Sister Wives‘ Kody Brown puts on a macho act with his “bros,” rapping about sacred loneliness and the like, but he’s ultimately quite a weak guy. While he’s into many stereotypical “man things,” from driving fast cars to enjoying ego-soaked “Testosterone Tuesdays,” his sense of self’s remarkably fragile. When he’s attacked, he freaks out. However, that doesn’t stop him from doing everything he can to look like a patriarch who has it all together. Clearly, he’ll cling to his delusions even if it kills him. So far in season 18, Kody’s in fine form, showing off the kind of non-existent self-awareness that’s increasingly his signature.
Sister Wives season 18 celeb Kody has issues. He’s not trying to hide his vulnerability onscreen. That’s not a bad thing, but it does make him seem wimpy at times. When he pulls on his “bro” outerwear (the totally expected brown leather bomber jacket) before running away from Janelle Brown one more time, that doesn’t scream,“strength.” He’s obviously getting ready to head back to the hillbilly palace that he shares with favorite wife, Robyn, who would never tell him to “f*ck off” while the cameras roll. He doesn’t have the courage to stay and sort things out. Kody just runs for the door.
8 Kody’s Deflections Are Truly Mind-Boggling
![Sister Wives – 8 Ways Kody Brown’s The Biggest Wimp Ever](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/sister-wives-janelle-kody-brown-montage-with-arizona-background.png)
This season, watching him act like a wimp’s been totally infuriating. The desire to swear at him while watching the show (just like Janelle did onscreen) is often much too strong to resist. How many viewers have unloaded on Kody from the comfort of their own homes? Probably tens of thousands, at least.
It would be hilarious to watch viewers reacting to Kody’s wimpiness in Sister Wives season 18. Imagine the salty language (as salty as Sobbin’ Robyn’s teardrops!) and cruel mockery. Picture the occasional glazed-over expression. When he isn’t inspiring rage, disses and deliciously snarky memes, Kody’s boring viewers. Why? Because telling the truth is just beyond him. Remember when Lance Armstrong admitted that he was doping? It was riveting, wasn’t it? That’s the kind of honesty reality TV show fans will never get from Kody.
He prefers Sister Wives‘ Robyn Brown, but avoids saying that. He just doesn’t have the guts to utter aloud what everyone already knows. It seems so dumb.
7 Kody Lets Sobbin’ Robyn Control Him
![Sister wives' Kody and Robyn looking sad outdoor background](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/sister-wives-kody-brown-isn-t-_monogamous_-robyn-s-perfect-match.png)
Kody’s been watching Robyn burst into tears for eons, and her tedious crying jags may have taught Kody that emotional displays matter more than action. Sobbin’ Robyn’s own wimpiness seems to be acting on the patriarch and softening him. Picture waves hitting rocks on the shoreline year after year, and changing their shapes, to get the general idea.
Robyn’s tears are always falling, even though she’s as tough as nails inside. She’s watched the other wives suffer for eighteen seasons now, and frequently adds to their pain. Since Robyn recently said that she wants monogamy, it’s very hard to believe that she didn’t secretly gloat over their distress. If they weren’t unhappy, she’d never have Kody all to herself.
Is Robyn (who prefers passive-aggressive manipulation tactics) sapping Kody of precious life force? He’s changed, seemingly losing the will to fight for his family. His efforts to soothe an enraged Janelle haven’t ended well. Everyone’s mad at him. Robyn even chimed in, saying that his crêpes looked disgusting! If he’s not running away, he’s telling tall tales about how he never preferred Robyn.
6 He Hides Behind Janelle’s Apron Strings
![Montage of Sister Wives' Kody Brown & Janelle Brown with purple background](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/sister-wives-reasons-kody-s-pining-for-janelle.jpeg)
Janelle’s had it with Kody’s wimpy desire to put it all on her. He wants Janelle to solve his problems with their kids, but she didn’t actually create those issues. She just had to live with them. Also, Kody, who lives in luxury while Janelle worries about having nothing at the age of 50, gets verbally tarred and feathered by her curly-haired mate. Meanwhile, she has no money, while Kody the dandy struts around in silky shirts the color of sugary-sweet Easter eggs. He also flaunts David Yurman jewelry, seemingly flush with cash. Janelle’s forced into the Cinderella role, which isn’t a great fit for her no-BS personality.
