Sister Wives season 18 episode 9 shed light on the Brown family’s situation, including the way the older Brown children feel about their father.
The relationships between Kody Brown’s adult children and their father have been explored in depth in season 18 of Sister Wives, highlighting the challenges the Brown children face in interacting with the family patriarch. Kody has maintained a strong conviction that he is a good parent during the entire course of Sister Wives. Unfortunately, he has repeatedly shown by his actions that this is not the case, choosing himself before his children and allowing his emotions to lead him to snap judgments that ruin his relationships with his children. Even though Kody has been proven to occasionally be kind to his children, these instances are rare.
Many of Kody’s older children have discovered that their ties with their father have been permanently altered after numerous seasons of Sister Wives featuring Kody’s marriages to Robyn Brown, Christine Brown, Janelle Brown, and Meri Brown in the spotlight. The nature of Kody’s disagreement with several of his sons during the years 2022 and 2023—who is divorced from all but Robyn—was unclear until recent episodes of Sister Wives season 18 revealed what actually transpired to cause a rift between Kody, Gabe Brown, Garrison Brown, and several other Brown siblings.
Gabe, Garrison, & Gwendlyn Feel Neglected By Kody
After years of feeling like their father wasn’t an active participant in their lives, Gabe, Garrison, and many of the other Brown children didn’t want to foster relationships with Kody anymore. While they wanted to have a baseline relationship with their father, it was clear that making that work wasn’t an easy feat. Kody, who has 5 children with his remaining wife Robyn, was prioritizing his relationships in his immediate family while snubbing those in the families he had with Christine, Janelle, and Meri. With Kody not being a distinct part in their lives, many of the older Brown children have simply started operating without the need for his presence.
During a meal at Garrison’s house on Sister Wives season 18 episode 9, he shared some of the particulars about his relationship with Kody, along with Gabe and Gwendolyn who are living with Garrison. The three spoke with their mothers, Janelle and Christine, about how difficult it’s been navigating a relationship with Kody over the years. After feeling like their father was absent due to the sheer number of children in their family, they also felt like Kody has had a preference in the family he spends time with since Robyn joined the Brown family with her children in 2014.
Kody Has Always Preferred Robyn & Her Children
While Garrison was speaking about Kody’s attitude towards him and his siblings, he explained that it’s clear Kody has always had “a preference” when it came to his wife and children. When Garrison, Gabe, Gwendolyn, and several of their siblings were younger, Robyn wasn’t in the picture. The kids got more equal attention from Kody and their mothers, and they had each other to turn to when things got tough. The Brown siblings were far closer when they were growing up, and since the beginning of Sister Wives, it appears there’s been a shift in the dynamic of the family, especially when it comes to Kody’s interactions with them.
Kody’s relationship with Robyn has been all-encompassing, and it’s been obvious to both his ex-wives and his children. