With Sister Wives’ Meri, Janelle, and Christine—Kody Brown’s ex-wives—removing their symbolic Claddagh rings, they’ve also shed their inhibitions, candidly discussing their failed marriages in season 19. The narrative of Sister Wives has expanded as Kody Brown’s affection has fragmented. Filming of this 19th season began in late 2022, spotlighting the deterioration of Kody’s marriages with Meri and Janelle Brown, while Robyn Brown—his only legal wife—faced the reality of being the last one standing. In the season trailer from August, Robyn expressed her feelings as, “I feel like the idiot that got left behind,” highlighting the upcoming themes. An opening card suggested the season might also address Garrison Brown’s suicide in March 2024, but for now, the focus is on the former polygamous family’s marital strife and its repercussions.
Christine Brown, who announced her split from Kody in November 2021, expressed her elation at escaping the marriage even before meeting her now-husband, David Wooley. “Before I left Kody, I was kind of dreading, you know, if I leave him, I’m going to be single,” she revealed on the Sept. 15 season opener. “But, no, I love it.” Christine also noted she wouldn’t engage in superficial small talk with Kody and Robyn at family gatherings, emphasizing, “I’m not going to be friendly.” Similarly, Meri is ready to reveal more, without fear of Kody’s reaction. Reflecting in her confessional, Meri said, “He’s going to be so mad at me in this interview, and I’m kind of not giving a flying rat’s ass.” Fans remain engaged as the Claddagh rings come off and the inhibition follows.
Here’s what the expansive Brown family has revealed this season on Sister Wives:
**Meri’s Perspective on Marriage Hope**
Kody had suggested to Meri that their 2018 move to Flagstaff would be a fresh start, but Meri recalled in the Sept. 15 premiere how he often failed to communicate his true feelings and wants, leading her to evert her hopes on false promises for decades. His vague reassurances were, upon reflection, a way to push her out without having to leave himself.
**Kody’s Desire to Sell Coyote Pass**
Years after purchasing a 14-acre plot in Flagstaff, Kody contemplated scrapping or selling it, but Robyn disagreed, revealing a divide in their visions for the property.
**Janelle’s Reason for Leaving Kody**
While Janelle initially cited growing apart as the reason for their split, it was ultimately Kody’s lackluster parenting relationship with their children that convinced her to leave.
**Kody’s Family Estrangement**
Kody expressed feeling “excommunicated” from his own family, maintaining relationships with only Robyn and their children. He struggled to reconcile with his older children, stating it didn’t feel like a family anymore.
**Tensions in Robyn and Kody’s Marriage**
Despite being in a monogamous relationship for the first time, Robyn confessed their marriage was at its worst. She felt constantly on edge, trying to prevent Kody from sabotaging their relationship.
**Maddie’s Estrangement from Kody**
Maddie, Janelle’s eldest daughter, ceased communication with her father due to inconsistency in his relationship with her children, fostering greater division within the family.
**Kody’s Admission about Meri**
On their 32nd anniversary, Kody implied he never loved Meri, an assertion she struggled to understand given their history and his proposal. Kody dismissed Meri’s accusations but acknowledged the hardships of their relationship.
**Janelle’s Legal Action Concerning Coyote Pass**
Janelle considered legal action regarding the Arizona property to secure her financial interests, recognizing her lack of legal rights due to their spiritual, but not legal, marriage.
**Family Finances and Robyn’s House**
The family had pooled resources in the past but faced complexities in disentangling finances, especially regarding Robyn’s house.
**Challenges with Family Money and Trust**
Janelle criticized Kody’s prioritization of other financial needs over their property, reflecting broader issues of trust and financial management within the fragmented family.
**Janelle and Christine’s Core Family Unit**
Janelle and Christine maintained a close bond with their children, seeing them as the core family, while contacts with Meri, Robyn, and Kody diminished.
**Kody’s Reflection on His Marriages**
Kody reminisced about better times in Las Vegas, linking the collapse of his marriages to deteriorating relationships with his kids, though Christine asserted these issues predated their separation.
**Spiritual Divorce and Accountability**
Despite lacking a legal marriage, Meri planned to seek a spiritual divorce from the church, a move Kody resisted, reflecting deeper issues of accountability and faith.
**Sibling Relations and Misunderstandings**
Complications in sibling relationships emerged, with Robyn’s children feeling unwelcomed, though Christine described efforts to integrate them.
**Janelle’s Perspective on Plural Marriage**
Janelle appreciated the independence and community in a functional plural marriage, valuing the family unit.