Kody Brown’s Busy Life: Juggling Four Wives and 18 Children

For 17 seasons, we’ve been captivated by the popular show Sister Wives, which follows the life of Kody Brown. Kody has four wives and a whopping 18 children!

When the show started in 2010, Kody was legally married to his first wife, Meri, and spiritually married to Janelle and Christine. Then, a new wife named Robyn joined the family and later became legally married to Kody too. The first season of the show focused on Robyn adjusting to life with the other wives and their kids.

Throughout the series, we’ve seen the family face both ups and downs. They’ve dealt with challenges like a scandal involving Meri and even moved from Las Vegas to Flagstaff, Arizona. But there have also been many happy moments as the kids grew up and started families of their own.

More recently, there have been some changes in the family. In 2021, Christine and Kody announced that they were separating after being married for over 25 years. And in 2022, Janelle and Kody also confirmed that they were no longer together. Not long after, it was revealed that Kody and his first wife, Meri, had ended their 32-year marriage too.

So, now we’re left wondering what’s next for Kody and his four marriages, as well as his large and loving family of 18 children. It’s an ongoing story that continues to unfold, showing us the strength and resilience of this unique plural family.

Kody Brown and Marie 

Kody and Meri Brown met in 1989 and got married the next year. Meri came from a big family, with multiple siblings and more than one wife in her parents’ marriage. For a long time, she was Kody’s only legal wife. But in 2014, they got divorced so he could marry someone else, named Robyn, and they stayed together in a spiritual way.

They said they chose to change their family situation legally, and it was a decision they made as a group. But it was still tough for Meri. In 2015, she talked about it on a show called Sister Wives. She said it felt like the end of something they had for a long time, but she knew it wasn’t really the end because they would always be connected. She believed they had eternity together as a family.

Things got complicated for Meri in 2016 when she got involved in a tricky situation online. She thought she was talking to a man, but it turned out to be a woman pretending to be someone else. This caused a lot of emotional stress, and even though Kody and Meri tried therapy to work it out, their relationship changed. It became more like close friends rather than a romantic couple. In April 2021, Meri talked about it on another episode of Sister Wives. She said they weren’t officially a couple anymore, but they were still a family.

In November 2021, Kody’s wife Christine decided to leave him. Meri stayed by his side, but she felt hurt and betrayed by Christine’s choice. She was upset that Christine didn’t see the value in their family.

Things got worse for Meri and Kody’s relationship, as shown on a TV episode in October 2022. Kody even suggested that Meri move into the Bed & Breakfast she owned, called Lizzie’s Heritage Inn. While he probably didn’t mean to be hurtful, Meri found his comment insensitive. She felt like she had been there from the very beginning, helping to start the family. They had plans and he loved her, so his words hurt her.

By December 2022, it seemed like Meri and Kody’s marriage was completely over. In a preview for a new show called Sister Wives: One on One, Meri confirmed that they were no longer together.

A week after announcing their split, Meri posted a mysterious picture on Instagram. She had a book covering part of her face, and the message said, “There’s so much more to the story…” Fans started to wonder if she was planning to write a book or share more details about her side of the situation.

On February 9, 2023, Meri posted a video on Instagram. She was smiling and enjoying a canoe ride with a friend. In the caption, she talked about building businesses, friendships, and living a good life while being free to do what she wants. They have one child together, Leon who is 27 years old as of now. 

Kody Brown and Janelle Brown 

Kody and Merri became a plural family when Kody “spiritually married” Janelle three years after their own wedding. Together, Kody and Janelle had six children: Logan, Hunter, Garrison, Gabriel, Madison, and Savanah.

In 2010, Janelle said that their polygamous family had both good and bad days, especially when it came to raising multiple teenagers under one roof.

Janelle described their family as just like any other, with their own struggles and a deep love for their children, desiring nothing more than their happiness.

The news broke in 2021 that Janelle was living in an RV on the Browns’ property in Arizona, expressing doubts about the continued suitability of plural marriage for her.