5 Kody Believes His Own Lies
![Kody, Christine, Janelle, Meri, Robyn Brown Sister Wives montage](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/kody-brown-slams-mean-sister-wives-star-for-laughing-about-his-covid-19-diagnosis.png)
Kody probably believes his own lies. When he tells Janelle that he’s tried to get along with their kids, he may really think that he has. Everyone’s the hero in their own story. However, his actions over time have put him where he is now. Years of weakly favoring Robyn’s children (with attention and cold, hard cash) – which was so wrong – have made his other kids turn on him. One sad example was Kody failing to give his daughter Savanah Brown a Christmas present. Kody’s Grinch move was just so lame. Even he seemed ashamed. Of course, he deflected by saying he’d give her a present later.
He could do better, but you’ll never hear him say that. Instead, like a rather sick man, he chastises Janelle, who has done so much to help the Brown family. Sure, she’s not perfect, but no one could call her weak.
4 Kody’s Lost His “Patriarch” Identity (He’s Falling Apart)
![kody brown sister wives montage with blue tones](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/kody-brown-sister-wives-montage-with-blue-tones.jpg)
For years, Kody wore his strong patriarchal identity like a suit of armor. Then, Christine’s sword pierced the metal. A proper knight’s meant to have honor, but Kody has so little. When Christine fled, he couldn’t play the big-time patriarch anymore, and that was hard on his over-sized ego. Clearly, he’d lost control of at least one wife. He may not have realized that Christine would spark an exodus. Onscreen, in Sister Wives season 18, Janelle’s still trying. Offscreen, she’s so done with the man who neglected her for years. Meri’s also flown the coop.
That’s what makes the season so fascinating. Everyone knows the outcome. They realize the train’s going to derail at some point. They’re waiting for that drama. In season 18, Christine’s already left, but the suspense is still rising, because no one knows how Janelle and Meri will leave, or how many details about their departures were captured by cameras.
3 He Downplays Janelle & Meri’s Pain
![Three Sister Wives Christine, Janelle, and Meri Brown and ex Kody Brown looking upset](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/three-sister-wives-christine-janelle-and-meri-brown-and-ex-kody-brown-looking-upset.png)
All the while, Meri talks about being a, “third wheel,” while Janelle can’t even hide her rage. Kody’s covered in loser dust, but then again, he only wants Robyn anyway. It’s kind of hard to feel sorry for someone who’s maintained a charade for years, asking unloved wives to sink their resources into a doomed Coyote Pass experiment. Would they have done so if he’d told them beforehand that he only loved Robyn? Would Janelle have taken out the Coyote Pass mortgage that’s put her in dire straits today?
Kody’s weak to let all of this go on, and he doesn’t seem to know who he is anymore. Lives have been affected by his indecision, confusion and more. He’s so used to living a lie that he doesn’t know how to be himself. Perhaps with Robyn, he can be, but even she’s getting tired of him.
2 Kody’s Lost Hope
![Sister Wives' Kody Brown and his exes, Meri, Janelle and Christine](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/monogamous-kody-brown-hopes-to-have-a-friendship-with-former-sister-wives-will-it-work-out_.jpg)
Life’s tough, and only the strong survive. Everyone needs to cultivate mental toughness in order to win, or even remain in the game. While Kody used to have the sort of great attitude that typically leads to success, he’s really wavering. He seems to have given up, going through the motions just to keep his show alive. Few could blame him for trying to get all he can from a cash cow like Sister Wives.
It’s practical to want to keep the series going. However, the show’s cast members are miserable, except perhaps Christine. Kody’s like a sad clown, while Robyn’s some sort of Stepford Wives version of Marie Antoinette before the guillotine. Is this what Sister Wives is supposed to be?
1 Kody’s Getting Older
![Kody and Janelle Brown from Sister Wives looking stressed with a forest background](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/kody-and-janelle-brown-sister-wives-looking-stressed-forest-background.jpg)
People change as they mature. Aging’s natural and unavoidable. No one thinks they’ll get old, but they do. Now that Kody’s getting on in years, he’s evolving, by becoming less invested in Janelle, Meri and Christine’s lives. Yes, Christine left, but she did that because she wasn’t getting what she needed from him. Is Kody in a stage of life where he just wants to simplify? Maybe so, and that’s not even wrong. What’s wrong are his methods.
The first cut is the deepest, and if Kody told his non-Robyn wives that he just doesn’t love them and never will, he’ll make that first cut. Then, they can heal. That’s what he hasn’t done. He’s almost done it, but almost isn’t good enough. However, Sister Wives season 18 isn’t over yet. Anything can happen.