Latest news with #SisterWives
Washington Post
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
The most quintessential American TV show is ‘Sister Wives'
One benefit of being a columnist is that every couple of years I get to subject all of you to a close analysis of the reality show 'Sister Wives,' and it turns out today is that day. What is 'Sister Wives?' It is a long-running TLC series about a family of fundamentalist Mormon polygamists who live in Utah, then Nevada, then Arizona and then eventually scatter as the clan breaks up. It's never-ending and dramatic and boring, and the faithful among us now just want to know whether erstwhile second wife Janelle, who moved to North Carolina, will ever open her unpronounceable flower farm (TAY-da? TIE-da? Tie-AY-da? Get it together, guys). Those of you have never seen the show: We know, you wouldn't be caught dead tuning in to this dumpster fire, you have better things to do, etc. etc. Congratulations on your brain cells. Now please leave us in peace to discuss a show, which wraps up its 19th season on Sunday, that has over the years become one of my lodestars for interpreting relationships and America. As a quick refresher: This show first aired in 2010, piggybacking off the popularity of 'Big Love,' an HBO drama about a fictional modern polygamous family, which starred Bill Paxton and which explored what it looked like to live a 19th century religion in a 21st century reality. 'Sister Wives' was that but less premium-cable. It introduced the country to Joseph Smith birthday celebrations, bulk meal prep (18 children!!) and the Utah accent, which pronounces 'real' and 'deal' as 'rill' and 'dill.' As a quicker refresher: The Brown family now hates each other. Kody Brown started off with four wives but now has just one as Christine, Janelle and Meri all spent the previous three seasons lining up to divorce him. The sad patriarch lives in Flagstaff with his single remaining spouse, Robyn, who began the series run as the hot new girlfriend but who now looks so perpetually low-energy that one podcaster I follow speculates that the couple's favorite spicy role-playing game involves pretending to be in hospice. The bulk of this most recent season was spent figuring out what to do about Coyote Pass, the overpriced land on which the family once intended to build a compound before everything went to hell. So now Christine has remarried, Meri is running a B&B back in Utah, Janelle has moved eastward with her grandbabies and her farm dreams, but all of them keep having to trudge back to Flagstaff to bicker with one another about who owes what to whom. As you might imagine, these are not really conversations about money. Why couldn't Kody just admit that he once he met Robyn, he started ignoring his other wives? Why couldn't Meri admit that her mid-series catfishing incident was an emotional affair? Did the family ever really function or was it just held together by a sticky paste of tuna casseroles and scripture? Here is Kody, once an earnest and good-natured lunkhead, gradually getting redpilled by the manosphere. And here is Meri, whose self-improvement journey dumped her at the alter of Brené Brown and Mel Robbins (this woman is always doing the work). And here is Christine, an irritating Disney Adult cheerfully rolling with her gay daughter's wedding, and here is Janelle, donating to the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. At one point all the wives are involved in multilevel marketing schemes; at one point everyone's trying therapy. I'm telling you, the answer to every political pollster's question of the Trump era — how will the residents of flyover states deal with covid, with vaccines, with transgender issues, with health insurance, with poor retirement savings — is explored in one 'Sister Wives' episode or another. It's got every possible archetype. It's the most American show. There are podcasters who make their entire livings analyzing 'Sister Wives.' There is an honest-to-God communications professor who uses 'Sister Wives' as a weekly opportunity to teach his listeners about communication theory. Tourists travel to Flagstaff and take pictures of themselves at Salsa Brava or Fat Olives, restaurants that appear on the show, and, to be clear, all of these people are much crazier than I am. The biggest question of all at this point is: Why are any of us still here? 'Sister Wives' was marketed as an exploration of how one man could manage four wives, and the ultimate answer is, he couldn't. The original premise no longer exists. We're at the 'Tell All' point of the season now, a multi-part saga in which cast members sit down and dissect whatever we all saw on camera this season. The host, Sukanya Krishnan, does her best, but Robyn compares the experience to a root canal. Reading between the lines, the only reason any of them are here is because the show is now their main source of income. Kody and Robyn are constantly adding to their collection of horse-themed jewelry and art, and to earn their paychecks, the job description is self-reflection. And through that reflection, viewers get a master class on the mechanics of reality television. These five adults managed to put on a happy facade for a really long time. But since the cameras kept rolling, eventually the facade melted. Turns out they spent a lot of the early seasons lying to us and to themselves. Meri and Janelle didn't just have a complicated relationship, they could barely stand to be in the same room as one another. Christine wasn't just going through a rough patch with Kody, she