During his years as a polygamist, Sister Wives star Kody Brown has fathered 15 children and adopted three.
Sister Wives debuted in 2010, and at the time, Kody was still practicing polygamy with three wives, Meri, Janelle, and Christine, while courting his wife-to-be, Robyn Brown.
Over the years, Kody’s family dynamic has changed drastically. He legally married Meri in 1990, followed by spiritual marriages to Janelle in 1993, Christine in 1994, and Robyn in 2010.
Kody and Meri got legally divorced in 2014, allowing Robyn to become Kody’s sole legal wife that year, which she remains to this day. Their legal union also meant that Kody could adopt Robyn’s three children from her previous marriage to David Jessop.
Between his four wives, Kody has 11 daughters and seven sons, totaling 18 children.
Here’s a look at the Sister Wives star’s supersized family.
10. Kody and Janelle Brown’s children
Janelle was the first of Kody’s wives to make him a father, welcoming their eldest son Logan Taylor in 1994.
Over the next 10 years, Janelle and Kody welcomed five more biological children together. Their firstborn daughter, Madison “Maddie” Rose, joined the family when she was born in 1995, becoming the eldest of the Brown family’s 11 daughters.
In 1997, Janelle and Kody’s second son, Hunter Elias, was born, followed by his brother, Robert Garrison (who goes simply by Garrison) one year later. Gabriel was born in October 2001, and Janelle gave birth to her and Kody’s youngest biological child, their daughter, Savanah, in December 2004.
9. Kody and Meri Brown’s child
Although Meri was Kody’s first bride, she was third in line regarding his wives giving birth to his children. Meri and Kody share one biological child, Leon, who previously went by the name Mariah. Leon was born in July 1995, just four months after their big sister, Aspyn.
Throughout the years, as Sister Wives viewers watched, Meri struggled to become pregnant again. She miscarried a pregnancy in 2007, who would have been her and Kody’s son and second biological child.
“I completely assumed that after I had [my daughter] Mariah, it would be very easy for me to conceive again,” Meri said during an episode of Sister Wives. “And that just didn’t happen.”
Although Meri and Kody discussed alternative methods, such as in-vitro fertilization, and Robyn even offered to be their surrogate, they decided to hang up the idea. “So after years of a rollercoaster, we had finally backed off,” Meri told cameras.
8. Kody and Christine Brown’s children
Christine welcomed her first daughter, Aspyn Kristine, one year after Logan was born, with a slew of three more daughters arriving in a row. Christine and Kody’s second child, daughter Mykelti Ann, arrived in June 1996.
Kody and Christine share just one biological son, Paedon Rex, who was born in 1998. The rest of their daughters came several years later, with Gwendlyn Genielle’s birth in 2001, Ysabel Paige’s in 2003, and their youngest child, Truely Grace, made her grand entrance in 2010. Her birth was the first to be televised, appearing during an episode of Sister Wives in Season 1.
7. Kody and Robyn Brown’s children
After Mykelti’s birth, Kody welcomed the arrival of five more sons over the next five years. Among them was Kody’s only adoptive son, David “Dayton” Jessop, who was born to Robyn in 2000 while she was still married to her ex-husband, David Jessop, for whom Dayton is named.
Kody legally adopted Dayton in 2014 after he and Robyn legally wed. Kody also adopted Robyn’s daughters, Aurora Alice and Breanna Rose, who were born in 2002 and 2004, respectively. Kody and Robyn also share two biological children, Solomon Kody, 12, and Ariella Mae, 7, the youngest of the Brown family’s children. Both Solomon and Ariella’s home births were featured during episodes of Sister Wives.
6. Kody Brown’s grandchildren
Kody also shares five grandchildren among his wives and ex-wives, with another one on the way. Of his 18 children, two of them have become parents themselves. Janelle’s daughter, Maddie, and Christine’s daughter, Mykelti, are both moms.
Maddie and her husband, Caleb Brush, are parents to 5-year-old Axel James and 3-year-old Evangalynn “Evie” Kodi and are currently expecting their third child, another daughter, due in February 2023.
