind for Robyn Brown and her children.

Gwendlyn Brown bluntly said Kody preferred spending time with Robyn and her children. Garrison shared, “You know what, Robyn? Have him. We’re all grown adults who no longer need a father figure.”

Kody responded to his children’s comments. “All those things they say about me are reciprocated. I don’t want to talk to them.”

However, there is a good chance production may try and build a redemption arc for Kody this season. TLC can’t, in good conscience, continue to paint Kody as the most vilified human on reality television in light of his son’s passing.

But, for the sake of ratings, they just may allow Kody to continue to self sabotage himself, and continue to play the blame game he started in Season 15 with wives Christine and Janelle, and their children. However TLC edits the show, one thing is for certain. Viewers are hopeful this season leans more into the Brown family’s present than the past.

Will the show finally be updated to present-day events?

Typically, Sister Wives is more than a year behind on content. TLC airing Christine’s wedding special only a few months after her nuptials to David Wooley was completely out of the ordinary.

Garrison Brown’s death may force the series to adjust its content. If the series pushes this family tragedy to Season 20, Sister Wives could lose many viewers who would truly feel TLC used the horrific event to capitalize on the milestone season.

Season 19 will likely feature Gwendlyn Brown’s wedding to Beatriz Queiroz. It took place on July 15, 2023, and TLC’s cameras were present.

Mykelti Brown, a star of the TLC reality show Sister Wives, and her husband, Tony Padron, had twin sons, Archer Banks and Ace McCord, on November 17, 2022. Their birth may be featured during Season 19. However, the boys already appeared as one-year-olds during Christine’s wedding episode, so introducing them as newborns would be awkward.

Maddie Brown had her third child in February 2023, a little girl named Josephine. Her arrival was not previously featured on Sister Wives and could also appear during Season 19.

TLC could also touch on Christine’s courtship with David Wooley as the new season unfolds. The show may also feature Meri Brown’s life without Kody in Utah.

A good way for TLC to get fans up to speed quickly would be one episode that pushes the family timeline to three to six months behind present-day events. Then, fans wouldn’t feel like they are watching old news.

Season 18 was over a year behind real-life Brown family milestones

Meri, Robyn, Kody, Christine, and Janelle Brown of TLC's 'Sister Wives' — Meri, Robyn, Kody, Christine, and Janelle Brown of TLC’s ‘Sister Wives’ | TLC

Sister Wives Season 18 was over a year behind a real-life Brown family timeline. The first episode of the series featured scenes filmed in the Winter of 2021.

Christine Brown left Kody Brown in November 2021. Subsequently, the family debated handling the 2021 holiday season in the season’s first episode, which aired in August 2023.

TLC has never addressed why the series is historically so far behind other reality television shows. However, the logistics of filming in separate homes may lead to filming delays.

Sister Wives is currently on hiatus. Season 19 will air sometime later this year.