The coronavirus pandemic was arguably the straw that broke the camel’s back among the Brown family.
Season 15 of Sister Wives chronicled Kody Brown and his then-four wives, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn, navigating the pandemic with their large, polygamous family.
Their pandemic drama continued for several more seasons. Sister Wives watched as Kody’s over-the-top rules for his wives and their 18 children began to obliterate his relationships with his family.
Most of Kody’s wives and kids disagreed with his strict protocols, causing division among the family, but Robyn was always a staunch supporter of Kody and his laundry list of rules.
Therefore, he spent the majority of his time at Robyn’s house, putting even more strain on his bonds with his other wives and kids.
Kody’s relationships with his and Janelle’s sons, Garrison and Gabriel, were especially strained, as Sister Wives fans learned.
During Sunday night’s fifth episode of Sister Wives this season, The Year of Release, Gabriel visited his mom, Janelle.
Kody’s son, Gabriel, calls him out for favoring Robyn
The mother-son duo chatted about Kody’s behavior, and Gabriel expressed that for Kody to “set things straight,” it would take an “act of God.”
“He can say what he wants, but, you know, if it’s brown and it stinks, it’s probably s**t,” Gabriel told his mom.
Janelle echoed Gabriel’s sentiments during a solo confessional, in which she revealed that she and Kody’s six children—Logan, Madison, Hunter, Garrison, Gabriel, and Savanah—felt that Kody used the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to be alone with Robyn.
Janelle says her kids feel that Kody used the pandemic to make a life with Robyn
“My children have really begun to express that they feel like COVID just presented an opportunity for their dad to do what he’s been wanting to do for a long time, which was live and make a life with his favorite wife,” Janelle confessed.
“I mean, let’s not mince words,” Janelle continued. “And their dad had been expressing things to them just off the cuff about, you know, he wished that he would have waited and just married Robyn.”
However, Kody adamantly denied Janelle’s confession, telling TLC’s cameras that he never said such a thing.
He called Janelle’s allegations a “misunderstanding” and “gossip” among the family, comparing it to the game of telephone where messages are often “completely distorted.”
As Kody mentioned earlier this season, he blamed his nonexistent relationship with his daughter, Madison (Maddie), on her gossiping to the family about him.
Although he didn’t name names, Kody also shared that one of his children will never speak to him again, calling him an “a**hole” because he “brainwashed” and “manipulated” them.
Sister Wives accuse Kody and Robyn of pushing out the other wives
While Kody and Robyn have continually denied that they intended to be monogamists together from the start, their actions have led Sister Wives fans to believe otherwise.
Kody’s favoritism toward Robyn has been evident since she joined the family in Season 1 of the long-running series.
Kody’s ex-wives, Christine, Janelle, and Meri, have complained that he spent more time with Robyn and their kids, essentially abandoning the rest of his family.
But according to Kody, he didn’t play favorites and never said anything to his kids about wishing he’d waited and married Robyn instead of having multiple wives.
“I never once told any of my children that I wish that I would have waited and just married Robyn,” Kody claimed. “It’s really untrue.”
Season 19 of Sister Wives airs on Sundays at 10/9c on TLC.