When the finale of Sister Wives season 17 aired, much of the Brown family storyline was dominated by Kody Brown’s 2021 split from Christine Brown. Almost a year and a half later, the personal lives of Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn Brown have substantially changed. The release of season 18’s dramatic trailer attempts to get the family storyline into more present-day events and reveals heartbreaking red flags that tear the clan apart. What can fans expect as the season unfolds?
Red flag 1: The ‘Sister Wives’ kids don’t need a ‘father figure’
The season 18 trailer for TLC’s Sister Wives gives viewers a lot to unpack. The series features scenes from late 2021 and early 2022 this season, detailing the many changes the Brown family experienced throughout that time period.
Throughout the two-minute traile r, TLC featured a lot of red flags in store for the Browns. At the center of it all is Kody, as he navigates his relationships with wives Meri, Janelle, and Robyn Brown.
Perhaps the most heartbreaking red flag is the commentary made by Janelle’s son Garrison. In the clip, he is seated with his mother and Christine Brown at a table alongside her daughter Savannah, her son Gabriel, and Christine’s daughter Gwendlyn .
“You know what, Robyn, have him,” Garrison says. “We are all grown adults that don’t need a father figure anymore.”
Garrison and Gabriel’s estrangement from Kody comes on the heels of season 17 when the young men wouldn’t follow Kody’s strict coronavirus (COVID-19) protocols. Kody wanted an apology from his sons, but they wouldn’t give it. Subsequently, their relationships remain at a stalemate.
Red flag 2: Kody Brown accepts the villain role in the family
Meri Brown admits Kody Brown has changed from the “happy-go-lucky” guy she married in 1990. She was his first and only legal wife of the polygamist clan until 2014 when Kody divorced Meri to legally marry Robyn and adopt her kids.
Janelle and Christine were seen seated together in a separate segue, agreeing that everyone in the Brown family was “angry.” The scene then transitioned to Kody in a confessional.
There, the Brown family patriarch said, “I worked so hard to do what was right. And when you lose that, well, I should just be the devil I am now.”
Red flag 3: ‘Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown unleashes her fury at Kody
For many years, Janelle Brown was the peacemaker within the Brown family. She was seen as the wife who rarely rocked the boat.
However, on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and how Kody prioritized Robyn and their children ahead of her and her kids, Janelle started to feel more distant from her husband of 30 years.
Throughout seasons 16 and 17, Janelle began to speak up for herself more. However, her relationship with Kody appeared to turn during a tense dinner out, where Kody said, “There’s this unwillingness from some members of the family to accept other members of the family.”
He continued, “I have somebody in my life [Robyn] who is fundamentally loyal to me and who sees me as the head of the family. I’m saying to you that you and I get that if you’re loyal to me.”
During the season 17 tell-all, Janelle revealed she and Kody had split, but in the teaser trailer, fans get to see what led up to the end of their spiritual union.
In a heated moment ahead of Christmas 2021, Janelle and Kody fight. She yells, “This is not only me, Kody. Don’t you dare point your finger at me!”
“You make this excuse forever, but I’ve tried…” Kody lashed back. This led Janelle to explode, saying, “Shut your f****** mouth and let me talk to you for a minute.”
“No, no, no. I’m done listening to you,” Kody replied before storming off. “Ok. So, we’re done?” Janelle asks, and he exits her apartment, and she yells over her shoulder, “F*** you.”
Season 18 of TLC’s Sister Wives begins Aug. 20 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
