Inside Sister Wives’ Kody Brown’s Awkward Reunion With Exes

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There was nothing familial about Kody Brown‘s reunion with Janelle Brown and Meri Brown.

When Kody Brown, the father from the show Sister Wives, met with his former wives to officially sell the Coyote Pass property—a 14-acre lot in Arizona they bought in 2018 with plans to build a shared family home—the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Janelle, 56, explained that she and Meri felt ignored during the sale, saying they just stood there while Kody only spoke to the realtor.

She admitted in a private interview on the November 23rd episode of Sister Wives that she was relieved to be with Meri. She explained that it would have felt very uncomfortable to be alone.

Honestly, it broke my heart hearing Meri talk about that meeting. She said she felt totally invisible, and she kept glancing over at Kody and Robyn, desperately hoping for some kind of connection, any little sign that they still… well, you know. It was just so sad to see her searching for something in their faces and coming up empty.

I really wanted to connect with Robyn,” she explained. “I just wanted to make eye contact, smile, and show her I was friendly and easygoing.

The 54-year-old continued of the couple, “They didn’t even say hi and they didn’t even say bye.”

But, according to Robyn, Meri was the one giving the cold shoulder.

I noticed Meri a few times, but she never seemed to look my way,” she explained. “I think I just need to let her have her space.”

Honestly, thinking about that whole interaction still makes me cringe. Both Janelle and Meri felt so dismissed – it was just really awkward that the other couple wouldn’t even acknowledge they were there. It felt like they were deliberately being ignored, and it was super uncomfortable to watch.

Janelle admitted things felt surprisingly awkward, and Meri agreed, explaining that the other people involved just didn’t know how to act or talk naturally.

Robyn wasn’t thrilled to see her former sister wives at the signing, and she explained why in a private interview. She simply doesn’t appreciate dishonesty or people being fake.

“We’re done,” she continued, “and I don’t feel like celebrating.”

Kody also ended relationships with Janelle and Meri in 2022, following his split from Christine Brown in 2021. He has 18 children in total.

“Robyn hates girl games,” he said in his confessional. “She reads nuance way different than me.”

Kody described the long-running dispute over Coyote Pass as “extremely complicated and messy from the start,” and expressed relief at finally resolving the issue.

“It’s finally done,” he said. “Everybody can move on.”

New episodes of Sister Wives air Sundays on TLC.

And for more revelations from season 20, keep reading…

Now that her divorce from Kody Brown is final, 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 a ‘spiritual divorce’ years ago but didn’t know it was possible. When Meri pursued one, Christine asked her who she needed to contact to do the same.

Janelle’s former sister wife—who had previously been released from their church due to feeling abandoned—was happy to reconnect everyone. According to Janelle, she’s been helping to get in touch with family and friends.

Madison Brush is still dealing with the fallout from her father’s actions. She recently shared that she’s still hurt and struggling with the distance between them, following her ongoing estrangement from Kody, her father. Madison is one of six children Kody shares with his former wife, Janelle.

The mother of four admitted she hopes her husband’s father will be present, and that she desires a resolution to their strained relationship. 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 finding it difficult to accept him as he is. She explained she’s working on understanding that he may not have known how to be there for her, and that he could be going through his own pain.

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

Kody expressed wanting to repair his relationships with Meri, Janelle, Christine Brown, and their kids. He feels they’ve reached a standstill, saying any progress depends entirely on them being willing to work on things.

Robyn Brown, Kody’s last remaining wife, says she always desired a family, not just a relationship with Kody himself. She shared on the September 28th episode 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 position: “I told him, I intend to practice plural marriage.” She added that if Kody hadn’t already been married to three wives, she would have given him the same answer.

Kody explained that, despite not planning to be exclusive, he and his current partner had become a couple, saying, ‘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. In a private interview, he explained his perspective on relationships: he believes polygamy offers abundance, while monogamy often leaves people feeling unfulfilled.

Meri is actively dating and has a clear idea of what she wants in a partner. She’s looking for a tall man who loves to travel and, crucially, prefers dogs over cats, as she shared on the October 5th episode.

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 because of her lifestyle, which she found very hurtful. She felt rejected simply for being polyamorous and wondered why he wouldn’t even consider a relationship with her because of it.

Meri explained that it was the first time she truly understood that some people wouldn’t even want to speak with her because of who she was.

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

On the October 3rd episode, Janelle revealed she wasn’t sure she ever truly envisioned the whole family living on the 14-acre Coyote Pass property they bought before moving to Flagstaff, Arizona in 2018. She was discussing the disagreements the family had about the land.

