When five become four. Christine Brown‘s announcement that she and her husband, Kody Brown, split for good came as a shock to viewers who have followed the family on Sister Wives since 2010.
The TLC personality announced the news via Instagram in November 2021, shortly before the TLC show’s season 16 premiere. “After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave,” she wrote at the time. “We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family.”
The duo, who tied the knot in March 1994, share six children: daughters Aspyn (born March 1995), Mykelti (born June 1996), Gwendlyn (born October 2001), Ysabel (born June 2003) and Truely (born April 2010) and son Paedon (born August 1998).
During the Sister Wives series premiere in September 2010, Christine, who was raised in a polygamous family, said she decided at age 19 that she wanted to be part of a plural marriage.
“I honestly wanted sister wives more than a husband for a good time of my life,” she said at the time. “I want the whole family. I didn’t just want Kody. No, I wanted everything.”
As soon as she realized that she wanted to be part of a polygamous family, she also knew that she wanted to be someone’s third wife — not their first or second.
“They actually say if you’re having problems, like, when you have two wives … marry a third because they’ll even it out,” she said during one confessional scene. “I never wanted to be a first at all because I didn’t want to be married to a guy by myself. And then I didn’t want to be a second because I felt like they were a little wedge in the relationship, and I didn’t want to be the wedge. I only ever wanted to be the third because it sounded the easiest.”
Though Christine was happy to be Kody’s third wife, she initially struggled with the addition of the fourth, Robyn Brown, who wed Kody in May 2010. He has also been married to Meri Brown since April 1990 and to Janelle Brown since January 1993.
“[Robyn] lives, like, five hours away,” Christine said during season 1 when Kody was still courting his future fourth wife. “There [were] a couple times where I’m like, ‘You really can’t go. You can’t leave me, and you can’t leave your family. You are replacing your family with Robyn and her kids.’ It was hard, and at the same point I realized that it needed to happen, but it didn’t necessarily make it easier.”
Keep scrolling for look back at Christine and Kody’s ups and downs over the years:
Christine became Kody's third wife when she was 21 years old. Two months after the wedding, Janelle gave birth to the family's first child, Logan. Courtesy Christine Brown/Instagram
Christine's first child, daughter Aspyn, arrived one year after she married Kody. Aspyn married Mitch Thompson in June 2018. Courtesy Christine Brown/Instagram
Kody and Christine welcomed their second daughter, Mykelti. In December 2016, Mykelti wed Tony Padron in a ceremony held in Utah. Courtesy Mykelti Brown/Instagram
Christine's first son, Paedon, became the eighth child in the family (her third). Courtesy Paedon Brown/Instagram
Kody and Christine welcomed Gwendlyn, their third daughter and fourth child together. Courtesy Gwendlyn Brown/Instagram
Ysabel, the couple's fifth child, arrived nearly two years after Gwendlyn. Courtesy Christine Brown/Instagram
The duo welcomed their sixth child, daughter Truely. The birth was documented on season 1 of Sister Wives. Courtesy Christine Brown/Instagram
Kody married his fourth wife, Robyn, making her the first new wife in the family in 16 years. "I don't wanna be a boat rocker, and I don't like my boat rocked," Christine said of the impending marriage during the Sister Wives series premiere. "I'm a little hesitant to accept another wife. But if it happens, then she just has to be absolutely amazing. Otherwise, it might be a little difficult." Puddle Monkey Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
Sister Wives premiered on TLC and instantly became a hit. Some viewers worried that the family's openness might lead to criminal proceedings given that polygamy was (and still is) illegal in Utah, but no charges were ever filed again Kody and his wives. They did sue the state of Utah in 2011 to challenge the state's ban on plural marriage, but the case was later dismissed by the U.S. Court of Appeals in 2016. Puddle Monkey Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
Kody told Us Weekly in February 2021 that the family dynamic was getting "weird," but one month later, Christine said she preferred their plural marriage to a monogamous one. "It’s so out there and beyond my understanding to have a guy around every night,” she told Us. “I felt, like, it would cramp my style a lot because I’ve never had that as soon as Kody and I married. I was the third wife. And so, I really liked the independence that I have and I love the freedom that I have. I love that I can just have those evenings where I’m wearing the grossest most comfortable clothes ever and I’m just, you know, curled up on the couch with the girls, eating popcorn and playing games or something. … I feel bad whenever I say things like that — really bad.” In the same interview, however, she admitted that she sometimes felt like she wasn't "an equal partner in this whole relationship" with Kody and the other wives. "The thing that I struggled with most is when I feel like I don’t have a say or when I feel like I’m not as important or things like that,” she told Us. “Anytime we’ve had major decisions, I go through a time where I’m like, ‘Does my opinion really even matter here?’ That’s when we struggle the most … is when I feel like I don’t really have a say or I don’t really have an opinion.” Puddle Monkey Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
