How Sister Wives’ Robyn Brown Changed Kody Brown’s Views on Marriage

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For most of his decades-long marriages, Sister Wives star Kody Brown wasn’t all that choosy.

He explained on the October 12th episode of the TLC series that disagreements are common in his plural marriage with Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, and Christine Brown. Because each of his wives valued their independence, he often allowed them to make their own decisions rather than trying to resolve every small issue.

But when Robyn Brown joined the squad in 2010, she demanded he call some plays. 

The father of eighteen children explained that when he met his current wife, Robyn, she took charge, saying she wanted him involved in her life and all of her decisions.

And his new managerial role came with some perks.

Kody expressed amazement that she’d given him a home office, adding that his other wives easily could have offered the same thing.

Instead, they gave him their two week’s notice. 

After Christine revealed she was ending her thirty-year marriage in 2021, and Janelle and Meri soon followed, Kody and Robyn were unexpectedly left as the only couple still together.

Kody explained at the start of season 20 that he and Robyn were in a plural marriage, but it ended when the other wives left. He clarified that while they are now in a monogamous relationship, it wasn’t a choice they actively made – it just happened after everyone else left.

Nor was he fully prepared for what it meant to be a 24/7 father to his and Robyn’s children. 

Kody used to prioritize spending time with each of his four families separately. Now that he’s settled down and no longer constantly moving between homes, he feels much more connected and involved in everyone’s daily lives.

Robyn admits it’s taken some getting used to. She explains that Kody’s time was divided, only being present a few times a week, and she believes having multiple wives meant he didn’t feel the need to communicate and check in as often as someone in a traditional, monogamous relationship would.

Now that Kody has committed to being with only one woman, he’s starting to worry about the consequences of his choice.

Robyn observed that he’s always tended to have many close relationships. She worries he might struggle with the idea of being exclusive, since he’s not used to it. She finds it confusing, though, because they’ve never had issues with commitment before and she doesn’t understand why things would change now.

Still, Kody is hopeful he can keep, er, busy with just one spouse. 

As he predicted on the September 28th episode, someone in a polygamous relationship is experiencing an excess of attention, while someone in a monogamous relationship feels neglected.

However, he and his ex-spouses have already shared a lot of details about both their time together and their lives since the divorce. Here’s a look at what they’ve revealed so far this season.

Now officially separated from her ex-husband, Kody Brown, Janelle Brown shared in the season 20 premiere of *Sister Wives* that she’s taking a similar approach to Meri Brown.

Though they were married for 29 years, Christine was never legally married to Kody. She explained on the show’s premiere that she’d considered ending their relationship spiritually a long time ago, but didn’t know it was possible. When Meri pursued a spiritual divorce, Christine realized she could do the same and asked Meri for advice.

Janelle’s former sister wife—who had been released from their church because she felt abandoned—was happy to help connect Janelle with other family members. Janelle explained, ‘She’s been really helpful in getting me back in touch with everyone.’

Madison Brush is still dealing with the fallout from her father’s actions. She revealed on the September 28th episode of the show that she’s still hurt and struggling with her strained relationship with her dad, Kody. She is one of six children Kody shares with his ex-wife, Janelle.

The mother of four admitted she hopes her husband’s father will be present, and that she desires a resolution to their issues. She acknowledged her own role in the situation, adding that she’s frustrated because she’s still working on managing her expectations and avoiding disappointment.

She’s having a hard time accepting him as he is. She’s realizing he may not have known how to be there for her, and that he could be dealing with his own pain. It’s a process she’s still working through.

He also might not be willing to cede too much ground. 

As a longtime follower, it’s heartbreaking to see everything unfold. Kody keeps saying he wants to repair things with Meri, Janelle, and especially Christine – and with all the kids, of course. But he admits they’ve reached a point where any chance of reconciliation can *only* happen if they decide it’s right, and on their terms. It feels like he’s realizing he doesn’t fully control the situation anymore.

Robyn Brown, Kody’s last remaining wife, says she always desired a family, not just a relationship with him. On the September 28th episode of the show, she shared that she had received marriage proposals before, though not always formal ones. She explained that several men had told her they would marry her quickly if she’d have them.

