Kody Brown’s relationships with Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, Christine Brown and Robyn Brown have all had their ups and downs — but many Sister Wives viewers were still shocked when he and his third wife called it quits.
TLC fans were introduced to the Brown family in 2010 when he was legally married to Meri and spiritually married to Janelle and Christine. The first season followed Robyn’s introduction to the group after 16 years of Kody’s established routine with his three other wives.
Kody is the father of 18 children total, legally divorcing Meri in 2014 to marry Robyn in order to formally adopt her three children from a previous relationship.
“We have chosen to legally restructure our family,” the Browns said in a statement to Us Weekly at the time. “We made this decision together as a family. We are grateful to our family, friends and fans for all their love and support.”
While Meri was on board with the plan, her relationship with Kody struggled post-divorce as she sought “companionship” from someone online and ended up being catfished. As tensions remained high, Kody admitted to Us in February 2021 that his relationship with his first wife had been in a “very dark place for a very long time” — but he wasn’t forcing her to stay.
“It’s been more about trying to get ourselves out of this hole that we dug ourselves into,” he told Us at the time. “I feel like [my wives] need to understand that — that they can leave. If it’s not working for them, they can leave. Nobody’s going to be a prisoner here.”
Several months later, Christine became the first wife to leave Kody.
“After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave,” she wrote via Instagram in November 2021. “We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family. At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family.”
He added in a statement of his own at the time: “Christine’s decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness. We enjoyed many years together and I have a large amount of respect and admiration for her. Although we are moving forward on different paths, we will always remain committed parents.”
Scroll down for a status update on Kody’s marriages:
