Kody Brown Faces Family Fallout in Latest ‘Sister Wives’ Episode
In a candid moment on the recent episode of ‘Sister Wives’, Kody Brown, the head of the unconventional Brown family, took a step back and admitted his part in the family’s unraveling after his split from Christine Brown.
“I made the mistake of not managing my family properly and Christine has left,” Kody, 54, candidly confessed on the August 27 episode. This referred to his breakup with Christine, 51, back in November 2021.
As Thanksgiving rolled around, Kody took a moment to reflect on the highs and lows of his family life. While he celebrated with Meri Brown and Robyn Brown, along with Robyn’s kids, Christine and Janelle Brown decided to celebrate separately with their own children.
Addressing the camera, Kody shared, “Janelle has decided, because we’re not in the greatest place, that she’d rather hang out with Christine.” He didn’t shy away from the tough truth, admitting, “We’re not working like a family. We’re not a family. We’re acting like enemies.”
Rocky Roads of Kody Brown and His Sister Wives
Kody Brown’s relationships with his four wives — Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn — have had their share of ups and downs. But the shocker was when most of his wives began to leave him. Back in 2010, viewers were introduced to the Brown family when Kody was legally married to Meri…
Janelle, 54, chimed in with her perspective, sharing that there was a “huge looming problem” involving Kody and their six kids, particularly their sons Garrison, 25, and Gabe, 21, that kept her away from the Thanksgiving gathering. She previously had disagreements with Kody over COVID rules, sparked by differing opinions about their sons’ behavior.
“I basically told the kids what their dad was requiring of them to come to Thanksgiving. I delivered the facts. I delivered what he said,” Janelle remarked. She made it clear that Kody needed to step up, saying, “He needs to do something here. He’s the head of the family. He wants to be the patriarch. This is part of that role.”
Meanwhile, Christine had her own take on her split from Kody. She revealed that her decision to skip the family dinner was a result of longstanding issues. “Our family has been hurting for a long time. We’ve done our best to be as OK as possible. But there’s still hurt feelings from 12 years ago,” she shared. “It’s at a breaking point. Sorry, it’s just at a breaking point.”
Thanksgiving Apart: ‘Sister Wives’ Stars Make It Their Own
The stars of ‘Sister Wives’, including Christine and Janelle Brown, took a unique approach to Thanksgiving 2022 by celebrating individually and sharing their moments on social media. Just before the holiday, Christine joyfully announced the birth of her daughter’s twin boys.
Despite Kody’s claim that Robyn’s arrival in the family wasn’t the root cause of the shakeup, it’s hard to ignore the tensions that seemed to start around the time he legally married her in 2014. He’s convinced the drama began with them “going public”.
Robyn, saddened by Christine and Janelle’s absence for the second year running, shared, “We’re all separated. My three older kids when I told them we’re going to be separated at Thanksgiving again, they dealt with feelings of rejection.”
Kody echoed similar feelings, admitting, “There’s been a lot of offense, a lot of struggle, a lot of heartache. I don’t know what to do about it.” He’s on a mission to restore harmony, saying, “I hope I can get these things straightened out and just find peace and love with my family. Everything’s changing.”
Despite the Thanksgiving turmoil, Kody found a bit of humor, noting, “I’m surrounded by people who are not offended by me.”
Meri, too, weighed in, expressing her sadness at how the holidays have changed. “I’m just sad about it. Our holidays are not a big family function like they used to be.”
The Aftermath: A Thanksgiving Epiphany
After filming the Thanksgiving episode in November 2022, more drama unfolded. Janelle and Meri announced their separations from Kody. In December 2022, Janelle confirmed their separation. Meri and Kody jointly announced their decision to “permanently terminate” their marriage in January.
As ‘Sister Wives’ marked a decade-high season return in ratings on August 20, the ups and downs of this unconventional family continue to captivate viewers. The show airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.