What Sister Wives Star Kody Brown’s Kids Have Said About Their Rift

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As Christine Brown, a star on the show Sister Wives, famously said, she wasn’t just looking for a partner, but wanted to be part of a whole family.

She’s currently celebrating her second wedding anniversary with her husband, David Woolley, which falls in October. This comes four years after she publicly separated from her previous husband, Kody Brown.

Even though Christine and Kody aren’t very close, she’s stayed connected with much of their large family. In a 2024 episode of their TLC show, Christine mentioned that her kids and Janelle Brown’s kids are the main group who get together for holidays and other family events.

Not on the guest list: Brown patriarch Kody or his now sole wife Robyn Brown. 

According to the 18-year-old, his family disapproves of him because of the woman he intends to marry.

He complained in a recent TV appearance last December, saying he was left out of his daughter, Savanah Brown’s, high school graduation celebration. He explained that another part of his family is choosing to exclude him and his wife, Robyn, and will only allow him to participate if he leaves Robyn behind, which he refuses to do.

But they’re, uh, not asking him to. 

Janelle pointed out that Kody seems to think he can attend family events if he leaves Robyn at home, but she believes that’s simply not realistic.

And that’s not the only time Kody’s reality hasn’t aligned with the facts of the situation. 

Following a recent claim on the November 23rd episode of Sister Wives that he had contacted each of his children repeatedly, Leon Brown ended a period of silence on social media to offer a response.

Leon, Kody Brown’s only child with Meri Brown, strongly emphasized that they haven’t had any contact with Kody since the death of their brother, Garrison Brown, in March 2024. They added that Kody visibly ignored them at Garrison’s funeral, calling him a liar and a poor father.

This Denver resident is the newest of Kody’s children to deeply hurt him.

With Kody Brown remaining distant from most of his adult children – though he’s still close to Robyn’s oldest three, Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna – Janelle has stated he’s become alienated from 90 to 95 percent of them. We’re now looking into what the Brown children have said about this continuing family conflict.

From where I see things, it seemed like the damage was already done between Gabriel Brown and his dad, Kody. They started off disagreeing about Kody’s strict rules during the COVID pandemic, and unfortunately, that distance just continued even when things started to open back up. It was a really tough situation, and it appeared Gabriel had reached a point where an apology wouldn’t quite fix things.

According to Janelle Brown, Kody felt his children – Logan, Hunter, Garrison, Gabriel, Madison, and Savannah – hadn’t been following his rules or showing him enough loyalty.

Gabriel explained to Janelle in an October 2024 episode of Sister Wives that the other person kept acting as if Gabriel was the one who needed to apologize. Gabriel eventually told him, “Unless you’re serious about working on our relationship, I don’t want to talk.” A few 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, “Forgive me for what?”

He was very close to his father and often joined him on work trips, but he’s still trying to understand what went wrong. He told Janelle that he made it clear to his dad: if he didn’t change his behavior and take responsibility for his actions, their relationship was over. And he was prepared to accept that outcome.

Kody Brown intended to share his love among his many children, but in reality, his time was stretched thin. This led Ysabel Brown to worry that when David Woolley married her mother, Christine Brown, in 2023, he would become a replacement for her father figure.

“I’m afraid I’m losing my chance to have a close relationship with my father,” Ysabel said tearfully in a November 2024 interview.

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

You know, seeing him with his kids, he just seems so engaged and present – it’s really heartwarming. Honestly, it makes me dream of having that same kind of incredible connection with my own dad. It’s a relationship I truly aspire to.

She continues to hope for a better relationship with her father, recently sharing in November 2025 that they aren’t very 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, remain silent about him.

In a January 2023 interview with YouTuber John Yates, Paedon described getting a surprise phone call from his father. He said the hour-long conversation went exceptionally well, leading him to feel hopeful about reconnecting with his dad. “I really thought I might be 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 include clauses in their contracts forbidding them from saying anything negative about him online or in the media.

Paedon said his mother wouldn’t let him discuss the situation with his children. She told him he needed to rebuild their trust and earn their love first. He then understood his father hadn’t called to have a conversation, but rather to prevent him from speaking badly about the family.

Gwendlyn admits it’s painful to see Kody being a good father to his children with Robyn Brown, especially since she feels she didn’t receive that same level of attention. She shared this in a February 2023 YouTube video while watching him interact with his youngest kids, Solomon and Ariella Brown.

She’s glad her children have an involved father, but she points out that she doesn’t recall her own father ever expressing excitement about her everyday childhood accomplishments, like finishing 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 in the past, things are getting better, and seeing each other less often helps them avoid conflict.

When she watches the show on Sunday nights, she admits she doesn’t always like his behavior. But she quickly reminds herself that he’s struggling and that it’s a tough situation for everyone involved. Ultimately, she remembers he’s still her father and continues to be kind to her.

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, in recent years, she appears to have distanced herself from Kody Brown and his family. She’s been sharing her perspective on their issues after she and her husband, Tony Padron, relocated to North Carolina with 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. During an October 2024 Q&A shared on Instagram (@withoutacrystalball), she explained that instead of blaming his children, his other wife, or outside influences, a simple apology and willingness to discuss things would make a huge difference. She suggested saying something like, ‘I understand I messed up. I’m sorry. Can we talk?’

Honestly, I completely disagreed with him when he said he shouldn’t have to ask his kids to fix things between them. It just didn’t sit right with me – relationships take effort from everyone, and expecting them to just offer to repair things felt incredibly unfair. I really felt for the other side in that moment.

Despite any difficulties with her children, she always made an effort to mend things, repeatedly knocking on their doors to apologize and ask what she could do to improve their relationship. She believes that’s what being a parent means – sometimes you have to accept blame and apologize, even if it hurts, just to maintain the connection, much like Kody felt betrayed by his former wives.

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 contacting all of his children “multiple times” and that a lack of relationship is due to them not responding. Leon felt this needed to be addressed, breaking a period of not using social media to do so.

Leon stated that Kody hadn’t called them, and addressed a circulating video of their father claiming he tries to contact his children. In a November 2025 Instagram post, Leon explained they hadn’t heard from Kody since their brother Garrison died by suicide in March 2024, adding 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 reconcile, forgive, and move forward. However, if her father wants to have a full relationship with her, her husband Caleb Brush, and their children – Axel, Evie, Josephine, and Emilia – he needs to show 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 deserves her attention.

She shared with a follower seeking advice that learning how things work ‘happens really fast’ when your own father publicly spreads false information about you.

Okay, so I was listening to her podcast, The Authentic Society, and she really laid it all out. Basically, she said the biggest problem with him is that he just doesn’t get boundaries. Like, he expects you to do things his way, and honestly? She just refuses to play that game. And honestly, good for her! It’s so frustrating to hear her talk about it, but it makes so much sense. He just doesn’t respect what she needs, and she’s not willing to bend to his will. It’s brilliant, honestly.

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2025-12-07 11:18