Sister Wives: 8 Ways Kody Was The Ultimate Heartbreaker (Garrison’s Passing Will Change Him)

Throughout its 18-season run, Sister Wives has chronicled the dissolution of Kody Brown’s once-happy plural family, which broke Kody and his wives’ hearts. Kody married Meri Brown in 1990, Janelle Brown in 1993, and Christine Brown in 1994. In 2010, after going 16 years without adding a new wife to the family, Kody met, courted, and married Robyn Brown during the first season of the show.

Kody’s marriage to Robyn was the beginning of the end of the Brown plural family unit. Things weren’t always easy before Robyn joined the Sister Wives clan, but the family had worked out a delicate balance. Robyn’s arrival upturned the status quo and created division within the Brown family that couldn’t be repaired. Tensions came to a head during the COVID-19 pandemic when Kody and Robyn’s strict virus mitigation rules tore the family apart irrevocably and crushed the dreams of every member of the Brown family.

8
Kody Brown Told Meri Brown He Never Loved Her

Years Of Neglect

Kody and Meri had one child together, their transgender son, Leon Brown, and Kody neglected them both after he married Robyn. When Sister Wives began, they lived in a giant house in Utah, which made it easier for Kody to spend time with all of his wives and kids. Once they moved into separate homes, Kody’s priorities suddenly became very obvious as he spent less and less time at Meri’s house. After years of neglect, he told Meri that he didn’t want to be in a relationship with her and repeatedly implied he had never even loved her.

7
Feuded With Janelle Brown’s Kids

Family Tragedy

News broke recently of the tragic death of Garrison Brown, Kody and Janelle’s 25-year-old son, who died by suicide. Sadly, Garrison wasn’t on good terms with his father at the time of his death, as they’d been feuding since the COVID-19 pandemic tore the family apart. Some of Kody’s older kids, including Garrison, weren’t able to follow Kody and Robyn’s strict COVID rules and were, therefore, not allowed to see their father. The separation was painful for everyone involved, and the family wasn’t able to reunite after the pandemic ended.

All of Kody Brown’s children and their ages.

6
He Crushed Their Coyote Pass Dreams

The Land Saga Hurt The Brown Family

In 2019, the family bought undeveloped land in Arizona with plans to build one home for each wife on the large property. Since leaving Utah in 2010, the family dreamed of living on the same property again. However, the Browns weren’t financially ready to develop the land, which sat empty for years, except for when Janelle lived in a trailer on the land. Not only could they not make use of the property, but Coyote Pass only caused more tension within the family, struggling with finances and arguing over how to divide the land evenly among the wives.

5
Meri Brown’s B&B

Lizzie’s Heritage Inn

During Sister Wives season 12, Meri wanted to buy her grandmother’s house to turn into a bed and breakfast, which she had long dreamed of doing. She asked Kody for a $40,000 loan to help her make her dream come true. When Kody refused to help Meri, she managed to pull together the money on her own and is now the proud owner of Lizzie’s Heritage Inn.

4
Kody Brown Favored Robyn Brown

The Other Wives Were Jealous

From the moment Kody married Robyn in 2010, it was clear that she had become his favorite wife. For years, Kody denied the accusation and insisted that he loved all four of his wives equally. After Christine, then Janelle, and finally Meri left Kody, he finally started to express his favoritism for Robyn more openly. Favoring one wife over the others is like poison to a plural marriage, and Kody’s preference for Robyn ultimately broke his wives’ hearts and destroyed his family.

3
Kody Brown Made The Family Leave Utah

A House Divided

When the Browns were first introduced during Sister Wives season 1, Kody and his three wives lived in a large house that was divided into multiple wings, so each wife had her own domain.

Living in separate homes was a challenge because Kody had to spend time separated from a large portion of his family every night, which tore the Brown family apart. After the laws loosened up a bit, Christine wanted to move back to Utah, but Kody refused.

2
Kody Brown Devastated Janelle Brown Financially

Janelle Has No Savings

Throughout their marriage, Janelle worked full-time in real estate and was one of the Brown family’s main providers. While Christine, a stay-at-home mom, watched Janelle’s kids alongside her own, Janelle made money, which she contributed directly to the family’s funds. When the Browns fell apart, Janelle had no savings and nothing to show for her many years of hard work, and Kody wasn’t willing to help her financially. Now, Janelle has to start all over again as a single mother with a full-time job and no savings.

1
Kody Brown Revealed The Real Reason He Married Christine Brown

He Never Loved Her

After his 26-year marriage to Christine ended, Kody revealed that he married Christine because her family was powerful within their polygamous church, referring to them as “polygamist royalty.” He basically said that he never loved Christine and mostly married her for status. When Christine accused him of being a coward for not breaking up with her sooner, Kody claimed he wasn’t allowed to leave her because of her family’s position in the community.