When Janelle Brown mentioned the “shake-up” that occurred after Robyn Brown entered the family, Sister Wives viewers instantly took sides.
It’s no secret that Robyn joining Kody Brown’s polygamous marriage in 2010 was the beginning of major changes in the family.
Until 2010, Kody had been splitting his time between three wives, Meri, Janelle, and Christine. When Robyn came into the picture, their lives were turned upside down as they worked to adjust to the new family dynamic.
Eventually, Kody ended up married only to Robyn, something that Sister Wives fans have long believed was their plan all along.
Christine hit the road in 2021, followed by Janelle in 2022 and Meri in 2023.
In Season 18, Episode 1 of Sister Wives, Janelle talked about the “shake-up” that Robyn’s presence in the Brown family caused.
TLC shared the clip of Janelle’s confessional on their official Instagram feed. In the scene, Janelle confessed, “You know, once Robyn entered the family, there was a shake-up, and I don’t know if things were ever settled again.”
Christine chimed in, adding that the family became “very, very separate” and that their family traditions came to a screeching halt upon Robyn’s arrival.
Christine noted that she doesn’t necessarily blame Robyn, but it’s rather peculiar that once she became Kody’s fourth wife, their large, polygamous brood stopped getting together for family functions.
In the comments section of the video, Sister Wives viewers had very pointed opinions about who they blame for the implosion of the Brown family, and surprisingly, not everyone pointed their fingers at Robyn.
Sister Wives viewers take sides: Who was responsible for the ‘shake-up’ when Robyn Brown joined the family?
Of course, there were those who placed all the blame on Robyn, though.
“I’m not saying it was Robin but it was Robin,” commented one such viewer, while another Instagram user wrote, “If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck it’s Robyn Browns fault.”
Others, however, expressed their beliefs that Kody was the one at fault.
One of Kody’s disparagers cast the blame on him, accusing him of becoming “obsessed” with Robyn, thereby putting “blinders on” to the rest of the family.
Kody and Christine Brown accused of breaking up the family by some Sister Wives fans
“I don’t love Robyn, but she shouldn’t single handedly sholder all the blame, either,” voiced another one of Kody’s critics.
Others begged the rest of the commenters to stop blaming Robyn, claiming it’s not her fault that Kody preferred her over his other three wives, and some said that it’s Kody’s fault, “plain and simple!”
One Sister Wives fan, however, didn’t debate whether Kody or Robyn were at fault — they blamed Christine.
“Christine divided and destroyed the family and poisoned her children against their father because she became jealous of Robyn,” they theorized.
Who was responsible for the family’s break-up is still up for debate. But in the meantime, Robyn is left picking up the pieces of Kody’s three failed marriages.
Robyn admitted that being married to Kody while he wallows in sorrow has been “hell” for her.
Sister Wives viewers aren’t the only ones who have accused Robyn of altering the family’s dynamic, either. Kody and Christine’s daughter, Gwendlyn, told her YouTube subscribers that Robyn was guilty of keeping her children away from their siblings.
The Browns faced troubles in their plural marriage for years
It seems this debate could go on forever, given the complicated structure of the Browns’ once-polygamous family. Even before Robyn entered the picture, there were some serious fractures within Kody’s three other marriages.
Christine and Janelle admittedly didn’t get along in the early days, and Janelle joining Kody and Meri’s marriage certainly ruffled some feathers as they adjusted to sharing a husband and a home.
Sister Wives was intended to educate viewers about the upsides of polygamy, and initially, it did. But 18 seasons into the series, Kody Brown and his wives have shown TLC viewers that plural marriage is not only difficult but also nearly impossible to pull off without a hitch.
Sister Wives airs on Sundays at 10/9c on TLC.