Sister Wives season 18’s in full swing, and offscreen, the cast members are showing how they’ve evolved since they filmed the current installment. So much is going on, including drama linked with Christine Brown’s recent wedding. Also, Kody’s venting about his issues with two of his sons, and those problems are being exposed onscreen too.
Sister Wives season 18’s showing the Brown family at its worst. Janelle and Kody are having problems, and his weak efforts to fix their relationship are pushing her away. In the last episode, Kody, who’s never nice to Meri Brown, added insult to injury by suggesting that Meri could avoid moving out of Flagstaff by living in a, “barndominium.” The patriarch also flaunted a big and bold ring in front of Meri, but wouldn’t tell her what the piece of jewelry meant to him. Kody’s so consumed with Robyn that his interactions with the other Brown women are painful to watch.
Kody Says Gabriel & Garrison Are Blocking Him
Kody tends to blame others for his problems. He sometimes indulges in self-pity. His issues with his older sons often trigger him. Sometimes, he can’t help venting to the press, and this week, he did just that. While publicly airing dirty laundry about children may not be the best parenting strategy, some of his kids have complained about him onscreen and off. So, he may feel within his rights to do the same to them. However, the reality TV show star’s negativity’s bound to backfire. Some things should be handled privately.
Kody has 18 kids, and he’d need to stretch himself pretty thin to give each one the kind of attention and love that they want. So, it’s understandable that some of his kids are unhappy with him. Most parents don’t have that many children. It changes the dynamic, making it harder for him give each child quality time. The kids just want a typical father, but Kody can never really be that.
In an exclusive clip with E News!, Kody unloaded about his relationships with Garrison and Gabriel. Onscreen, in season 18, they’ve criticized him, complaining about the fact that he squanders money and time on Robyn and the kids he shares with her. They feel like they’ve kept the door open for him, but he hasn’t given them enough attention. The same types of jabs have been taken by other Brown kids, including Gwendlyn Brown, who accused Kody and Robyn of overspending at YouTube.
Kody said, “I’ve reached out to Garrison and Gabriel.” He added, “i reached out to them just before Christmas and I reached out to them after. No, they’re blocking me.” He didn’t reveal exactly what he said to his sons, but clearly, he said the wrong things. Garrison was particularly brutal when he talked about his father in the preview. He denigrated Kody to Christine, saying, “Since I last talked to Dad, I bought a house. I’ve gotten into school and I got the car that I wanted, and he told me I should never get.” Garrison thinks that his dad “doesn’t care” what he does.
Kody’s Happy That Mykelti’s “Warm” With Him & Robyn
When it comes to Kody’s relationships with his children, there’s a silver lining, which is his bond with Mykelti Padron. He said that she’s still “warm” with him and Robyn, as per Today. He “loves” the fact that she hasn’t given up on him and his favorite wife. Kody seems to find it easier to parent younger children, perhaps because they tend to idolize their parents. However, he’s still finding his relationship with Mykelti fulfilling, even though she’s currently 27.
Recently, Mykelti and her husband Tony Padron celebrated their daughter Avalon’s birthday, and this moment was captured in the exclusive clip shared with Today. That moment will be showcased on Sunday’s Sister Wives episode. Kody said that Mykelti and Tony want Kody in Avalon’s life, and that makes him very happy. Kody also stated that Tony and Robyn get along very well.
So, although he’s not on speaking terms with some of his children, he’s mending fences with others. Kody seems to struggle to resolve problems with his kids. However, when they extend olive branches, he’s often grateful, and more than willing to spend time with them. So, if Kody’s kids are missing their dad, they may want to let him know that, rather than picking him apart. He doesn’t take criticism well, and responds to a softer approach. Robyn is mostly gentle with him, and she’s still his wife. That’s the kind of communication style that Kody appreciates. Confrontation brings out the worst in him.
Gwendlyn Brown Didn’t Go To Christine Brown’s Wedding
Gwendlyn has issues with Kody, as previously mentioned, but she may have issues with Christine too, since Gwendlyn opted out of attending Christine’s recent nuptials with David Woolley. Gwendlyn’s one of the more outspoken Brown children, and gets YouTube subscribers by putting down her dad and his favorite wife, Robyn. Offscreen, following the filming of season 18, Robyn’s the only wife left.
Why did Gwendlyn skip such an important event? According to People, her older sister Mykelti isn’t quite sure. Gwendlyn has clashed with her brother Paedon Brown in the past, so she might have wanted to avoid him. Mykelti considers Gwendlyn’s absence “tragic” and “sad.”
Janelle Brown Honored Gabriel Brown On His Birthday
Janelle‘s a loving mother, and she’s very close to her son, Gabriel. Four days ago, she honored her son on Instagram. She posted a clip of her son shoveling snow, cuddling a puppy, and hanging out with his brothers. The video was cute, and it’s clear that she really values her bond with him. Janelle said some sweet words about her son: “Thank you for being the son who is always checking in on his mama, who feels deeply and has the tenderest of hearts.”
It’s nice that, amid family turmoil, they’re able to enjoy each other’s company. Janelle’s been through a lot, and Gabriel’s given her so much emotional support. While a marriage (or spiritual union) can end, and that’s sad, the children produced by this type of arrangement are precious. They’re the good things that come out of bad relationships.
Since she has Gabriel (find him at @gaberown on Instagram) and other children, she probably wouldn’t change a thing. Without Kody, she wouldn’t have Gabriel. Hopefully, Gabriel will make up with Kody. It’s terrible when a parent doesn’t communicate with their child. Kids need their parents, even when they’re all grown up. Gabriel may have legitimate gripes with his father, but perhaps he should try to get past them. To make things work, both sides need to forgive.
Robyn Skipped Christine’s Wedding (So Did Kody & Meri)
While it wasn’t such a big surprise when news leaked that Kody and Robyn didn’t attend Christine’s recent wedding, it was more of a shock that Meri wasn’t at the event. Does she have bad blood with Christine? Meri and Christine never seemed especially close (Christine’s much closer to Janelle), but they didn’t seem like enemies either. Was Meri invited? According to The Sun, fans are speculating that she was actually “snubbed” i.e. not on the guest list. It’s possible that Christine hasn’t felt connected to Meri in years, and no longer has to “fake” a bond with her.
However, there’s always the chance that Meri didn’t want to go the wedding even though she got an invitation. That’s a little bit hard to believe, as Meri seems to go to events whenever she can. It makes more sense that she wasn’t invited. If she didn’t get invited, it’s possible that she’s hurt.
Meri tends to take things like that very hard, even though she should know better. She hangs on to people for too long, when she’d be better off just letting them go. Offscreen, Meri left Kody, who abandoned her emotionally years ago, and her decision to give up on the unsatisfying relationship was a good call. Maybe she’s given up on Christine too, or vice versa.
Janelle & Kody’s Six Kids Went To Christine’s Wedding
Christine’s wedding was a joyous event, but it stirred up drama. There’s a lot of chatter about who went, who didn’t, and what the absences mean. Meri missing the wedding was a big deal, but six Brown kids did attend the nuptials. All of those children were Janelle and Kody’s. Of course, Christine’s children were there too, but her kids weren’t in the photo posted at Janelle‘s Instagram.
Janelle and Kody’s kids Madison, Garrison, Hunter, Logan, Gabriel “Gabe” and Savanah Brown smiled for the camera. They clearly loved being a part of Christine’s big day. She’s a nurturing person, so it makes sense that they’d repay her years of love and kindness by helping to make her wedding special.
Christine’s Showing Gratitude After A Wonderful Wedding
Janelle looked pretty in pink in a wedding pic that Christine posted to her IG. Christine posed with her, totally stunning in a full-length bridal gown. Christine’s dress was gorgeous, but didn’t overpower her. She wore the dress, rather than the other way around. It was simple enough to put the spotlight on her radiant face and happy smile. In her caption, Christine wrote: “It meant the world to us to have such amazing love and support on our wedding day! I couldn’t figure out how to post the whole picture!”
Christine didn’t wear a white dress the first time around, so it’s great that she chose a classic wedding gown for these nuptials. In the Brown family, it was Robyn who got the fancy wedding with the upscale bridal dress and every other bell and whistle. The fact that Kody has more to give Robyn, emotionally and financially, pushed Christine to leave. Offscreen, Janelle and Meri left too.
Kody’s life has changed a lot, and he’s not really comfortable with those changes, but he initiated them by favoring Robyn. Life’s short, and no one wants to spend it fighting with a partner all the time. That gets extremely monotonous. For years, the issues with Kody preferring Robyn made his less-loved wives angry. Christine couldn’t accept the fact that her own husband wasn’t willing to get intimate with her, and that’s not hard to understand. Now, she can spend time with a husband who wants her. Obviously, that’s major progress, and she got there by being brave enough to take a leap of faith.
Maybe in the future, more Sister Wives exes will tie the knot with new partners. While they do, Kody will probably stay with Robyn. He still gushes about his wife, and for him, there’s really no other woman. It’s actually sad that Kody was destined to fall deeply in love with wife number four, as he gets torn apart for that. It’s not even a choice, really, just something that happened to him. Because he was in a plural marriage, something natural and beautiful got twisted. His love ended up hurting other women. That’s one more reason why polygamy is so difficult and wrong.
Now, Kody can have Robyn all to himself, and Robyn wants monogamy with him too. These two seem to belong together, even though they bring out the worst in each other sometimes. Onscreen, Kody’s still hurting Janelle and Meri. Offscreen, things are different. The Brown family was destroyed, but maybe they’ll all be able to coexist as parents, rather than living in the past. Kody seems to value his bond with Janelle and miss it. With Meri, there appears to be nothing left at all. With Christine, anything can happen, as she’s willing to be friends if he wants.
It will take work to bring the Brown family together again in a whole new way, but it’s probably worth the effort. Children, including adult kids, have been hurt by everything that’s happened. They’re nice kids who deserve better. If their mothers and father can rise above the drama of the past, and accept the fact that everything’s different now, maybe there’s hope. It would greatly benefit the Brown children if their parents could get along. Sister Wives season 18 showed some hurt kids who need help. They miss their dad. That’s why all the Browns should try to make peace. For that reason alone, it’s a worthy goal.
Sources: Today, E News!, @gaberown/Instagram, Janelle BrownInstagram, Janelle Brown/Instagram, People, The Sun
