It’s a full house! Between his three wives, one ex-partner and 18 children, Sister Wife star Kody Brown his hands are full at home.
The salesman’s family became the subject of intrigue when the first season of the TLC reality series premiered in September 2010. At the time, Kody was dating. Robyn BrownHis fourth wife and first new partner entered the family at 16 years old.
Kody is legally married to his first wife, Meri Brown, from April 1990 until their divorce in September 2014. Although they are no longer considered a couple according to the law, they are still “spiritually married”. However, their relationship has not been smooth over the years.
“Meri and I have been in a very dark place for a long time,” Kody said Us Weekly exclusive in February 2021 ahead of the season 15 premiere of Sister Wife. “It’s more about trying to get out of the hole we’ve dug ourselves in. … I hope some communication can heal things. It’s been a long time and it’s been very difficult.
Even though it wasn’t always perfect, Kody said he couldn’t leave his wife. (Along with Meri and Robyn, he also “spiritually married” his second and third wives, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown.)
“In plural marriage, I don’t feel I have the right to say, ‘This is over, this is over,'” he said. us at the time, admitted that there was a “double standard in some sense” in the polygamous community. “I feel like that [my wives] must know that – that they can leave. If it doesn’t work, they can leave. No one will be a prisoner here.
However, the trouble is not only between him and Meri. As his family adapts to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Kody notices a “psychic tension” between him and all of his wives.
“I feel like my husband lives four lives, but I don’t feel like he lives four lives,” he said. us in February 2021. “I’m sort of strung out on the conveyor belt of this relationship. … In fact, it’s like my husband is in four different worlds. They’re all in different stages of life. … It’s a real challenge.”
In November 2021, Kody and his third wife, Christine, announced their separation after more than 25 years together.
“Christine’s decision to leave comes with great sadness,” Kody wrote in a statement at the time, following Christine’s split announcement. “We enjoyed many years together and I appreciate and respect him. Even if we go our separate ways, we will remain devoted parents.
As Sister Wife grew popular, the Brown family sparked a lot of controversy. In 2011, he sued the state of Utah and challenged its criminal polygamy law. The Browns were successful when the case was brought to district court in 2013, but a three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously dismissed the suit three years later.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Kody and his unique family.
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The ‘Sister Wives’ Family: A Guide to All of Kody Brown’s Wives and Children
It’s a full house! Between his three wives, one ex-partner and 18 children, Sister Wife star Kody Brown his hands are full at home. The salesman’s family became the subject of intrigue when the first season of the TLC reality series premiered in September 2010. At the time, Kody was dating. Robyn Brown, his fourth wife and the first new couple to enter the family in 16 years. Kody is legally married to his first wife, Meri Brown, from April 1990 until their divorce in September 2014. While they are no longer considered a married couple by law, they continue to have a “spiritual marriage”. However, their relationship has not been smooth over the years. “Meri and I have been in a very dark place for a long time,” Kody said Us Weekly exclusive in February 2021 ahead of the season 15 premiere of Sister Wife. “It’s more about trying to get out of this hole that we dug ourselves. … Hopefully some communication will heal things. It’s been a long time and it’s been very difficult.” Even though it wasn’t always perfect, Kody said he couldn’t leave his wife. (Along with Meri and Robyn, he also “spiritually married” his second and third wives, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown.) “In a plural marriage, I don’t feel I have the right to say, ‘This is over, this is over,'” he said. us at the time, admitted that there was a “double standard in some sense” in the polygamous community. “I feel like [my wives] must know that – that they can leave. If it doesn’t work, they can leave. No one will be a prisoner here.”
[jwplayer V9TewLZM-l3ahXupL]However, the trouble is not only between him and Meri. As his family adapts to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Kody notices a “psychic tension” between him and all of his wives. “I feel that my husband lives four separate lives, but I don’t feel that I live four separate lives,” he said. us in February 2021. “I’m tired of being on this conveyor belt of a relationship. … In fact, it seems like my husband is in four different worlds. They’re all in different stages of life. … It’s a real challenge.” In November 2021, Kody and his third wife, Christine, announced their separation after more than 25 years together. “Christine’s decision to leave comes with great sadness,” Kody wrote in a statement at the time, following Christine’s split announcement. “We enjoyed many years together and I respect and honor him. Even if we go on different paths, we will remain faithful parents. As Sister Wife grew popular, the Brown family sparked a lot of controversy. In 2011, he sued the state of Utah and challenged its criminal polygamy law. The Browns were successful when the case was brought to district court in 2013, but a three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously dismissed the suit three years later. Keep scrolling to learn more about Kody and his unique family.
