Sister Wives: Timelines Of Kody’s Relationships With Meri, Janelle, Christine & Robyn (SPOILERS)

Sister Wives has been documenting the difficult relationships Kody Brown has with each of his wives, Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, Christine Brown, and Robyn Brown, for the duration of the series, but many are curious about when they first began. While Kody and his wives are all in their mid-lives, the family has been together for years, some wives having been in Kody’s life longer than others. Robyn, Kody’s most recent and only remaining wife, has been the favorite of the wives in the family since she joined, but things had shifted in dynamic time and time again before Robyn married Kody. The Brown’s family structure has been shaken up.

With things changing in the Brown family consistently, many have been curious about how things started for Kody and his wives in plural marriage. Though Meri, Janelle, and Christine were a huge part of Kody’s life prior to his marriage to Robyn, there hasn’t been much shared on Sister Wives season 18 that documents their time together, especially considering several of Kody’s relationships have ended or are in the process of ending. Rather than dwelling on the past on the series, the relationships are featured more in the present, leaving lingering questions about the timelines of the Brown family’s relationships.

How Long Has Sister Wives Been On The Air?

Although Sister Wives season 18 is currently on the air, the show hasn’t been on the air for 18 years. After debuting in 2010, Sister Wives began captivating viewers with an inside look at a family living in plural marriage. The series originally had shortened seasons, but things expanded as the show gained traction and got popular. For Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn, the decision to go public about their family was a tough one. They had to weigh the pros and cons of keeping their lives quiet or sharing their family with the world.

As Sister Wives has aired year after year, the Brown family has continually shared the most personal parts of their lives. From family drama to interpersonal relationship issues and health crises to public scandal, the Browns have been airing out their secrets on reality TV for 18 seasons over the span of 13 years. Though there have been times that the Browns have keep things quiet, the majority of their relationship drama and family problems have become public knowledge, leading up to Kody’s trio of divorces in the last 2 years.

When Did Kody Meet Meri? (& How Long Were They Together?)

As Kody’s first wife, Meri has always carried some extra weight in the Brown family as the original wife. The pair met in October 1989, marrying just 6 months after they first met in April 1990. Both Meri and Kody grew up in religious homes, but Meri was raised in a polygamous family while Kody was raised in a monogamous family. Both were open to the idea of living in a polygamous relationship, especially due to their religious backgrounds. After marrying legally in 1990, the couple lived in monogamy for a few years before Kody brought his next wife into the mix.

Meri and Kody welcomed their only child in 1995, and though the pair continued to try to have another child, other pregnancies were unsuccessful for Meri. After years together, Meri and Kody faced an interesting issue as Kody began his relationship with Robyn. The pair chose to get legally divorced, though they stayed married spiritually, in order for Robyn’s children to be legally adopted by Kody. The couple spent years in a spiritual marriage, but wound up separating in late 2022. They were together for over 30 years before their eventual separation.

Janelle Was Wife Number 2

Although they didn’t get together right away, Kody met Janelle in 1989 around the time he met Meri. Janelle was still married to her first husband at the time, but the couple split in 1990 and she moved on quickly. The pair courted for a few years before finally deciding to get married, doing so in 1993. The couple were happily together for decades, welcoming 6 children of their own throughout the duration of their marriage. Kody and Janelle’s dynamic is an interesting one, especially considering they were very in love for the majority of their relationship.

The couple, who got married after 3 years of courting, were one of Kody’s most stable relationships throughout their time together. Kody and Janelle confided in each other and though they had marital spats, were consistently one of the most engaging relationships on Sister Wives during it’s early years. Kody seemed to feel a sense of calm with Janelle and confided in her tremendously, but the relationship changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kody picked an argument with Janelle’s sons over his rules surrounding the pandemic, which sent his marriage to Janelle in to a downward spiral. The two announced their separation after nearly 30 years of marriage in late 2022.

Christine Used To Be The Youngest Wife

After Kody married Janelle, he was still looking to expand his family and ultimately met Christine in the early 1990s. She asked to join the Brown family after she and Kody had been courting for some time, and the pair spiritually marred in 1994. Kody and Christine’s relationship was a whole different dynamic from the very beginning, as Christine was the youngest wife in the Brown family and changed things up with Janelle and Meri. Christine had some animosity towards her sister wives, but ultimately the trio got along well and supported one another.

Christine and Kody welcomed 6 children of their own through the years, and have done their best to continue to parent their children together even as things have gotten more sour in their relationship. For years, Christine felt as though she was being pushed out of her relationship with Kody, especially after Robyn joined the family. Christine and Kody faced some issues in their relationship after years together, and while Kody was hoping to fix things, Christine wasn’t certain about their marriage. She chose to leave Kody in 2021 after nearly 30 years together and the pair divorced by the end of that year.

Robyn Changed The Brown Family Dynamic

 

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As the last wife to join the Brown family, Robyn had an interesting position to take up as she moved through the ranks of the family. Robyn and Kody first met in 2010, courting for years before they decided to get married. The couple asked Meri to sacrifice her legal marriage to Kody in order for Robyn’s children from her previous marriage to be adopted into the family. After marrying in 2014, Kody and Robyn were happy together in their relationship even though the rest of his marriages were deteriorating. Kody, who spent the majority of his time with Robyn and was no longer being equitable about his relationships, took the heat from his wives for not being an equal partner.

Kody has always expressed favoritism towards Robyn, which began quite early in their relationship. Kody took Robyn on a honeymoon, something he didn’t do with this other wives, and she was even given expensive jewelry for their wedding while Kody’s other wives were not. It seemed very clear, even in the early days of Sister Wives, that Kody and Robyn were closer than Kody was with any of his other wives. The relationship between them is ongoing, even though Kody’s going through other marital issues. Kody and Robyn’s marriage has been the strongest throught the run of the series.

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EDT on TLC.