She consistently stated her intention to enter a plural marriage. She added that if Kody hadn’t already been married with three wives at the time, she would have been equally open to a relationship with him.

Kody explained that, despite not planning to be exclusive, he and his partner had unintentionally become a monogamous couple, playfully declaring, “It’s just you and me now.”

Though he admittedly had one concern. 

Kody hinted to Robyn that he desired a more fulfilling intimate life. He later explained in a private interview that he believed polygamy allowed him to have more satisfaction than a traditional, monogamous relationship, where he felt someone might be missing out.

Meri is actively dating and has a clear idea of what she wants in a partner. She’s looking for a tall man who enjoys traveling, and importantly, loves dogs – she’s not a fan of cats! She shared this on an October 5th episode of the show.

And she definitely needs someone who won’t scare easily. 

She recounted a difficult dating experience, explaining that a man she was talking to ended the conversation as soon as he learned she practiced polygamy. He told her he wasn’t interested in continuing a relationship with someone who did, which she found very hurtful. She felt rejected simply because of her lifestyle.

Meri explained that it was the first time she truly understood that some people would be hesitant to even begin a conversation with her because of who she was.

Janelle believes she was the only one in her large family who really desired to settle on Coyote Pass.

On the October 3rd episode of the show, Janelle revealed she wasn’t sure she ever truly envisioned the whole family living on their 14-acre property, Coyote Pass, which they bought before moving to Flagstaff, Arizona in 2018.

Although Kody’s second wife thought living there could work—she said it was a nice property and wondered why not—she believed her ex-husband and his other wives were only briefly interested in the idea.

She explained that no one was eager to live in that area, especially not Christine. Meri would have agreed to move if others had been willing to do so as well.

You know, when it came to Kody and Robyn’s last house, it was a really strange situation. Janelle put it perfectly – it felt like a house that wasn’t quite finished or fully lived in, even though it was on a beautiful two-acre property with five bedrooms. They recently sold it for $1.7 million, so it clearly had value, but it just didn’t seem to *feel* like a home to them.

You know, when my family first moved to Flagstaff, we inherited a piece of land that was originally divided into four sections. Honestly, it quickly became clear to me that trying to maintain those separate parcels just wasn’t going to work. It seemed impractical from the start, and I knew we’d have to rethink things.

Kody believes he knows why his relationships with most of his adult children – excluding Robyn’s oldest, Dayton, and her daughters Aurora and Breanna – aren’t very good.

He admitted on October 5th that he has difficult relationships with his grown children. He explained the problem stems from hurtful comments and subtle jabs, which have damaged trust and created tension for everyone involved.

And these days, not many of his grown kids are on Team Kody. 

Even though Mykelti Padron, one of Christine’s six children, had seemed the most publicly supportive of her father, she shared her thoughts on the family split several months after she, her husband Tony Padron, and their three children moved to North Carolina.

She believes that if he simply took responsibility for his actions, at least some of his children would try to reconnect with him. Instead of constantly blaming his kids, his other wife, their parents, or rumors, she thinks a simple apology – like saying, ‘I understand I messed up. I’m sorry. Can we talk?’ – would make a huge difference, as she shared during a fan Q&A on Instagram (@withoutacrystalball) in October 2024.

When Coyote Pass was sold in April 2025, Janelle and Meri finalized their separations from Kody and received money from the sale. Christine had previously given up her share of the land in exchange for keeping the profits from selling her house in Arizona.

On the October 5th episode, Janelle playfully told Meri it felt like saying, “Goodbye, and I don’t expect to see you again.”

But she certainly wouldn’t have waved off an even nicer present. 

Let’s be real, if Kody and I had actually been legally married, I would have absolutely expected a fair split of everything – half of his assets would have been rightfully mine. It’s just basic fairness when you’re legally bound to someone and things end.

Kody and Robyn had to finalize the purchase of their new $2.1 million home before they could give up on their plans for Coyote Pass. Kody explained on the October 12th episode that selling Coyote Pass only became possible once they found a different house they truly wanted.

The father of 18 children is also looking forward to leaving behind the painful memories associated with their old house. He explained, “We’ve gone through a lot of difficult times here, and we’re hoping for a fresh start – a completely new chapter in our lives.”

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2025-10-13 08:18