Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Says Kody Brown & Robyn Brown Owe Her Money

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With the cast of Sister Wives now receiving more money, they’ve started to disagree on how to split it.

The surprising amount of conflict over the family’s property sale in Flagstaff, Arizona, actually started with events that took place in Las Vegas – and those events had far-reaching consequences.

During the second part of TLC’s One-on-One special on January 18th, Kody Brown explained that when Meri Brown sold the five-bedroom house near Las Vegas, she insisted on keeping all the proceeds. He stated this was a departure from their divorce agreement, which stipulated a 50/50 split of the funds, as he told host Sukanya Krishnan.

She hadn’t kept the money for herself. Instead, the mother of 30-year-old Leon deposited it all into Kody’s bank account to help him and Robyn Brown buy the two-acre home in Arizona where they lived with their children: Dayton, Aurora, Breanna, Solomon, and Ariella.

Meri explained that despite their differing views on whether the money was a loan or a gift, they used it to buy a house. She happily added that the house later increased significantly in value when they sold it.

Following Kody’s divorces from Meri, Janelle Brown, and Christine Brown—and with Kody and Robyn now in a monogamous relationship—they used the money from the sale of their previous home to purchase a new $2.1 million property in Arizona in 2024. This prompted Meri and Janelle, who had also helped finance the original Arizona home, to point out that the initial loan wasn’t fully paid off by the sale.

That conflict carried over into the discussions about selling the 14-acre property known as Coyote Pass.

During the property division, several disagreements arose. Kody explained that Janelle and Meri had previously given him and Robyn money to buy Robyn’s house. He also stated that he was entitled to half of the profits from the sale of Meri’s Las Vegas home. Both Janelle and Meri wanted a quarter of the Coyote Pass land, but Kody felt he’d contributed more financially. They also requested reimbursement for the money they’d gifted for Robyn’s house, which Kody hadn’t received. Ultimately, they couldn’t reach an agreement.

Okay, so here’s the scoop: we actually managed to work things out with Janelle, which was a huge relief. She confirmed we were all good on her end, but it turns out Meri hadn’t reached the same understanding. It was a bit of a tricky situation, honestly, getting everyone on the same page.

While they were working out the details, the mother of five explained, “We also discussed a confidentiality agreement – we didn’t want our financial disagreements to become public.”

To hear Meri tell it, though, she laid down her gloves rather early. 

She acknowledged it made sense she should receive the money from the sale of their Las Vegas house, explaining she was the primary resident and had always covered the mortgage payments. However, she conceded that because her partner’s name was also on the property, she was willing to split the proceeds equally, stating she wasn’t going to argue about it.

What she was willing to battle over was signing any sort of confidentiality agreement. 

I didn’t agree with it at first,” Meri said, “but we discussed the exact wording several times until we reached an agreement.

Despite some difficulties, the family ultimately sold their land on Coyote Pass, and each member received their portion of the money.

And Kody told host Sukanya that Meri will have another payday coming soon. 

The father of 18 children said he’d spoken with Meri and assured her they would resolve the situation. He explained, ‘I told her we’d handle everything, and that was always the plan.’ While they haven’t discussed the details yet, he’s confident they’ll work it out.

Meri didn’t mean to let Kody and Robyn know she had helped pay for their house.

She revealed on a special aired January 18th that she had previously agreed to keep something private, but was now ready to discuss it.

That’s just one of the surprising things she’s revealed on the show’s twentieth season. Here’s a look at all the honest and difficult things the family has been sharing.

The Coyote Pass deal became complicated because the family hadn’t resolved issues from their time in Las Vegas.

I was honestly shocked when Meri sold her beautiful five-bedroom house in Las Vegas and gave all the money to Robyn. It allowed Robyn to buy her own five-bedroom home out in Arizona, and Janelle even helped contribute to the purchase too. It just seemed like a really big sacrifice on Meri’s part, and a strange financial arrangement, if you ask me.

Meri explained that the people featured in the January 18th One-on-One special purchased a house which quickly increased in value when they sold it, a situation she celebrated.

Which is when she and Janelle made clear that their loan wasn’t exactly on the house. 

When it was time to sell their land in Arizona, things got complicated because of unresolved agreements, Kody explained. Janelle and Meri had previously given Robyn and him money to help buy her house. Kody also had a claim to half of the money from the sale of Meri’s Las Vegas house. They wanted their share – 25 percent – of the Coyote Pass property, but Kody had invested extra money into it. They also wanted to be reimbursed for the money they gifted for Robyn’s house, but Kody hadn’t been compensated for his contributions, and they couldn’t reach an agreement.

Oh my gosh, you won’t BELIEVE this! They actually worked things out with Janelle, Robyn was saying. Apparently, Janelle was totally good – she said they were completely even, everything was settled. But poor Meri? Apparently, things were still rocky with her. It’s just… ugh, the drama! I’m so invested, I need to know what happened with Meri!

Despite the situation, Kody kept assuring Meri she would eventually be paid. He stated, “Meri will get her money, but I’ll be upset because everyone just criticized me instead of offering support.”

Robyn and Meri, who used to be close, are still facing tension. When asked why she didn’t warn Meri that Kody and Janelle might be making plans without her, Robyn explained on a recent special that she didn’t want to betray Kody’s trust.

Robyn explained that if she and Meri had maintained a close relationship, she might be willing to talk things through. However, because Meri has damaged their connection so much, and Robyn doesn’t understand why, that’s not possible right now.

Robyn believes the problem is that Meri was secretly upset with her, and she had no idea why. Their friendship abruptly ended, and Robyn insists she doesn’t understand what changed. According to Robyn, Meri became angry with Kody, and somehow, Robyn got caught in the crossfire.

Turns out even Kody said “I do” to seeing his former bride marry her now-husband in October 2023. 

He confessed on the January 18th show that he attended their wedding and was happy for them the whole time. Seeing Christine so happy felt like a dream come true for her, he said.

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 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 been released from their church due to being left behind—gladly offered some information. Janelle explained, “She’s been really helpful in connecting me with everyone.”

Madison Brush is still dealing with the fallout from her father’s actions. Despite being estranged from Kody, Madison—one of his six children with Janelle—shared on the September 28th episode that she continues to struggle with their separation.

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, but expressed frustration as she continues to work on managing her expectations and avoiding disappointment.

She’s finding it difficult to accept him as he is. She explained that 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 all of their children. He feels they’ve reached a standstill, stating that any progress depends entirely on them being willing to work towards it.

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 – not always formal, but several men had expressed a willingness to marry her quickly.

She consistently stated her position: “I simply told him I was open to the idea of a plural marriage.” She added that if Kody hadn’t already been married with 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 monogamous couple, jokingly 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 view that polygamy allows a man to have everything he wants, while monogamy often leaves him 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, importantly, 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 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 wouldn’t even want to speak with her because of who she was.

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

On the October 3rd episode, Janelle revealed she wasn’t sure she ever truly envisioned the entire family living on their 14-acre Coyote Pass property, 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 worth considering—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 location, especially not Christine. Meri would have agreed to move if everyone else had, but they didn’t.

Janelle observed that Kody and Robyn’s former property, a five-bedroom house on two acres that they recently sold for $1.7 million, felt unfinished despite being mostly built.

Janelle explained that despite everyone’s initial excitement about dividing the land into four pieces, she quickly realized it wouldn’t work out after they moved to Flagstaff.

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.

Okay, so I was listening to him on the show, and he finally admitted it – things are really tough with his grown kids. He said it’s all this constant back-and-forth, little digs and hints, and it’s just
broken things. Like, everyone’s questioning who’s on whose side, and honestly, it sounds like nobody trusts each other anymore. It’s heartbreaking, honestly, because I just want them all to get along! It’s like a total mess of family drama, and I’m just so invested in their lives, it’s killing me!

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

Okay, so I’ve been following everything with Kody and Christine, and honestly, Mykelti – she’s always seemed like the one who really tried to understand her dad. Even when she and Tony moved all the way to North Carolina with their kids, I figured she was still on his side. But then, months after the move, she finally said what she thought about the whole family falling apart. It was
 a lot. I was so curious to hear what she had to say, since she always seemed so close to Kody.

She suggested that if he simply took responsibility for his actions, at least some of his children might try to reconnect with him. She explained that instead of blaming his kids, his other wife, their parents, or rumors, a simple apology and willingness to discuss his mistakes – like saying, ‘I understand I messed up. I’m sorry. Can we talk?’ – could make a huge difference, as she shared during a fan Q&A on Instagram in October 2024.

When Coyote Pass was sold in April 2025, Janelle and Meri finalized their separation from Kody and received a financial benefit. Christine had previously 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 I don’t expect 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.

Before Kody and Robyn gave up on building their dream home on Coyote Pass, they first had to finalize the purchase of a new, $2.1 million house. Kody explained that after months of discussing selling the Coyote Pass property with his former wives, they were finally able to move forward with the sale once they found a different house they loved.

