The Brown Family Appears to Be Imploding Just Like the Duggars
TLC has a knack for finding reality TV families with big skeletons in their closets. The network also finds families that eventually implode, often on a national stage. The Brown family of Sister Wives is just the latest TLC family to weather some serious issues and allegations, but they are not the first. Fans can’t help but notice that the Brown family appears to be unraveling, much like the Duggar family. The Brown family is being a lot more vocal about it, though.
The Brown family’s familial issues are coming to light right now
Sister Wives fans spent all of season 17 watching three of Kody Brown’s four marriages disintegrate. The real drama started when the screen went black on the latest season. In the days since the tell-all episodes, Meri Brown has announced her divorce from Kody Brown, Paedon Brown has accused Meri Brown of abuse, and Gwendlyn Brown has suggested no one should support her brother. She called him “the most awful person she’s ever had the displeasure of knowing” in a social media post.
The family’s drama isn’t slowing down anytime soon, either. The floodgates have opened, and things appear to be getting candid quickly. We don’t know what that means for the family’s future on TLC, though.
The Duggar family’s drama has played out for years
The Duggar family’s show Counting On was canceled following Josh Duggar’s arrest on child pornography charges. That wasn’t the first scandal Josh was a part of, though. In 2015, In Touch revealed that Josh had molested several of his siblings and a family friend before the family was on TV. The bombshell revelation placed family matriarch and patriarch Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar in the hot seat for failing to protect their daughters after the abuse came to light.
Several years later, Jill Dillard and her husband, Derick Dillard, admitted they were mostly estranged from Jim Bob Duggar. Monetary disputes, allegations of verbal abuse, and claims of being banned from the family compound made headlines. The rest of the Duggars, however, have remained relatively quiet. Still, family followers suspect much more family drama is lurking behind closed doors.
Is the Brown family imploding just like the Duggars?
Whether or not the Brown family is imploding as the Duggars did depends on who you ask. It’s safe to say that more Brown family members are vocal about their problems than the tight-lipped Duggar family.
Several of the Brown kids are happily airing out the family’s dirty laundry, often for profit. There is no need to read between the lines or draw your own conclusions. The Duggars have been much more muted in their response to family drama. Fans must often draw conclusions based on photographs and who the Duggars choose to shout out at any given moment. That may all change at the end of January when Jinger Duggar releases a memoir. If another Duggar does the same, all bets are off.
Whether you believe the Duggars and the Browns have followed a similar spiral trajectory, one thing is certain. Reality TV seems to bring toxic family dynamics into the spotlight. We don’t know if that’s a good thing, though.
The Browns and the Duggars aren’t the only reality TV families with big problems
To be fair, The Browns and the Duggars are far from the only reality TV families to weather serious issues while the cameras were rolling. Jacob Roloff of Little People, Big World accused a former executive producer on the show of sexual abuse. Roloff, who stopped appearing in the family’s show years ago, has been a staunch opponent of reality TV, especially series that feature children. Roloff took to social media in 2022 to explain why he opted to come forward. The Plath family, featured on the show Welcome to Plathville, has had plenty of scandals, including the DUI arrest of Kim Plath.
TLC isn’t the only network that finds complicated families. Todd and Julie Chrisley, famed for their show Chrisley Know Best, are set to begin serving lengthy prison sentences for bank fraud. Todd was sentenced to 12 years behind bars. His wife, Julie, will be behind bars for seven years. The drama unfolded while the family filmed Chrisley Knows Best. The series aired on USA. Jen Shah of The Real Housewives franchise will spend time in prison, too, just like Teresa and Joe Giudice did. Several Teen Mom cast members have battled legal troubles, addiction, and complicated co-parenting relationships for years in front of viewers.
