Kody Brown is taking some accountability in his failed marriages to Janelle Brown, Christine Brown and Meri Brown. In less than two years, all three women left Kody, leaving him with just one wife, Robyn Brown, who he is legally married to, remaining. “I could have done a lot better,” Kody admitted in a new interview with PEOPLE magazine.
Between the four women, Kody has 18 children. Although many of the kids are adults now, the Sister Wives star is hopeful that he can be in a good place with all of his exes. Despite the “painful” splits, he said, “You have to hope to have a friendship in the future because we’re bound forever through our kids.”
Meanwhile, Robyn opened up about how difficult the situation has been for her, as well. “No one should be married while they’re going through a divorce,” she said. However, she has no plans to end things with Kody herself. “I never thought I wanted to leave. I know how much I love Kody. He’s doing his best.”
Robyn was the last wife to join the family. She and Kody married in 2014 so he could adopt her children from a previous relationship. Before that, Kody was legally married to Meri, who was his first wife.
Christine was the first woman to leave Kody. She made the decision in 2021 after months of debating whether or not it was the best thing to do. After telling Kody she wanted to end their spiritual union, she moved with their daughter, Truely, from Arizona to Utah to live closer to some of her other children. In 2022, Janelle followed suit and ended things with Kody, as well. News of their separation was revealed during season 17 of Sister Wives.
Finally, Meri became the third wife to end things with Kody at the beginning of 2023. The pair’s relationship had been strained for years, and was more platonic than romantic following her catfishing scandal in 2015. Things were not the same in the marriage after Meri began an online relationship with someone else. She thought the person she was becoming emotionally involved with was a man, but they were eventually exposed as a woman.
Despite Kody remaining distant for years and even saying that he no longer considered himself married to Meri, Meri was committed to making the relationship work. Finally, though, she decided it was time for them to go their separate ways.
Since divorcing Kody, Christine has gotten engaged to David Woolley. Janelle, on the other hand, is not looking to find love anytime soon. “Maybe in ten years,” she laughed in the PEOPLE interview. “We’ll see. I would actually consider plural marriage because I do love the freedom and independence it gave me. I think it was a good fit for me. I don’t even know what a monogamous relationship would be like.”
Sister Wives returns with its 18th season on Aug. 20 at 10:00 p.m. on TLC.