Mykelti and her husband, Tony Padron, are parents to their 1-year-old daughter, Avalon Asa. The couple welcomed fraternal twin boys, Archer Banks Padron and Ace McCord Padron, born in November 2022.
5. Kody’s relationship with Garrison and Gabriel
As Sister Wives viewers watched during Seasons 16 and 17, Kody’s relationship with two of his sons, Garrison and Gabriel, was strained. The boys refused to abide by his ultra-strict COVID-19 rules while living with their mom, Janelle, which caused tension with their father.
Kody admitted that the three of them weren’t on speaking terms and needed therapy, although he issued a public apology to them during the Season 17 Tell All, Sister Wives: One on One.
4. Kody’s relationship with Paedon Brown
Kody and Christine’s only son, Paedon, has been one of the more outspoken children in the family. He’s gone on several tirades on TikTok, slamming his dad’s behavior, although he has said that Kody was a good father.
Most recently, Paedon dropped a bomb in January 2023 when he accused Meri of child abuse. He didn’t explicitly state that she was physically abusive towards him and his siblings but strongly implied it.
3. Which of Kody Brown’s kids are married?
Of Kody’s 18 offspring, four are married. Maddie was the first to tie the knot in June 2016 when she wed her husband, Caleb Brush. Kody acted as the officiant for the outdoor nuptials in a beautiful, low-key bohemian wedding.
Just months later, Mykelti married Tony Padron in December 2016. Despite Kody and Christine’s reservations about Mykelti and Tony’s whirlwind nuptials, they finally came through and accepted the marriage. Christine even took singing lessons to prepare to sing during Mykelti and Tony’s reception.
Aspyn married her husband, Mitch Thompson, in June 2018, and their wedding was also featured on Sister Wives. Viewers may remember Kody’s wives meeting with Mitch’s mom to have personalized hats made for the occasion while dad Kody donned a kilt.
2. Which of Kody Brown’s children are engaged?
Of his 18 children, two are currently engaged to be married. Sister Wives viewers watched Leon (Mariah) and their partner, Audrey Kriss, get engaged and shop for wedding venues on the show. While still going by the name Mariah, Kody and Meri’s daughter proposed to Audrey during the 2019 Women’s March in Washington, D.C.
Kody and Christine’s daughter, Gwendlyn, got engaged to her girlfriend, Beatriz Queiroz, in November 2022. Gwendlyn shared footage of the proposal, which took place outdoors at night. Beatriz lined a path with rose petals and candles leading up to a blanket in the snow before popping the question.
1. Will Kody add any more children to his brood?
Kody’s fourth wife, Robyn, revealed in recent seasons that she would like to expand their family. She and Kody discussed the possibility, but Kody was the one who didn’t seem interested in any more offspring. Kody admitted that at the time, his and Robyn’s daughter, Ariella, was wearing him out.
Robyn even admitted that she promised herself she would be a mother to a certain number of predestined children. She also detailed a dream she had about a dark-haired little boy that she and Kody would share, which is interesting since Kody’s blonde-haired, blue-eyed genetics are seemingly dominant, judging by his biological children’s appearances.
“I believe that we exist in a spiritual form before we are born and come to Earth,” Robyn said during an episode of Sister Wives. “I believe that I have had interactions with some of my children, you know, when they were, a spirit, just to, you know, before they were born.”
Kody was a bit taken aback by Robyn’s comment, and although he had previously written off adoption, he admitted that he was open to the idea.
“My blonde hair really comes out in the kids, so I doubt we’d have a dark-haired boy. Maybe we’re supposed to adopt, I have no idea,” Kody confessed.
However, if it were up to Kody’s son, Paedon, the family would stop at the 18 children they already have. During a 2022 interview with Us Weekly, when Paedon was asked whether he would like more siblings, he had an emphatic response.
“Dear God, I have enough siblings. Please, no!” Paedon said, seemingly aiming his plea at his dad. “I want to make this clear. I don’t want more kids in the family. Nieces and nephews are fine. No more kids with any wives, please!”
Sister Wives is currently on hiatus.