From what I’ve observed, Kody’s second wife actually liked the idea of living on that property – she thought it was lovely and wondered why not! But she also felt it was just a fleeting interest for Kody and the others, not a long-term plan. It seemed like a phase to her, honestly.

Honestly, it was like nobody wanted to be out there, you know? Christine absolutely hated the idea, and Meri… well, she would’ve gone along with it if everyone else had just agreed! It’s so frustrating – she was ready to do whatever it took to keep the peace, but she needed the others to be on board, too.

Janelle observed that Kody and Robyn’s former property, a two-acre home with five bedrooms which they recently sold for $1.7 million, felt unfinished despite being largely built.

Honestly, hearing Janelle talk about it still gives me chills. Everyone was making such a fuss about dividing the land into four pieces when they first got to Flagstaff, but she knew right away it wouldn’t work. She just saw it, you know? It’s like she had a sixth sense about the whole thing, and it’s amazing how quickly she figured out it wasn’t going to happen. I’m totally obsessed with how perceptive she was!

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

He admitted on October 5th that he and his grown children have a difficult relationship. He explained that constant teasing and subtle jabs have created problems with trust and loyalty within the family.

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 perspective on the family conflict several months after she, her husband Tony Padron, and their three children moved to North Carolina.

She suggested that if he simply took responsibility for his actions, at least some of his children might try to reconnect with him. Instead of constantly blaming his kids, their feelings about his new marriage, or anyone else, a sincere apology and willingness to discuss what went wrong would make a huge difference, she explained during a fan Q&A shared on Instagram in October 2024.

When Coyote Pass was sold in April 2025, Janelle and Meri finalized their separations from Kody and received a financial benefit as a result. Previously, Christine had transferred her share of the land to keep the money from selling her house in Arizona.

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

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

She stated that if she had been legally married to Kody, she would have rightfully claimed half of his possessions, as they would have been considered jointly owned.

Kody and Robyn had to review the paperwork for their new $2.1 million home before they could finally give up on their plans for Coyote Pass. Kody explained on the October 12th episode that selling the large property became possible once they decided they really wanted this different house. They had spent months discussing the sale with his former wives.

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.”

Kody believed he could love multiple wives, but he admitted his attention wasn’t always shared equally. On a recent episode of the show, he explained that while he was committed to the idea of plural marriage and his family, he found it difficult to fully devote himself to each wife, and felt they didn’t always fully support each other or him either.

Looking back, he realized one of his mistakes was providing Robyn with a luxurious $1.65 million home in Flagstaff, while his other wives had more modest living arrangements. He admitted he didn’t understand why his marriages to Meri, Janelle, and Christine ended, but he believed the house created jealousy. He felt his wives were upset by how much effort he put into ensuring Robyn’s comfort and security.

Christine found it difficult to relax around Kody. As she explained on the October 26th episode, he was a very demanding husband with many particular preferences – from what he ate to how he groomed himself, everything had to be just so.

Bottom line, she noted, “It was a lot.” 

Janelle isn’t eager to jump into another relationship after her breakup with Kody. She admitted to Christine and her husband, David Woolley, that Kody required a lot of effort, and she believes relationships in general can be very challenging.

She’s really pushing back against David’s suggestion that she join FarmersOnly. She explained to the cameras, saying something like, ‘David just doesn’t understand that I’m not interested in dating right now. I keep telling him no!’

Kody was usually careful about remembering which wife he was talking to. Christine explained on the November 2nd episode that he almost never miscalled them, and she specifically recalled never hearing him accidentally say another wife’s name during a private moment.

Though there were some close calls. 

I often found myself doing that,” Kody confessed. “I definitely have, and I was sometimes the one to initiate conflict, then quickly change the subject or direction of the argument.

To hear Christine tell it, she felt quite stabbed in the kidney by her former sister wife. 

She told David on the November 2nd episode that she felt deeply betrayed by Robyn, explaining she’d lost all trust in her. She shared that she used to confide in Robyn, but would then get into trouble with Kody because Robyn would reveal their private conversations. Because of this, she stopped sharing anything personal with her.

But Robyn insisted she was just trying to play marriage counselor. 

Christine often told me she wished Kody understood what she was going through and the difficulties she was facing. I was young and thought I could fix things by helping, but now I realize it would have been better to stay out of their issues completely.

