Who is Sister Wives star Robyn Brown’s ex-husband David Jessop? While the TLC personality is known for her once-plural marriage to husband Kody Brown — Christine Brown left the family patriarch in November 2021, Janelle Brown split from Kody in December 2022 and Meri Brown confirmed her separation in January 2023 — Robyn was previously married to Jessop from 1999 to 2007. Though she has rarely spoken about her past marriage, fans are still curious to learn about her life before she met Kody.
Keep reading to find out everything we know about Robyn’s first husband.
When Was Robyn Brown Married to David Jessop?
The reality TV star wed her first husband in June 1999. According to divorce documents exclusively obtained by In Touch, Jessop was the petitioner in the April 2007 divorce. The couple’s legal separation was finalized in 2009.
Although she rarely ever talks about her past relationship with him, Robyn opened up about her experience during an April 2021 episode of Sister Wives.
“I was married before, and in that marriage, there was a lot of fighting and there was a lot of pain,” Robyn revealed. “I promised myself as I came out of my divorce, I was like, ‘If I ever marry again, I’m just going to be more cautious and more careful.'”
During the same episode, Robyn and the other sister wives reflected on their communication skills as a plural family, to which Robyn mentioned she rarely ever argues with Kody.
“Let’s just say that it’s rare that I fight with him,” she said during a confessional at the time. “I probably could name five real fights in the last 10, 11 years we’ve been together. Probably five real fights. Maybe not even that.”
Following Kody and his third wife Christine’s split in November 2021, it led the mom of five to look back on how her outlook on love changed following her divorce.
“I was a single mom, I had three kids,” she said during an October 2022 episode. “My divorce had really shook me, I kinda said to myself, I don’t really care so much about the romantic part of a relationship, I cared about whether or not he was a good husband, a good man. I cared about what I was going to give to my children.”
Who Are Robyn Brown and David Jessop’s Kids?
The former spouses shared children Dayton, Aurora and Breanna. Jessop was ordered to pay Robyn $159 per month in child support for all three children, and he eventually stopped seeing his kids regularly. As Robyn and Kody’s relationship got more serious with time, Jessop contacted the Sister Wives
Kody legally adopted the three kids in 2014 after legally marrying Robyn. When he did so, Jessop had not fulfilled child support payments for 30 months. Amid a custody conversation, Jessop accused Robyn of forcing their children into uncomfortable territory with Kody and tried to stop his kids from expressing their own desire to be adopted. Ultimately, Kody was successful in his efforts.
In order to tie the knot with Robyn, the businessman legally divorced his first wife, Meri, and remained spiritually married to her until their split after more than 30 years of marriage.
Robyn and Kody welcomed two children of their own: Solomon, who was born in 2011 and Ariella, who was born in 2016.
Why Did Robyn Brown and David Jessop Divorce?
Detailed in the documents exclusively obtained by In Touch, Robyn and Jessop’s reason for divorce was that their marriage was irretrievably broken and they were experiencing marital discord. While she tends to keep the details private, Robyn once opened up about Jessop via Twitter in November 2011 in response to a Sister Wives episode that had premiered at the time. In the episode, Robyn had to address bullying within the household against her three children.
“Just to clarify, I do not tolerate my kids getting bullied,” Robyn tweeted at the time, before claiming, “I ended my first marriage because of abuse. My kids come first ALWAYS.”
What Happened to Robyn Brown’s 1st Husband?
On January 12, 2018, Jessop was allegedly arrested for “partner or family member assault causing bodily injury,” per Radar Online. He was released from jail four days later, according to the outlet.
Radar reported that Jessop ultimately pled not guilty, and the charge was amended to disorderly conduct on August 31, 2018. Jessop was ordered to pay fines, the site noted.
Additional details included in the documents exclusively obtained by In Touch show that Jessop and Robyn were not on great terms following their divorce. The parenting plan revealed that Jessop had Robyn listed as “reality bitch” in his cell phone, and his family has rarely had a kind word for the Sister Wives star.