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Kody Brown
This Wyoming native was raised Mormon by his parents Genielle Brown and William Brown, who were also polygamous later in life and had three wives. “Every polygamist has thought to himself how wonderful it is [monogamy] maybe,” Kody said us exclusive in February 2021. “You know, ‘The grass is greener.’ … But every family in polygamy is very different.”
Credit: Courtesy of Meri Brown / Instagram
Meri Brown
Meri, Kody’s first wife, grew up in California in a family of 25 siblings. The couple was introduced by one of Kody’s brothers in 1989 and married in April 1990. They welcomed their only child five years later. Kody and Meri were legally married until September 2014, when they divorced so Kody could marry his fourth wife, Robyn.
In February 2021, Kody told us that his relationship with Meri had been “in a very dark place” for some time. “It’s more about trying to get out of this hole that we dug ourselves,” he explained. “I hope time heals things. I hope some communication heals things. It’s been a long time and it’s been hard.”
In June 2022, Meri and Kody’s son, Leon, came out as transgender and queer. “I’m very young & unfortunately, I grew up in an incredibly gendered & restrictive context,” she wrote via Instagram, adding that she also goes by “Leo” and prefers to use pronouns. “So I continued to be. socialized as a girl & later became a woman. and here, I am finally ready to show the world that I love the most. Meri shared Leon’s post through her Instagram story, proudly declaring, “You are my sunshine .”
During Wives: One by one special in December 2022, Meri revealed that Kody had “already decided” her fate when she claimed she didn’t “think” the couple would get married. “We have a lot of history and I love him,” she said during the story. “And he has chosen not to love me and not want a relationship with me.”
Credit: Courtesy of Janelle S. Brown/Instagram
Janelle Brown
Meri introduced Kody to his second wife, Janelle, who was not raised with polygamy in her family. The couple “spiritually married” in January 1993 and later welcomed six children: a son Logan, Hunter, Robert and Gabrieland daughter Maddie and Savannah.
The Arizona resident previously told me us in April 2020 she thought “there would be more friendship” between her and Kody’s other wife if they spent more time together amid the COVID-19 crisis. “I really think it will be easier to deal with the quarantine if we are all under one roof because we have to be separate,” he said at the time, noting that it would be “easier” for everyone if they did not take care of “separate households.”
Janelle and Kody became grandparents while Maddie and her husband, Caleb’s brushwelcomed two children of their own: son Axel in January 2017 and daughter Evangalynn in August 2019.
In December 2022, Janelle confirmed during Wives: One by one specifically she and Kody have been “split up for months”. Kody, for his part, confirmed the news, saying, “Yes, we’re breaking up. … Janelle has made it clear to me that she’s happy living without me.”
Credit: Courtesy of Christine Brown/Instagram
Christine Brown
Kody met Christine through her sister in 1990 and the pair became fast friends. During their first date on Valentine’s Day in 1994, Kody proposed. They were “spiritually married” a month later. Kody has six other children with his third wife: a son Paedon and a daughter Aspin, Mykelti, Gwendlyn, Ysabel and Absolutely. In September 2020, Mykelti announced that she is expecting her first child with her husband Tony Padron.
Having grown up in a polygamous family, Christine wanted the same situation for herself. “I just want to be third [wife]. I never wanted to be the first, at all. … I just want to be third because it sounds the easiest,” he once said. However, Kody told us in February 2021 the dynamic begins to become “strange.”
She added, “It feels more like it’s just this independent relationship and we’re less of a family.”
The two announced in November 2021 that they would be separating. “After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have separated and I have made the difficult decision to leave,” Christine wrote in a statement at the time. “We will continue to be strong in each other’s lives as we co-parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family.”
Credit: Courtesy of Robyn Brown/Instagram
Robyn Brown
Kody and Robyn, a divorced mother of three, met at church in 2009 and “spiritually married” a year later. Both welcomed a son Solomon in October 2011 and daughter Ariella in January 2016.
In December 2014, Kody and Robyn were legally married so that Kody could officially adopt his wife’s fourth child from a previous marriage: a son. David and daughter Aurora and Brenna. When talking to us in February 2021, Kody signaled that he wanted to continue growing his blended family.
“I think it’s up to Robyn,” he said at the time. “But every time I ask him, he always says, ‘Well, it’s up to us. We make this decision together.'”