was actively fantasizing about leaving for years. Midway through the season, a tragedy struck, which is so unspeakable that I worry how to even bring it up in this snarky column: One of Kody and Janelle's sons dies by suicide. Garrison had struggled with alcohol for a long time, we are told — something else we didn't see on screen — which had been brought on by the isolation of covid. And viewers, who are human, couldn't help but wonder about the other contributing factors. Was his fractured family to blame? Were we, the audience members who kept tuning in to watch the injuries? I couldn't imagine the show would continue after that event, and yet, there we were the next Sunday, watching grief-stricken parents trying to make sense of the most horrible event that could ever befall a parent and doing it while wearing microphones. We were told that Garrison loved cats. That a good way to honor his memory would be a donation to the Humane Society. I made a donation and wondered if it was time to permanently say goodbye to the Brown family. As for why I, and so many others, hung in for so long — my personal answer is that I wanted to see if they could put it all back together. I'm not asking whether they can all get married again, because they won't. Rather, I'm wondering what it looks like when everything has burned to the ground, but the cameras keep showing up, so you do too, trying to figure out this mess of your life and how it got this way. In the most recent episode, Krishnan kept prodding Janelle on whether she could be friends with Kody and Robyn again. After politely demurring several times, Janelle finally came out with it. 'I just don't like them,' she said. It was weird, frankly, for Krishnan to press the issue. Janelle left Kody, so why should she be expected to pal around with him and his remaining wife? But I got why Krishnan wouldn't let it go. Because this is the most American show on television. Because we all have to understand our past before we map the future. Because these are people who once vowed to spend their whole lives in a united state, and even if they sell Coyote Pass, they're still going to be bound by joy, grief, struggle, memories. Because every one of us living out this broken current reality of America is also trying to figure out whether an RFK Jr. supporter can sit down with a manosphere resident and a chipper Disney princess and an MLM high-seller and try to remember what we have in common. Try to envision what it could look like if we could ever put it back together. Try to remember that a family is still a family and a country is still a country no matter how much you hate each other, so you just have to grit your teeth and try again next season.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sister Wives star Kody Brown shares odd plans to bond with ex Christine's new husband after son's tragic death
Kody Brown is warming up to ex-wife Christine Brown's new husband David Woolley, after meeting him more than one year ago. On Sunday's episode of TLC's long-running reality series Sister Wives, titled One on One, Kody admitted to host Sukanya Krishnan that Davis is 'great' and 'probably a decent person.' Asked if he could see himself going on a double date with his ex-wife and her spouse, the 56-year-old father-of-18 — who shared a shocking admission about his late son Garrison — took his answer a step further. 'I don't know. I think personally, I think I'm very forgiving and I think that'd be really easy for me,' Kody replied. 'Here's the thing... I had a dirty thought. I thought David and I should go on a guy's trip together. And then I went, no, that would just be so uncool to Christine.' He reiterated, 'I just thought that would absolutely not be fair in any way.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Meanwhile, Christine said in her own interview, 'In a whole other world and universe, I thought it would be nice if, you know, Kody and David could get along and just be buddies.' Sukanya then revealed Kody's guys trip idea her and her husband, who tied the knot in October 2023. David replied, 'We could do that,' as Christine agreed, per an account from People, 'You'd have a good time!' David made a note that 'rules' would have to be established, but added that they would be between him and Kody. Christine also weighed in about the double date proposition, saying she'd be willing to go on a date with Kody and Robyn 'in the future,' but 'right now, no.' She clarified, 'Honestly, I'd have to talk a lot about it beforehand. I'd be a mess before. I'd be like, "I don't know. I don't know if I can do this." And David would be like, "It's going to be OK, you're going to be fine. I'm here. I got you." 'I have a lot of nervousness about that, and a lot of nervousness about being around them right now.' And she said her anxiety is rooted in that Kody 'doesn't know who I am,' adding, 'I don't like what he says about me.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Christine Brown Woolley (@christine_brownsw) The patriarch shared his side, stating, 'You know, we just haven't healed that much. Christine's very undermining.' Brown's first time meeting Woolley was shown in a November episode of Sister Wives when they came face-to-face during a family Valentine's Day party. Christine went public with now-husband David via social media in February 2023. It came after she and Kody separated in November 2021 after more than 25 years together, during which they welcomed Paedon, 26, Aspyn, 30, Mykelti, 29 on June 9, Gwendlyn, 23, Ysabel, 21, and Truely, 15. Christine rebounded with David, whom she met on a dating app. After they married, the TV personality gushed, 'I'm happier than I've ever been. I absolutely love monogamy — I was made for it.' In addition to his split from Christine, Kody also lost second wife, Janelle Brown, and first wife, Meri Brown.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sister Wives ' Robyn Brown Addresses Husband Kody Brown's Exes