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 that loving multiple wives should mean his love simply expanded, but he admitted his attention wasn’t shared equally among them. On the October 19th episode of the show, he explained that he found it hard to fully commit to each wife individually, and vice versa. He also felt the wives weren’t consistently devoted to him or to one another as a unified family.

Looking back, he believes one mistake was giving Robyn a lavish lifestyle – a $1.65 million, five-bedroom house – while his other wives had more modest living arrangements. He admitted he doesn’t understand why his marriages to Meri, Janelle, and Christine ended, but he thinks providing Robyn with such a nice home created jealousy and resentment. He felt he had gone to great lengths to ensure Robyn’s security, and his other wives struggled with that.

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 and other specific needs.

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

Janelle isn’t interested in starting a new relationship anytime soon, especially after her breakup with Kody. She admitted to Christine and her husband, David Woolley, that being with Kody was exhausting, and she believes relationships in general require a lot of effort.

That’s why she’s pushing back against David’s suggestions she join FarmersOnly. She explained to the cameras, ‘David just doesn’t accept that I’m not interested in dating. I keep telling him, ‘No, no, no!”

Kody was usually careful to address each of his wives by the correct name. Christine explained in a recent episode that he almost never miscalled them. She specifically noted those painful moments when hearing another wife’s name would be especially hurtful, and confirmed that Kody never made that mistake.

Though there were some close calls. 

I often found myself doing that,” Kody confessed. “I definitely have, and I sometimes initiated arguments only to change the subject or direction of the conversation.

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 tell Robyn private things, but those conversations would somehow get her into trouble with Kody, making him angry. Because of this, she stopped sharing anything personal with Robyn.

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 a bit naive and thought I could fix things, but looking back, I realize I should have let them handle it themselves.

Meri used to be flattered by the idea that Kody saw her as his favorite former wife, but when he tried to chat over video about selling their house in Arizona, she wasn’t interested in being friendly.

He reflected on a conversation with Janelle, recalling that things used to be good with Meri – he specifically remembered helping her move to Parowan, Utah, and having a pleasant time. But he noted that their relationship has become strained since then.

Meri maintained she was solely concentrating on work, especially after hearing Kody’s comments on camera in earlier seasons.

I had to be firm and set clear limits with him,” she said. “It’s frustrating when he acts like everything’s okay on these video calls, being friendly as if nothing happened, especially after some of the hurtful things he’s said about me and my friends. I won’t accept that behavior.

Christine happily said yes when David proposed in 2023, but her ex-husband believes he should have been consulted beforehand.

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

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

Janelle was happy to get her part of Coyote Pass back and wasn’t upset about the money she’d already given Robyn and Kody towards 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 trying to get money from Kody is difficult, because he always has a long list of excuses for why he doesn’t owe it.

He felt he’d already fulfilled his obligation to Janelle. He explained that Janelle had helped him and his wife buy their house, and he’d paid her back in January. He recalled her telling him shortly after, either in January or February, that their debts were settled and he didn’t owe her anything further, and that the arrangement had been more than fair.

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

He told Robyn on the November 2nd episode 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 plural marriage. Then, surprisingly, she offered to become part of their family – she was essentially criticizing him while also asking if she could join Kody, Robyn, and their existing family.

Robyn didn’t immediately reject the idea. She later confessed that for a moment, she actually considered it, thinking it could be exactly what she’d always hoped for and wondering 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.

Even though Kody admits his fractured relationship with his children is a major family breakdown, he still needs to make significant improvements to repair things.

You know, as a lifestyle expert, family dynamics are always fascinating. On a recent episode of the show, Maddie’s fourth pregnancy came up, and it was a bit of a sensitive topic. Janelle shared that Maddie actually hadn’t told her dad – Kody – that she was expecting. She felt there wasn’t a need to involve him since they haven’t really been in contact for a couple of years now – probably two or three years, she estimated. It just highlights how complicated family relationships can be, and how people navigate those challenges differently.

Janelle wasn’t just interested in Kody romantically; she also wanted to be part of the existing family. Meri recalled that when Janelle married Kody three years into his marriage with Meri—and after a short marriage to Meri’s brother—Janelle seemed very considerate of her feelings. Meri said Janelle acted in a way that showed she didn’t want to cause any pain or upset.

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

Meri is known for speaking her mind, but tensions rose when her family decided to sell Coyote Pass—the 14-acre property they bought after relocating to Arizona.

During the November 16th show, Meri said the main problem seemed to be making sure the correct people were listed as owners on the properties. She added that she didn’t understand why the paperwork couldn’t have simply been signed and finalized.

