Kody Brown's Most Candid Comments About Polygamy

Few reality TV celebrities are as controversial as the openly polygamous Kody Brown of TLC's "Sister Wives". The show has followed the plural Brown family for years, even as it has begun to evolve and seemingly fall apart. Meri, Janelle, and Christine Brown no longer consider themselves to be in a relationship with Kody, and Robyn is the only woman he is married to at the moment.

The polygamous family has captivated audiences since 2010, but they're now on shaky ground after the departure of three out of four sister wives. Aside from that, Kody has publicly been making candid comments about polygamy, so the question of whether he'll continue living the blended lifestyle remains. His son Paedon has already called Kody out for not splitting his time evenly with his kids, so distancing himself from the idea of a plural marriage might be an escape tactic.

Considering that the patriarch went from claiming polygamy is no way of life for a selfish person to publicly favoring his fourth wife, Robyn, and saying he married Christine to boost his ego, fans left to speculate where he stands after all the drama that went down on the show. After blaming God for his polygamous woes, fans think Kody might be ready for a lifestyle change.

One of Kody Brown's most candid comments about polygamy is when he said the overall concept of plural marriage on his side of the deal is based on ego. The patriarch made this particular comment during a "Sister Wives: One on One" special, in which he touched on his marriage with his now-ex-wife, Christine Brown. After more than 25 years together, Christine and Kody called it quits in 2021 and made the announcement on social media, but Kody felt the need to share his feelings on his own terms when he sat down with the tell-all host, Sukanya Krishnan.

"Christine basically asked to be in our family. I felt a lot of pressure," Kody shared during the testimonial, adding that Christine was a prominent figure at his church at the time and that he felt it would be a good move to get together with her. He admitted to thinking that it would "make [him] cool in [their] church," but ultimately said he now knows his motives weren't honest.

When Krishnan asked him whether there was any ego involved in his relationship with Christine, Kody exclaimed, "I was a polygamist. It's all ego, baby!" What makes this particular comment baffling is the fact that he stated the exact opposite in the book he co-authored with his ex-partners and wife, Robyn Brown. In "Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage", Kody touched upon the topic of ego in polygamy and said, "There is no room for ego in plural marriage."

After stating that polygamists shouldn't be selfish, Kody Brown openly favored his fourth and only remaining wife, Robyn Brown. In the third part of the exclusive sit-down for season 17 of "Sister Wives", Kody called out his ex-wife, Christine Brown, for not being friendly enough with Robyn. "The words that Christine uses incite enmity toward Robyn. She never did anything to Christine but be kind to her," he told host Sukanya Krishnan.

When confronted with the question of having a favorite wife, Kody responded, "It's not about a favorite, it's about finding favor." The patriarch followed up with an explanation, stating that the other three sister wives (now exes) had badmouthed him openly, and Robyn was the only one who didn't let that kind of behavior slide.

"[Robyn] puts up her dukes if [they] s—t talk me," Kody shared with Krishnan, adding that the other sister wives have a "character issue." The "Sister Wives" fans also seem to think Robyn is Kody's favorite wife, which they've shared under numerous social media posts on multiple occasions throughout the years, and some have even theorized that Kody has never been truly in love until he met Robyn. A Reddit user left a comment stating just that, speculating that Kody seems to secretly want a monogamous marriage with his fourth wife.

Another pretty controversial comment of Kody Brown's was during the "Sister Wives" season 16 One-on-One special, in which the polygamist blamed God for the difficulties he encountered in his plural marriages. Kody opened the tough topic by saying how his ex-wife, Christine Brown, is completely disowning the plural lifestyle after so many years of living it, which has in turn made him question his own choices.

"When you really start getting honest, you start looking up to the heavens and going, 'Geez, Father. You inspired me to do this. Why is it such a mess now?'" Kody stated, adding that the challenging times he's come across have made him "question the [polygamous] lifestyle itself." The special episode host, Suki Krishnan, was visibly stunned by Kody's statement and asked him whether he meant the polygamist way of living altogether. "Oh, hell yes, yes. I question it all the time," Kody answered confidently, adding that hearing how sister wives in general feel in plural marriages has made him think that way.

Kody's intriguing comment had his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, questioning whether he's dependable. "If he doesn't love plural marriage, what does he do?" Robyn candidly asked, adding that she's seen men leave their plural marriages because they're "tired of it." While Robyn is keen on bringing in another sister wife, Kody doesn't seem to be so sure.

Before Kody Brown admitted to doubting the polygamous lifestyle, he demanded that his wives adhere to his rules, which he referred to in the "Sister Wives: One on One" special for season 17. The famous polygamist says that his third wife, Christine Brown, leaving their spiritual union has made him realize he "should have been more patriarchal" in order to prevent her from breaking up with him. Kody additionally admitted that he thinks Christine wouldn't have left had he been "the head of the family."

After bringing up the concept of patriarchal living, Kody shared that he insisted Christine and his second wife, Janelle Brown, conform to his will before marrying them. "Basically, I said, 'If you want to be in the family, I need you to understand that you have to run your will to mine,'" Kody revealed, adding that they were "compliant", which made him think their unions would work.

However, Janelle doesn't recall it like that. "There weren't conversations like this, 'Well, I'll be in charge,'" she told Suki, adding that their purpose was always to raise a blended family like a team. "Now, all of a sudden, this is his tune. Like, 'I'm going to be the head of my household, [and] if you don't agree with me, then you're not going to be around me,'" Janelle shared in the confessional. Polygamy is a patriarchal way of living, but it seems like Kody wasn't all that clear in expressing his wishes along the way.

Robyn Brown is Kody Brown's only remaining wife after the other three sister wives decided to leave him. Christine Brown, Kody's third wife, was the first to go. His second sister wife, Janelle Brown, followed suit quickly after and left Kody in 2022, while Meri Brown, his first wife, left at the beginning of 2023. With his blended family falling apart before his eyes, Kody has openly stated that polygamy might no longer be a way of life he wishes to participate in.

According to Showbiz CheatSheet, in the "Sister Wives" season 17 premiere, Kody shared that he told his friends he "didn't want to be an advocate of plural marriage anymore" because he's become aware of the "apparent and obvious unfairness in the [polygamous] relationship." He also opened up about feeling pressured to provide more love than he has to give.

Kody has touched upon facing "the stark reality of the struggle that [polygamy] is" and has left fans and his remaining wife wondering whether there will ever be another sister wife in the Brown family. InTouch Weekly reported that some of the extended Brown family has already realized the patriarch may have forced himself into the lifestyle. "I think that's how it is with most [polygamous] men," Kristyn Decker, Christine's aunt, shared, adding that she thinks Kody could "feel like a failure" because he didn't succeed at polygamy.