Originally appeared on E! Online So much for sisterhood. During part two of the Sister Wives season 19 tell-all, Robyn Brown addressed comments made about her throughout the season by her husband Kody Brown's ex-wives Meri Brown, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown. 'I think there's a lot of focus on me,' she told host Sukanya Krishnan in a one-on-one interview during the June 1 episode of the TLC series. 'I actually get really tired of it.' Instead, Robyn—who spiritually married Kody in 2010 before becoming his legal wife four years later—suggested that the trio turn their attention elsewhere. 'I wish really badly that they would all focus on their own relationships,' she continued, 'and work those relationships out without my name coming up.' In particular, Sukanya pointed to Janelle's declaration that Robyn was Kody's 'sacred cow,' prompting the 46-year-old to offer a simple response. 'Moo,' Robyn deadpanned. 'I don't know. Whatever. I don't care.' During part one of the tell-all special, Meri—who was married to Kody from 1990 to 2023—took issue with him wanting her as well as Janelle, 56, and Christine, 53, to change after he began his relationship with Robyn. For more revelations from season 19 of Sister Wives, keep reading. More from E! Online Taylor Swift Gives Sweet Nod to Travis Kelce on Girls' Night With Selena Gomez Why Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Says Ex Kody Brown Is "A Failure" JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes Get Cozy in Bed Amid Romance Rumors 'I don't think that that's fair for him to even say that,' the 54-year-old said in her own sit-down during the May 25 episode. 'Because we're all supposed to be Robyn? I'm sorry, I am Meri. I'm not going to be Robyn. I don't want to be Robyn. I'm going to be my own individual person. I don't want to be her.' Meanwhile, Kody, 56, dismissed his exes' criticisms and insisted he wanted to move forward without drama. 'There's a divine aspect about my relationship with Robyn,' he explained in his interview. 'We have been b--chslapped for it and I'm sick of it. I love this woman and I want peace in this relationship, but I'm to the point where I'm walking around flipping two birds 'cause I am so sick and tired of being guilted for loving Robyn.' For more revelations from season 19 of Sister Wives, keep reading. Meri Brown Says Kody Brown Gave Her Hope for Their MarriageKody Brown Wanted to Sell Coyote PassJanelle Brown Left Kody Brown for This ReasonKody Brown Feels He's Been "Excommunicated" from His Own FamilyRobyn Brown and Kody Brown's Marriage Was on Shaky GroundMadison Brush Isn't Speaking to Her DadKody Brown Claimed He Never Loved Meri BrownJanelle Brown Threatened Legal Action Against Kody BrownKody Brown Supposedly Divulged Private Information to His Other WivesFamily Money Paid for Robyn Brown's HouseJanelle Brown Questioned How Kody Brown Handled the Family MoneyJanelle Brown and Christine Brown Woolley See Their Kids as the Core Group of the FamilyKody Brown Thinks His Wives Leaving Hurt His Relationship With the KidsKody Brown Said His Marriage to Meri Brown Was MiserableKody Brown Didn't Agree With Meri Brown Wanting a Spiritual DivorceMany of Kody Brown's Kids Aren't Speaking to Each OtherRobyn Brown's Kids Never Felt Welcomed Into the FamilyJanelle Brown Would Do Plural Marriage Again; Kody Brown Wouldn'tKody Brown Started Distancing Himself From Janelle Brown Years AgoJanelle Brown and Christine Brown Woolley's Kids Didn't Love Going to Robyn Brown's HomeJanelle Brown Questioned Robyn Brown and Kody Brown's ParentingMykelti Padron Had a Very Close Relationship With Robyn BrownOne of Kody Brown's Kids Claimed He "Brainwashed" ThemRobyn Brown Was Struggling to Respect Kody Brown as a Parent For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sister Wives ' Christine Brown "Disgusted" by Kody Brown Relationship
Originally appeared on E! Online Christine Brown is looking back on her marriage to Kody Brown in shame. During the Sister Wives season 19 tell-all on May 25, Christine—who became the first of the patriarch's three exes to leave their plural marriage in 2021—reflected on her 25-year relationship with Kody, father of their kids Aspyn, 30, Mykelti, 28, Paedon, 26, Gwendlyn, 23, Ysabel, 21, and Truely, 15. "You realize I loved Kody, like, four years ago?" Christine told husband as they were packing to leave for filming. "So much of my life was so focused on him, and it makes me disgusted with myself." She then shared a key difference she noticed when comparing her and David's union to her past relationship with the father of 18, who remains married to Robyn Brown following his 2022 breakups from first wife Meri Brown and fellow ex Janelle Brown. "You're always here. You're always a constant. And I always know when you're here," Christine noted of David. "I never knew when Kody would be around. He kept us always in suspense. But not really." Christine also noted an apparent aspect about her past relationship with Kody that she finds "weird and embarrassing." "My life was just wrapped up in what Kody needed and what he wanted and what the family needed and