Meri used to be flattered by the idea that Kody favored her among his former wives, but she wasn’t interested in chatting when he video-called to talk about selling the house they used to share in Arizona.

He recalled helping Meri move to Parowan, Utah, saying they had a good time and were friendly with each other. He then noted that their relationship has become strained since then, as discussed on the November 2nd episode.

Meri maintained she was only interested in business, not romance, especially after remembering Kody’s comments from past seasons of the show.

I had to be firm and set clear limits with him,” she said. “It’s frustrating when he acts friendly on video calls and pretends everything is okay after saying hurtful things to me and my friends – I won’t tolerate that behavior.

Christine happily accepted David’s proposal in 2023, but her ex-husband believes he should have been consulted beforehand.

Kody explained that his and Christine’s youngest daughter, Truely, lives with David, and he feels he should get to know him.

In fact, he mused, he “should have had the right, even, to discriminate David.”

Janelle was happy to get her part of the Coyote Pass property back and wasn’t upset about the money she’d already given to Robyn and Kody for their house in Arizona.

She explained on the November 2nd episode that her children think she should try to recover the money she invested in Robyn’s house, but she anticipates a difficult legal battle to do so.

She explained that asking Kody for the money would likely be difficult, because he always has a long list of excuses for why he doesn’t owe it.

He believed he’d already fulfilled his obligation to Janelle. He explained, “Janelle helped us buy our house, and I paid her back in January.” He recalled that she then told him, “We’re even, you’ve more than covered it,” sometime in January or February.

Should Kody still be interested in having his love multiplied, there’s no shortage of options. 

He told Robyn on November 2nd that he’d received another email from a woman inquiring about plural marriage.

He told Robyn that his former wife was upset with his decision to end their plural marriage. Then, surprisingly, she offered to become part of their family. According to Kody, she was both criticizing him and expressing interest in getting to know him and Robyn with the intention of joining their household.

To be honest, Robyn didn’t immediately reject the idea. She later confessed that for a moment, she actually thought, “This could be amazing – it’s what I’ve always dreamed of.” She even wondered if it would be a good fit.

Ultimately, though, it was a no. 

She was upset they contacted Kody directly. She believes it’s generally more respectful to approach someone through their wives, rather than contacting him individually.

Kody admits his strained relationship with his child is a major family issue, but he needs to make significant changes to improve things.

On a recent episode of the show, Janelle revealed that Maddie didn’t tell her father, Kody, about her fourth pregnancy. Janelle explained that there was no need to inform him, as they hadn’t spoken in two to three years. She added that he would eventually find out.

Janelle didn’t just want a relationship with Kody; she also desired a connection with his existing family. Meri, who was already married to Kody when Janelle joined the family after a brief marriage to Meri’s brother, shared on a recent episode that Janelle seemed very considerate when they wed. Meri felt Janelle intentionally tried to be kind and avoid hurting her feelings.

Meri admitted that she felt jealous and a mix of other emotions as they navigated the challenges of trying to make their plural marriage work. She also said it made her feel cherished that her wife was willing to put in the effort.

Meri doesn’t back down easily. However, things became complicated when the family agreed to sell Coyote Pass, the 14-acre property they bought after relocating to Arizona.

Okay, so I was listening to Meri, and honestly, it sounds like the whole drama boiled down to paperwork! She was saying on the show that the big problem was just getting everyone’s names on the right ownership documents. It was so frustrating to hear – she kept wondering why it couldn’t have just been signed already! Like, seriously, just sign the papers! It was clearly stressing her out, and I was stressed for her, you know?

She was also puzzled by another of Kody’s moves. 

She explained, clearly upset, that he was blaming her for the delays and claiming she was the reason things weren’t moving forward. She said this was because they wanted her to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which she refused to do. She questioned why they were trying to prevent her from speaking openly about the situation.

To hear Robyn tell it, though, their discussions were nothing to howl about. 

“Meri and I have always been able to talk pretty frankly with each other,” she explained. “I was really just trying to find out what she needed and it really, like my intention is always in her best interest.”

Christine says having more money has actually made life easier. As a mother of six, she clearly remembers the stress of not having enough money for even basic groceries.

She explained that it’s awkward when you get to the register and realize you’ve spent more than you intended. Even if you try to pay with a check, it might not go through, forcing you to return some items.

Other times they had to walk back plans to pay for certain essentials. 

Meri explained that they used to have regular meetings – either weekly or monthly – to decide which bill was the most urgent to pay.

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2025-11-24 07:19