By November 2022, Kody admitted to a rocky relationship with Janelle after her move into the trailer. He acknowledged that both he and Janelle lacked honest and genuine communication about their issues.

While Meri felt betrayed by Christine’s departure, Janelle immediately showed support, as Christine revealed in August 2022.

Christine shared that Janelle had been a constant and incredible source of support throughout the entire ordeal.

Janelle’s response to Christine’s decision to leave may have foreshadowed her own departure, which Kody confirmed in December 2022.

“I am no longer with Janelle,” he stated in a sneak peek for the show Sister Wives: One on One. “And Christine and I are divorced.”

Just a day after their split was announced, Janelle took to Instagram, expressing her anticipation for a healthy and happy new year. She shared a video highlighting her progress on her journey to better health, stating that she was ready for the year 2023.

Kody Brown and Christine Brown 

Their love story began in 1990 when Kody and Christine first crossed paths. However, it wasn’t until Valentine’s Day in 1994 that they went on their first date. The following month, they embarked on a spiritual marriage, making Christine the third wife to join their polygamous family.

Growing up in a plural family herself, Christine always saw herself as a third wife. She found it appealing and believed it would be the easiest role within the family dynamic.

After their union, Kody and Christine welcomed six children into the world: Aspyn, Mykelti, Gwendlyn, Ysabel, Truely, and Paedon. In November 2021, Christine made the decision to be the first of Kody’s wives to leave the plural family. This choice was influenced, in part, by Kody’s relationship with their children.

During an appearance on the Reality Life with Kate Casey podcast in December 2022, Christine revealed that their children had been disappointed with Kody for years due to his lack of meaningful involvement with them. She observed that their children didn’t feel a strong connection with him and felt hurt seeing how he interacted with other kids compared to them.

Christine explained that she made the decision to leave their 26-year marriage because she realized that wishing for change wasn’t enough; action was necessary to alter their situation.

While Christine initially expressed that their split was amicable and that they would remain involved in each other’s lives, Kody later shared on an episode of Sister Wives that his feelings were different. He expressed a desire to cut ties with Christine completely and move on from their shared past.

However, Christine is focusing on the future. Over a year after her separation from Kody, on February 7, 2023, she revealed that she is exclusively dating someone. Later identified as David Woolley, a grandfather from Utah, Christine described him as wonderful, romantic, and kind—qualities she had been seeking. In her Instagram Story, she expressed her happiness and excitement about this new relationship.

In the following month, Christine shared the news of her engagement to Woolley. She remarked that he treats her like a queen, constantly reaffirming her beauty. Christine disclosed in an interview on April 13, 2023, that she had never experienced love like this before, and with Woolley by her side, the world seemed brighter.

Additionally, Christine praised Woolley for his incredible connection with her youngest daughter, Truely.

Kody Brown and Robyn Brown 

Robyn became the fourth and final wife to join the plural family after meeting Kody at church in 2009. At first, they were only married spiritually, but in 2014, they got legally married so that Kody could adopt Robyn’s three children – Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna – from her previous marriage. They also have two children together, Solomon and Ariella.

Throughout the years, Robyn and Kody have had a strong bond compared to the other wives. This sometimes caused tension in their home, and Christine left partly because Kody seemed to favor Robyn.

Christine felt that she wasn’t as important to Kody as Robyn was. She felt like a third wheel for a long time and believed that her relationship with Kody was not valued.

On the other hand, Robyn believes that her close bond with Kody is a result of how the other wives treated him. She mentioned that the other wives basically handed Kody to her, implying that they didn’t want to spend time with him.

Currently, Robyn is the only wife still in a relationship with Kody. However, their marriage has been strained due to Kody’s issues with the other women.

Robyn explained that Kody’s difficulties with his other relationships are putting a lot of stress on their own relationship.

Final Words 

In this show called Sister Wives, we’ve seen Kody Brown, who has four wives and a big family with 18 children! The show follows their journey, and sometimes things are happy, but sometimes they face challenges. Recently, some of Kody’s wives decided to leave, and there have been ups and downs in his relationships. It’s a big story with lots of emotions, and we’ll have to wait and see what happens next!