The polygamist Brown family of TLC’s reality show “Sister Wives” fame has been facing hard times. Three out of the original four wives have decided to end their relationships with the patriarch, Kody Brown, leaving him with only one wife, Robyn, whom he most recently married. Christine, Janelle, and Meri Brown have called it quits and are moving on with their lives, which isn’t sitting quite right with Kody.
As he deals with fallout from the breakups, the controversial polygamist has felt the need to share his own feelings. This is especially true when it comes to his second wife Christine, who was the first of the sister wives to leave. Kody previously claimed his marriage to Christine was based on ego and publicly stated that he wasn’t attracted to her when they got married. Kody’s now added another insult to injury by basically saying she was doing everyone a service by leaving, even though he claimed she helped save the family in the ’90s.
Contrary to what Kody was intending, his comment hurt more people than just Christine. Meri, Kody’s first wife who confirmed their breakup in 2022, felt like he was trying to undermine her as the couple had their own fair share of problems before Christine was even a part of the Brown clan. “I’ve been in the same situation with Kody in the past. I knew what I needed from Kody and I wasn’t getting it,” she said during an episode (via Us Weekly).
Meri had jealousy issues in the beginning
When Christine Brown decided to leave her plural family, Kody Brown didn’t take it well. The couple announced their separation on Instagram in 2021, and in his post, Kody expressed sadness over Christine’s decision but said he would always have respect for her. However, that didn’t last long. During a “Sister Wives” episode, the patriarch took a jab at his ex-wife with a seemingly backhanded compliment. “You came into our lives. You did us a favor. You’re leaving. I almost feel like it’s a favor too,” Kody said to Christine (via Us Weekly).
However, Christine wasn’t the only one to take offense. Meri Brown felt called out by the polygamist’s remark, claiming he was hinting at the thrown-off family dynamic in the early ’90s that was caused by her jealousy.
Meri and Kody married in 1990 and weren’t able to conceive right away. In the meantime, Janelle Brown, the second sister wife, joined the Browns and fell pregnant soon after. Meri eventually got pregnant and gave birth to her and Kody’s only child in 1995, but there was already tension between the trio, as Entertainment Tonight reported. So, when Christine entered the family in 1994, Meri felt Kody was bringing her in to mask their problems.
“It stings when he says that because it’s directed at me, probably,” Meri said during an episode, referring to Kody’s remark that Christine did them a favor by saving the family. “When Janelle came into the family, I was jealous. I was young.” Kody dismissed her allegations, though it does seem like his ex-wives are tired of his drama.
Janelle stood up for Christine
Kody Brown claimed his third wife Christine Brown never cared for their family, which didn’t sit right with second wife Janelle Brown. “I think that’s a low blow. I think she was about the family,” she said (via Us Weekly). Janelle said she thought Christine just wanted more of Kody’s time and affection, which she never got, and said now the controversial polygamist is pointing fingers to avoid blame.
On the other side of the quarrel, Christine wasn’t so fond of getting fingers pointed at her. “My house was always open to everybody. The big family is great. But when you feel like you’re a minimal person in Kody’s big picture and you really don’t even matter … It changes the perspective on everything,” she said.
Meri Brown has also called out Kody for his treatment of Christine and herself. “Obviously you don’t care enough to fight for her,” Meri said on the show when discussing how Kody reacted to Christine’s departure (via Us Weekly). “Obviously, you didn’t care enough to fight for me. I don’t understand that.”
Christine has relocated to Utah since and hasn’t been the same since her divorce from Kody, which might not be such a bad thing. She met a new man in the process and has gotten engaged, sharing her love on social media. “As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen. And adventuring with you has been the grandest time of my life,” Christine wrote in an Instagram post.
