Three of the reality star’s wives have now walked away from their polygamous marriage. After facing a series of divorces over just 14 months, the man confessed he felt like he had been “slapped by polygamy” and shared a surprising take on plural marriage.
TLC’s hit reality show “Sister Wives” premiered in 2010 and is still airing, now in its 19th season. The show centers around Kody Brown, who is married to four women and shares 18 children with them.
Fourteen years after the show first aired, the family looks very different — three of Kody’s wives have left the marriage, and one has since remarried. Here’s a look at where each of them stands today.
Meri, Janelle, Kody, Christine, and Robyn Brown speak during the “Sister Wives” panel during the Discovery Communications portion of the Summer TCA press tour on August 6, 2010, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
Meri Brown
When the show first began, Kody was already in a plural marriage with three women. His first wife, Meri, met him through his sister at church. At the time, her father had five wives and often spoke to Kody about polygamy, which influenced him to embrace the lifestyle.
Just six months after meeting, the couple tied the knot in April 1990, already planning to expand their family with more wives. Although Meri was the first to marry Kody, their relationship eventually changed course. In September 2014, he legally ended his marriage to Meri so he could marry his fourth wife.
Despite this, someone familiar with the show shared that Kody stayed “spiritually married” to all four women. Then, in January 2023, Meri, who shares a son with him, officially announced that her marriage to Kody had come to an end after 32 years. She is the third wife to break up with him.
After her marriage to Kody officially ended, Meri began making meaningful changes in her life. She moved to Utah, began dating again, and made her own joy a priority. Speaking about Season 19 of “Sister Wives,” she noted in a 2024 interview:
“It’s interesting because you can really see a shift in this season.”
In the new episodes, viewers witness a different side of Meri — more confident and clear-headed — as she fully steps away from the plural marriage. The shift is especially striking given that she spent nearly ten years hoping to mend the relationship, even as Kody often appeared uninterested and occasionally remarked in private interviews that he would be fine if she chose to move on.
Meri gave love another try, but the relationship ended after a few months. In early 2024, the 54-year-old mother of one shared on Instagram:
“Just because I care a lot about someone, and him me, does not equate to full compatibility for a long-term relationship.”
Though the breakup was difficult, she embraced it as a learning experience, “I know what’s important to me in a relationship, and I’m confident in myself while I’m single as well.” Now, she’s focused on her future and personal well-being.
While moving forward on her own, Meri also welcomed new joy into her life in an unexpected way — by adopting a dog named Zona. She introduced her on Instagram, writing, “2024 was amazing for me in SO many ways, but my favorite part by far was adopting my Zona!”
The California native adopted Zona after an instant connection and now considers her the perfect travel partner — and an easy way to spot the wrong date.
Janelle Brown
Kody’s second wife, Janelle, came into the picture through Meri. From the start, she felt a deep sense of familiarity with him and soon expressed interest in joining the family. The two were married in 1993 and went on to have six children.
However, over time, their relationship began to shift. In December 2022, Kody publicly shared in a preview for “Sister Wives: One on One” that he and Janelle were no longer together. Janelle confirmed the split herself:
“Kody and I have separated.”
After the separation, Janelle, who is the second wife to leave Kody, chose to focus inward rather than rush into something new. In a December 2023 interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” she shared that dating wasn’t on her mind — her children remained her top priority. Heartbreak struck a few months later in March 2024 when she lost one of her kids.
Beyond family, the 55-year-old channeled her energy into long-held dreams and personal projects, explaining that’s where her drive and attention were firmly rooted.
As she continues to pour energy into what matters to her, Janelle, who became a grandmother in March 2025, recently shared a hopeful update about her future living space.
In April 2025, she posted a photo of her empty plot on Instagram and wrote, “My home is slowly coming to fruition. Building should start soon and then hopefully I’ll be in by the holidays.”
The reality star added that the house will sit right across from her daughter and son-in-law’s home, complete with large porches and plans for relaxing porch swing evenings — screens included for summer bugs.
As Janelle, who has lost weight, lays the groundwork for her new home, her bond with Kody’s third wife, Christine Brown remains just as strong. Though Christine has stepped away from polygamy, she still values their connection deeply. In an interview, she shared:
“Everywhere I go, Janelle has to come with me, and all of her children come, too.”
Christine Brown
Kody’s third marriage began in March 1994 when he wed Christine, who had been raised in a polygamous family. Though it took time for her to fully join the household, she and Kody went on to have six children together.
After more than 25 years as a couple, Christine announced their separation in November 2021 with an Instagram post. She shared:
“Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave… We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family.”
Following the end of her marriage to Kody, Christine found love again. In October 2023, she married David Woolley and celebrated their first anniversary a year later with photos from their wedding day. She captioned the post:
“Happy Anniversary @david__woolley Gosh, I love you… I feel so blessed to be married to you and I look forward to the rest of our lives together.”
Since starting a new chapter with David, Christine has continued embracing change. Now living in Salt Lake City, she also launched her own TLC digital series, “Cooking with Just Christine,” in February 2022.
Though cooking once felt like a chore, Christine found joy in it again, calling the experience “a gift.” She’s also slimmed down noticeably.
Speaking about her journey, she shared, “The most important thing anybody can do is just stop and listen to your heart… I need to figure out how to make the rest of my life how I want it.”
At first, Christine, who was first to leave Kody, questioned if putting herself first was selfish but came to a powerful realization, “You should be in charge of your life… it’s a lot better than staying where you shouldn’t be.”
Robyn Brown
Introduced in the debut season of “Sister Wives,” Robyn became Kody’s fourth wife when they married in December 2014. At the time, she had three children from a previous marriage, all of whom Kody later adopted. Together, they also welcomed two more children.
The couple remains married today. Kody officially married Robyn after ending his legal union with Meri, solidifying her place as his only legal spouse.
As for their current relationship, Meri once shared that she and Robyn “don’t really talk a lot.” She believes Robyn may still be adjusting to a life very different from what she once expected. With Robyn now in a monogamous marriage, Meri noted they’ve had little interaction and are simply living separate lives.
While Meri and Robyn now lead separate lives, the emotional toll of the family’s split weighs heavily on both Robyn and Kody. Robyn admitted:
“I feel like we failed… The commitment we made — we were all in this together. We screwed it up.”
Kody, also took some responsibility for the breakdowns, saying, “I could have done a lot better.” The emotional impact of these breakups played out further in a recent “Sister Wives” episode, which aired on April 27, 2025 during a Valentine’s Day-themed segment. Each family member seemed to be grappling with how much had changed.
Kody, now 56, shared his conflicted views on marriage, “My church isn’t a cult… but marriage is its own cult. It is easy to get into and it is hard to get out of.” Later, during dinner with Robyn, he admitted he felt “slapped by polygamy” and even bitter, adding:
“I’m not interested in plural marriage anymore.”
The TV personality explained that he no longer wished to face the emotional toll, “I don’t want that headache… the struggles… the wonder about trust.” Despite that, the family patriarch acknowledged the blessings of his children but admitted frustration over others feeling pressured to follow the same path.
