Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Says This Caused His Rift With His Kids

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According to Kody Brown from Sister Wives, the issues he’s having with most of his grown children aren’t his fault.

On the December 21st episode of the TLC series, the family’s father was open to reconciling with his ex-wife, Christine Brown Woolley, but didn’t want her husband, David Woolley, to discuss the family drama.

Following Kody’s apology to his second wife—who had announced their split in 2021—for telling her he never loved her and portraying himself as the victim, David offered to share some advice.

The father of eight, who had also lost his spouse, advised, “Focus on your children. Let them see you processing your grief, because while romantic partners may find new relationships, your kids still need time to heal.”

Kody, who often clashes with the children he shares with his former wives Christine, Meri Brown, and Janelle Brown, didn’t want to address this specific issue.

The father of 18 children explained in a private interview that he was focused on apologizing to Christine, and that was his only goal. He stated he was drawing a line, similar to how he does with his own kids, and his apology wasn’t intended for David or anyone else.

Kody also explained that he didn’t want to discuss the details of his disagreements with his children, as he feared it would make him feel angry again.

Kody said he disliked David offering unsolicited advice because they often disagreed on things – David seemed to always take the opposing viewpoint.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve been following the Brown family closely, and it’s become clear that David, while he has spent time with Kody and Christine’s six children – Aspyn, Mykelti, Paedon, Gwendlyn, Ysabel, and Truely – he’s still navigating a complex situation. Kody has expressed that David thinks he understands polygamy, but honestly, his perspective is limited. He’s simply missing a lot of the bigger picture, which is understandable given his relatively new involvement.

And Kody’s viewpoint is that the friction stems from his splits with Meri, Janelle and Christine. 

Kody emphasized that these issues arose from the family dynamic as a whole, not from individual failings. He explained that the difficult experiences and pain his children felt stemmed from something ‘we’ all went through together, rather than anyone intentionally doing something wrong.

He said he was ready to talk and truly listen, even if it meant hearing accusations like, ‘Dad, you did this, you did this, you did this.’ He was prepared to allow those feelings to be expressed without interruption or defensiveness.

David, Christine, and he all agreed that they didn’t want just anyone getting involved and trying to help.

Kody asked that people encourage his children to talk to him directly, but he doesn’t want them taking sides or getting involved in his relationships with them.

Agreed Christine, “It’s your relationship with your kids.” 

For David, he left feeling he’d tried his best. 

David explained that when the other person abruptly ended the conversation, he felt he had to express himself clearly. He’s concerned about the impact on the man’s children, who he often sees and knows are hurting. He hopes the man will connect with each of them in a way that prioritizes their needs and feelings, not just his own. David emphasized that healthy relationships with children don’t work if only one person’s needs are considered.

For her part, Christine had no intention of making sure what happened in Vegas, stayed in Vegas. 

After a difficult conversation, she hoped a trip to Speed Vegas with Kody and David would send the right message to her kids. She wanted them to be able to ask about the outing and for her to reply that it was a great time, showing them it was okay to spend time with their father.

To start healing their relationship, she explained, they need to spend quality time having fun with their father, not just have formal meals and talks.

Now that many of Kody’s children have shared their feelings, here’s a look at what they’ve said about their difficult family relationships.

Gabriel Brown felt it was too late for his father, Kody Brown, to apologize. They had initially disagreed about Kody’s strict COVID rules and remained estranged even after restrictions eased.

According to Janelle Brown, Kody felt his children – Logan, Hunter, Garrison, Gabriel, Madison, and Savannah – hadn’t been supportive of him or followed his rules.

Gabriel explained to Janelle that the other person kept making it seem like he was the one who needed to apologize. Eventually, Gabriel told him, “If you’re not serious about working on our relationship, I don’t want to continue this conversation.” A couple of days later, the person texted Gabriel, saying he’d been thinking about what Gabriel said and offered forgiveness, asking for it in return. Gabriel responded by asking what exactly he was supposed to be forgiven for.

Oh my gosh, you guys, it’s just… he was SO close to his dad, practically traveled everywhere with him as a kid, but now he’s totally lost about what even happened. He told Janelle, and it broke my heart but also made me so proud, that he basically said to his dad, ‘Look, if you can’t change and take responsibility for your actions, I’m done. I won’t see you again.’ And he meant it! He actually said he’s okay with that, which is just… wow. It’s so sad, but so strong, you know?

Kody Brown intended to share his love among many children, but ended up spreading his time thin across his 18 kids. This led Ysabel Brown to worry that when David Woolley married her mother, Christine Brown, in 2023, he would become a father figure and replace her biological father in her life.

In a November 2024 interview, Ysabel tearfully expressed her fear that she was losing the opportunity to build a close relationship with her father.

Not that she didn’t appreciate David as a stepdad. 

She said he seems like a really involved and loving father, which is wonderful to see. She hopes to have a similarly close and special relationship with her own father.

She continues to hope for a better relationship with her father, recently sharing in November 2025 that they’ve never been particularly close.