wanted," she told host Sukanya Krishnan. "He didn't just do whatever we were doing."We had to change what we were doing to accommodate him. And that's not OK. That's not fair. That's making it so our lives are focused on him." She added, "And that's frustrating to me. And it's embarrassing that I lived it." More from E! Online Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson Dead at 79 After Alzheimer's Diagnosis Bindi Irwin Shares Update on Healing Journey 2 Weeks After Emergency Surgery Rosie O'Donnell Reveals Weight Loss Transformation After Using Mounjaro She added, referencing his time spent with fourth wife Robyn, "Well, I knew where he was at. That's our biggest fight." Christine further addressed "weird and embarrassing' aspects of her and Kody's marriage during a one-on-one conversation with host Sukanya Krishnan. "My life was just wrapped up in what Kody needed and what he wanted and what the family needed and wanted," the 53-year-old shared. "He didn't just do whatever we were doing. We had to change what we were doing to accommodate him. And that's not OK. That's not fair. That's making it so our lives are focused on him." "And that's frustrating to me,' Christine continued. 'And it's embarrassing that I lived it." The former couple's conflicts were apparent to their daughter Gwendlyn, who recently noted she saw the signs that the relationship between her parents—who were never legally married—wasn't working. "I felt like they should have divorced for a while," she told Teen Vogue in an interview published May 14. 'I remember one time as a kid, I saw them arguing, and my first thought was, 'I hope they get a divorce.' What kid thinks that, right?" As for Kody, he is done with polygamy. "I don't want to be flippant with my answer, because we were devoted to this, but I'm not interested in plural marriage anymore," Kody told Robyn on an April episode of Sister Wives. "I don't want to pursue another woman because I don't want that headache—the questions, the struggles, the wonder about trust." The four-part Sister Wives season 19 tell-all special begins May 25 at 10 p.m. on TLC. Look back at the love lives of the Sister Wives BrownMykelti BrownAspyn Brown For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Where Was Late ‘Sister Wives' Star Garrison Laid to Rest? Why the Family Chose Wyoming
Sister Wives stars Kody Brown and Janelle Brown's late son, Garrison, is brought to his final resting place on the May 18, 2025, episode. In Touch breaks down why the family chose Wyoming for their beloved child in the wake of his tragic death at 25 years old. 'Kody actually grew up in Wyoming. My mother was married to Kody's father. The Browns have deep roots in Wyoming,' Janelle said while discussing why they decided on a quiet spot in the state, which holds a special place in their hearts. 'Both Kody's dad and my mom are buried there and I want to bury Garrison next to my mom.' 'He was very much shaped by his experiences, you know, going for the summer, working there on the ranch,' Janelle further explained. Garrison's sister Madison Brush (née Brown) also shared her thoughts on the location and noted, 'Wyoming is probably the closest place we have to roots. It's home. We used to go every summer and it was just like, you went to the ranch to learn how to work.' Janelle added, 'You know, Kody would say, 'I just want to take him home. And I'm like 'OK, I get that. Like, I get that.'' ' "You can look out and you see the mountains surround this big basin," she shared of the cemetery. "The wind is usually blowing. It's just a beautiful view. It's a Wyoming view." The episode 25 breakdown reveals that Janelle and her loved ones gathered in Wyoming to honor Garrison and lay him to rest in the family plot next to his grandparents. 'Kody digs a grave for his son's ashes and the family says their goodbyes,' per the description. Janelle reflected on what felt like another regular day after moving from Flagstaff, Arizona, to North Carolina to be closer to Maddie, son-in-law Caleb Brush and their kids. 'I was traveling back to Flagstaff,' she said on the May 4 episode, noting she and Garrison had been 'texting all day long.' Janelle explained, 'And this was not unusual because he and I talked probably three times a day.' 'I knew he was struggling,' she said in hindsight. 'I always just picked up the phone and I always make it a point to just talk to him.' After going to sleep thinking everything was fine, she was awakened with a devastating call. 'Gabriel had found him,' Janelle said of Garrison, who died by suicide on March 5, 2024. 'He's like, 'Mom, he's gone.' I mean, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'He's dead. He killed himself.'' Janelle revealed that it was a shocking and unimaginable out of body experience. 'I don't remember the next few minutes,' the mom of six continued, 'but I got in the car and drove.' Garrison's official cause of death was determined as a suicide after an autopsy. 'It is with great sadness I confirm Mr. Robert Garrison Brown was located in his residence deceased, as a result of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,' a spokesperson for the Flagstaff Police Department told In Touch in a statement. The Coconino County, Arizona's coroner's office released the report, which was obtained by In Touch in May 2024, showing that a contributing factor to his death was ethanol intoxication, more commonly known as alcohol poisoning. Garrison's blood alcohol level was .370 percent at the time of his death. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at
