'Sister Wives': Inside Kody Brown's Marriage to Robyn Brown

The self-proclaimed 'soulmates' are the only two members of the Brown family still in an active marriage.

She may be Kody Brown's fourth wife, but few can deny that Sister Wives star Robyn Brown is the Brown family patriarch's favorite. 

The 45-year-old mother of five officially joined the family in 2010 and her entry into the family was documented in the pilot episode of the family's TLC reality series. 

Prior to his marriage to Robyn, Kody had first tied the knot with Meri Brown in 1990, followed by Janelle Brown in 1993, and Christine Brown in 1994. 

The polygamist, who is now the father of 18 children, legally married Robyn in 2014 in an effort to adopt her three children from a previous marriage. 

After Christine announced her split from Kody in 2021, Janelle separated from Kody in 2022 and Meri confirmed that she and Kody had "permanently terminated" their marriage in early 2023. Robyn remains the only wife in an active relationship with Kody, and Kody recently shared that he plans to continue living monogamously. 

In the Sister Wives: One-on-One special, Kody rejected the idea of taking on another wife if Robyn were to present him with one. 

"No, I wouldn't be interested because I would have to tell that woman, 'I will never love you as much as I love her,' because now I know better," Kody explained. 

Look back at Kody and Robyn's love story:

June 1999 

Robyn, a member of the polygamist faith, married her first husband, David Preston Jessop. Coincidentally, David is reportedly the first cousin of Christine Brown and the third cousin of Kody. 

Robyn and David had three children together and Robyn said that she planned to have sister wives, but that their marriage didn't last long enough for them to welcome a second wife. 

"What started off as unstable disintegrated into something destructive," Robyn wrote in the family's book, Becoming Sister Wives, of her first marriage. 

In the years since, it has been speculated that Robyn was a victim of domestic abuse in her first marriage. 

In January 2023, Kody and Christine's son, Paedon Brown, alleged that Robyn was in an "extremely abusive relationship" with her ex-husband, David.

They welcomed children Dayton Jessop, Aurora Jessop, and Breanna Jessop together. 

2009

After two years of separation, Robyn's divorce from David was finalized. 

December 2009

At the age of 30, Robyn saw Kody at her cousin, Reba's, church. 

"I'm not exaggerating when I say I felt as though I'd been shot through with a bolt of lightning," Robyn wrote of the encounter, saying she was "stunned" and "embarrassed" by her response. 

Having just gone through her divorce, Robyn was wary of entering into anything, but developed a close friendship with Meri. 

"Both Meri and I were convinced that Robyn had a wonderful spirit -- kind and profound," Kody wrote. "Even our brief conversation with her stirred our souls. We wanted to get to know her better. I felt an undeniable connection to this woman I had just met, as did Meri. This connection was so deep and spiritual that it kept us up all night." 

Robyn insisted upon a longer courtship than any of Kody's other wives, courting him for six months before marriage. 

TLC

May 2010

On May 22, 2010, Robyn and Kody were spiritually married with their large family present for the special occasion. 

TLC

September 2010

Sister Wives premiered on TLC featuring Kody and his first three wives. In the pilot episode, Kody shares with his kids that he's planning to ask Robyn and her three children to join their family. It marks his first new courtship in 16 years. 

Viewers got to meet Robyn at the end of the episode, when Kody shared that they were four months into their courtship. Robyn is seen giggling with her future husband and describing him as her "soulmate." 

October 2011

Kody and Robyn welcomed their first child together, son Solomon Brown.

December 2014

In an effort to adopt Robyn's children from her past marriage, Kody legally divorced Meri and married Robyn. This move put a strain on Kody and Meri's relationship and several months later, her catfishing scandal was revealed. 

January 2016

Kody and Robyn welcomed their daughter, Ariella Brown, marking Kody's final child of 18. 

March 2020

The COVID pandemic hit, causing the Brown family and the rest of the world to adjust. Kody became very strict with his wives, saying that if they traveled or planned to see anyone outside of their family unit that he would not see them. He was then accused of favoring Robyn during this time. 

November 2021

Christine publicly announced her split from Kody after months of privately struggling. In season 17 of Sister Wives, she specifically cited his favoritism of Robyn as a reason behind her decision. 

TLC

January 2023

Janelle announced that she and Kody had separated after nearly 30 years of being spiritually married. Fans later saw that the separation happened in early 2022. Later that month, Meri also confirmed that she and Kody had "permanently terminated" their marriage after years of estrangement. 

In the show's One-on-One special, Robyn and Kody discussed the possibility of having a monogamous relationship

Of bringing in new wives to the family, Robyn said that her husband "basically said no" to the idea. She noted that she is interested in bringing new wives in, but admitted, "I'm scared of it because of how badly this has gone. I really, really struggle with it because it feels like, 'Oh well, those didn't work so onto the new!' That's hard for me. That's really, really hard for me. It feels disrespectful."

Saying that the idea of being in a monogamous relationship with Kody is "messing with my identity," Robyn added that she had never intended to be the last wife standing. 

"It's not the future I wanted. I want that house with us on the porch in the rocking chairs with our grandkids and our kids around us -- the grandparent ranch," Robyn said. "That's what I want. And I don't know how to let it go." 

April 2023

Kody and Christine's daughter, Gwendlyn Brown, said that her estranged stepmother no longer sees herself as a part of the Brown family

Reflecting on Robyn's tearful claims that she's always dreamed of having the extended polygamist family together, Gwendlyn called the idea "so lovely and so cute," but added, "I'm not sure that Robyn can be reunited with it... With Robyn, she's made it very clear that she no longer sees herself as part of the family. I'm not sure if she'll allow that to happen with her kids."

TLC

July 2023

The trailer for Sister Wives' season 18 premiered with a tearful Robyn weeping over the loss of her dreams of a plural family. 

"I wanted to sit on a porch with my sister wives, with my kids and my grandkids," she said crying, repeating her regular sentiment of her vision for the Brown family's future. 

Kody's estranged older children were also seen discussing their fractured family, with Kody and Janelle's son, Garrison Brown, saying, "You know what, Robyn? Have him." 

August 2023

Season 18 of Sister Wives premieres, documenting the end of Kody and Janelle's marriage and Robyn's efforts to keep Kody's marriage to Meri going. But despite her insistence that Meri stay a part of the Brown family, that estranged marriage also dissolves, with Meri ultimately walking away from her union to Kody. 

November 2023

Christine and Janelle opened up to ET about Kody and Robyn's bond following their splits from the former polygamist. 

"They're equally matched and equally yolked. They deserve each other. Did that sound bad? Did that sound snarky?" Christine told ET with a laugh. "They completely deserve each other, and I want them to have the best life possible. They found each other and I know what it feels like to find your person. I know what I have with David and now I can understand what they have with each other. And I'm like, 'Oh, yeah, please have a good life.'"

As for whether the couple will bring in a new sister wife, Christine and Janelle are both skeptical of the notion. 

"No, because then he'd have to tell the other woman, 'You know, you're probably great but I really love Robyn, so I don't know what you're gonna do with your life,'" Christine mused of her ex. "I think she's gonna be it. Why would they look for something else if they've found each other?"

TLC

December 2023

Kody admits that he's only ever been "in love" with Robyn in the One-on-One special after years of denying showing her favoritism. 

Robyn also opened up about how Kody has attempted to "sabotage" their marriage by picking fights amid his anger over his splits. 

And when asked if he'd consider taking on another wife if Robyn were to present him with an option, he replied, "No, I wouldn't be interested because I would have to tell that woman, 'I will never love you as much as I love her,' because now I know better." 

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