Despite seeing Christine as both a mother and a father figure, she didn’t consider her relationship with Kody completely over. Even though he wouldn’t travel to support her after her back surgery during the pandemic, she maintained, “He’s still my dad, and I love him.”

Kody would prefer Paedon Brown, one of Christine’s children, keep quiet about him.

In a January 2023 interview with YouTuber John Yates, Paedon described unexpectedly receiving a phone call from his father. He said the hour-long conversation went surprisingly well, leading him to feel hopeful about reconnecting with his dad. “I thought, ‘Maybe I’m finally getting my father back,'” he explained.

Then he called his mom. 

Paedon Brown discovered, while speaking with his mother Christine (who also parents Aspyn Thompson, Mykelti Padron, Gwendlyn Queiroz, Ysabel, and Truely Brown), that Kody had attempted to influence producers to prevent his children from publicly criticizing him. He reportedly tried to add clauses to their contracts forbidding them from saying anything negative about him online or in other public forums.

Paedon said his mother wouldn’t let him share his side of the story with his siblings. She told him he needed to regain their trust and affection first. He realized his father hadn’t called to have a conversation, but rather to discourage him from speaking badly about him.

Gwendlyn admits she doesn’t really know the Kody Brown who is a father to his children with Robyn Brown. In a February 2023 YouTube video, she shared that it’s painful to see him being a good father to Solomon Brown and Ariella Brown when she didn’t experience that same level of fatherhood herself.

She’s glad her children have an involved father, but she points out that she didn’t experience that kind of enthusiastic support as a child. She doesn’t recall her own dad being particularly pleased when she had a good day at kindergarten, like finishing her lunch or making a friend.

That being said, she was still willing to play nice. 

In a January 2023 YouTube video she labeled their relationship as “very flip-floppy.” 

Gwendlyn shared that her relationship with her dad has improved, saying, ‘He’s sweet to me now.’ She invited Kody and Robyn to her wedding with Beatriz Queiroz in July 2023, explaining that while they’ve had disagreements, things are getting better, and seeing each other less often has helped them avoid conflict.

When she watches the show on Sunday nights, she admits she sometimes doesn’t like his behavior. But she quickly reminds herself that he’s going through a tough period, and that it’s hard for everyone involved. Ultimately, she remembers he’s still her father and he continues to treat her well.

Mykelti was one of the few Brown children who maintained close relationships with both her mothers, Robyn and Christine, and her fathers, Kody and Janelle. Because of this, she often tried to mediate and keep the peace during Kody’s three divorces.

However, over the past few years, she appears to have distanced herself from Kody Brown and his family. She’s recently begun sharing her perspective on their issues, following her move to North Carolina with her husband, Tony Padron, and their three children.

She believes that if he simply took responsibility for his actions, at least some of his children might try to reconnect with him. She explained in an October 2024 Q&A shared on Instagram (@withoutacrystalball) that instead of blaming his kids, his other wife, their parents, or rumors, a simple apology and willingness to discuss what he did wrong would make a big difference. She thinks saying something like, ‘I understand I messed up. I’m sorry. Can we talk?’ would go a long way towards rebuilding those relationships.

She strongly disagreed with his idea that he shouldn’t have to ask his children to work on fixing their relationship.

Regardless of any difficulties with her children, she always made an effort to reach out, knock on their door, and sincerely apologize, repeatedly trying to improve their relationship. She believes that’s what being a parent means – sometimes you have to accept hurt, forgive it, and say you’re sorry, even when it’s difficult. This was in response to an accusation from her ex-husband that his former wives had betrayed him.

Leon Brown, who generally stays out of the public eye since appearing on Sister Wives, recently felt the need to respond to a statement made by Kody Brown. Kody claimed he’s tried to contact all of his children “multiple times” and that any lack of a relationship is due to them not responding. Leon felt this claim needed to be addressed, breaking a period of not using social media to do so.

Leon stated that Kody hadn’t called or messaged them. In a November 2025 Instagram post, Leon referenced a circulating video of their father claiming he tries to contact his children. They explained they hadn’t heard from Kody since their brother Garrison died by suicide in March 2024, and added that Kody had ignored them at Garrison’s funeral. Leon concluded by calling Kody a liar and a terrible father.

Maddie’s difficult relationship with her father isn’t just about her own feelings; she’s also considering other things.

After welcoming her fourth child, Emilia, in March 2025, she said on the Nov. 30, 2025, episode of the TLC series that she’s willing to forgive and move forward. However, if her father wants to have a close relationship with her, her husband Caleb Brush, and their children – Axel, Evie, Josephine, and Emilia – he needs to demonstrate consistent behavior over time.

And judging by her scathing October 2025 social media rebuke, she’s still waiting. 

Maddie shared an inspiring quote on Instagram Stories about protecting your energy and explained how she learned to prioritize what truly matters.

She messaged a follower seeking advice, explaining that when a parent publicly spreads false information about you, it’s a harsh lesson learned very quickly.

In a 2024 episode of her podcast, The Authentic Society, she explained her biggest problem with him was a lack of respect for personal boundaries. She said he expected everyone to follow his rules, and she wasn’t willing to do that.

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2025-12-22 07:18