Christine became a grandma for the first time when Mykelti gave birth to daughter Avalon. (Kody was already a grandpa of two thanks to Janelle's eldest daughter, Madison.) Courtesy Mykelti Brown/Instagram
During the season 15 finale, Christine shocked her fellow wives by saying that she wanted to move back to Utah. The family had relocated to Arizona in 2018. "We’ve had a rough relationship for a couple of years," Christine said of her husband during an earlier episode. In the finale, she admitted that she wasn't sure she could continue her relationship with Kody. “Meri, I can’t do marriage with Kody anymore,” she said. “I don’t want to. … It’s not enough.” During a confessional interview, she explained that she never got comfortable in Arizona. “I agreed to move to Flagstaff, and I followed Kody here, but it’s been a struggle the whole time," she explained. "I’m tired of feeling like I don’t matter, I’m tired of not having his support when I really need it. I’m just tired. I need a partnership. I need something different than this." Puddle Monkey Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
Us confirmed that Christine sold her home in Arizona. When she signed the house over to the new owner, she listed her address as being in Utah. Courtesy Christine Brown/Instagram
After Christine announced her split from Kody, the Brown family patriarch confirmed the news via Instagram. "Christine's decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness," he wrote. "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." Courtesy Christine Brown/Instagram
During an episode of the TLC series filmed before their split, Christine appeared to reach her breaking point and turned to Meri for comfort. "You didn't put 30 years into this — 25, 28, wherever you are — to walk away," Meri said after Christine told her she "can't do marriage with Kody anymore." In a confessional, Christine admitted, "Marriage is hard, but I never wanted the kind of marriage that I have now. I never wanted to be estranged and have extremely limited physical contact — not even hand holding. It's sad. My marriage to Kody is sad." Puddle Monkey Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock(2)
The pair butted heads during a December episode of Sister Wives when Kody chose to stay home as Christine and daughter Ysabel traveled to New Jersey so the teen could undergo scoliosis surgery. "Ysabel's really hurt that Kody's not here. She's really hurt," Christine said during the December 13 episode. Ysabel later added of her dad, "I think his priorities are a little screwed up. And l don't want to disrespect him because he is my dad and I understand, I do. I do understand why he's doing it, it's just really frustrating and really, really hard." Courtesy Kody Brown/Instagram; Courtesy Christine Brown/Instagram
During an emotional Sister Wives episode, Christine packed up Kody's belongings after he said he wasn't "interested" in being "intimate" with her anymore. "What did I do so wrong? I always wanted [a] romantic marriage and it's been so hard for so long," she said to the cameras. "I feel like I don't have a choice but to throw his stuff out because I can't — it's too heartbreaking to be around his stuff and it's too heartbreaking to be around him and watch him with Robyn and Janelle and the kids." Courtesy of Christine Brown/Instagram; Shutterstock
“HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!” Christine wrote via Instagram alongside a smiling solo snap on her first V-Day without Kody. “Take a break from this crazy world and focus on family today! #valentines #valentinesday #focus.” Courtesy of Christine Brown/Instagram
“Kody and I are divorced,” Christine said during part three of the Sister Wives: One on One tell-all special. “We’re completely separate. We’re just gonna be friends, eventually. I just realized I had to make a decision for my heart, and my heart was done being broken. And it felt, well, freeing.” Kody also confirmed during the tell-all that the two were totally done. “Christine’s moved; she’s left. We are no longer married,” he explained. “I love her, and I don’t know what to do ‘cause I’ve got the grief but I’m still angry. I’ll take the grief right now for a little while just to be out of the anger phase, and then [I’m] just moving on. [I] just [want to] have a good life and find happiness.” Christine Brown
Months after she and Kody called it quits, Christine announced that she had landed her own solo cooking spinoff. “A taste of something new!” the reality star wrote at the time. “#SisterWives’ Christine will be bringing you some of her favorite recipes on the new digital series #CookingWithJustChristine, dropping every Sunday [on Instagram] and on TLC.com.” TLC
Christine gave fans a glimpse at her live without Kody, sharing an adorable photo from her time babysitting her granddaughter. “Practically begged @mykeltip to let me babysit Avalon!” she wrote via Instagram at the time. “She’s absolutely delightful! #oma #babysitting #blessed.” Courtesy Christine Brown/Instagram
TLC released the first trailer for season 17 of Sister Wives, teasing the aftershock of Christine and Kody's breakup. "I feel like, to Kody, Robyn's more important," she says in the clip. "I have decided to leave. I’m going to leave Kody. ... I agreed to be a sister wife but I agreed to be an equal wife." TLC/YouTube
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