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 keep her quiet and demanded to know why they wanted her to sign the agreement in the first place.

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

Meri and I have always been able to be honest with each other,” she said. “I was simply trying to understand what she needed, and I always want what’s best for her.

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 things like groceries.

She explained that it’s really awkward when you get to the register and discover you’ve spent more money than you have. You might be able to pay with a check, but it would likely bounce, 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.

Robyn was determined to ensure everyone received a fair share when it came time to sell Coyote Pass. On the November 23rd episode, she explained that she wanted to make sure Kody, Janelle, Meri, and herself each received a quarter of the profits, and she didn’t hesitate to strongly advocate for this. “I fought him. I had some pretty big fights with him about it,” she said.

Ultimately, Kody explained that when the 14-acre property was sold in April 2025, they decided to simply divide the proceeds equally – giving each person 25 percent.

Janelle didn’t explicitly say Kody had a mid-life crisis, but she mentioned on the November 23rd episode that his behavior changed after turning a significant age.

Oh my gosh, it was right around the time Kody turned 50, and honestly, it was so obvious! He was with Robyn, of course, and he just started going on and on about how he was single-handedly holding the whole family together. He acted like Robyn was his absolute soulmate, and he just kept saying it was too much to keep up with all four of us wives. It was like, suddenly, everything was exhausting for him, and it was all just
 a lot.

But Kody took issue with the idea that he didn’t put in the work. 

He firmly stated that he’d always fulfilled his duties within the family. He consistently put in his best effort, feeling he didn’t receive the same level of commitment in return from other family members.

He joked that dealing with his three divorces felt like everyone was going through menopause at the same time. He explained it by saying men can experience hormonal changes too, and he likely lost motivation because his testosterone levels dropped and he simply wasn’t up for the effort anymore.

When Janelle Brown’s mother, Sheryl Usher, discovered her daughter was interested in plural marriage, she initially tried to dissuade her, fearing a dangerous situation. Janelle explained that her mother believed no daughter of hers would join a “crazy cult.” However, in a surprising turn of events, Sheryl ended up marrying Kody Brown’s father, Winn Brown, actually tying the knot three months before Janelle and Kody did.

Their marriage definitely added some complexity to the family. Janelle admitted she initially had some reservations. “I thought it would be a little difficult to explain,” she said, “but I was okay with it.” She added that it felt strange at first, but ultimately she was glad to have someone else there with her.

Ysabel Brown says she wishes she had spent more one-on-one time with her father, Kody. On a recent episode of the show, she explained that she and her dad aren’t particularly close.

Ysabel explained that her mom is wonderful at being both a mother and a father, and her stepdad, David, is also great.

Despite everything, Ysabel didn’t want to say her relationship with Kody was broken. “He’s still my dad, and I love him,” she explained.

Though Janelle still feels the family had something special, that spark wasn’t apparent early on. 

Looking back, especially at the beginning of our relationship, I really wished Kody had been more supportive of me. He often seemed to side with others, even when it hurt me. Combine that with all the jealousy and insecurity Meri and I were battling, and honestly, it was a really tough time. It just wasn’t a healthy dynamic, and I often felt like I was fighting an uphill battle to be heard and validated.

I remember when Janelle was pregnant with Logan, it was so early in her marriage to Kody – less than a year! Kody was always traveling for work back then, so he wasn’t around much. It was really tough on Janelle, and she often talked about how she just focused on keeping everything calm and quiet. Honestly, it sounds like she felt she had to put a lot of herself aside during that time, and she ended up losing touch with who she was as an individual.

If Kody wanted to have a good relationship with Meri after their split, he needed to get along with her friends. He explained that after they initially separated, he helped her move, and they agreed to be kind to each other. However, he was upset to find that her friends were openly critical of him shortly after.

He explained that he confronted her aggressively over the phone, telling her to make her friends stop talking. He admitted to scolding her friends and believes she was deeply hurt by it.

Kody explained that conversations with his ex-wife quickly become arguments. He said they would immediately escalate into explosive fights, something they never learned to control during their marriage. He believes if they want to have any kind of future relationship, they absolutely must learn to manage these conflicts now.

Although Christine and Kody are no longer married, they remain family through a surprising connection. As Christine revealed on December 28th, they are actually third cousins once removed, making their familial tie official.

Janelle explained that the distant family connection became a running joke. “It’s actually quite ridiculous how distantly related they are,” she said. “This kind of thing seems to happen a lot in polygamous families.” While they weren’t close enough to see each other at gatherings, they always playfully referred to each other as cousins, highlighting just how small the community is.

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2026-01-19 07:21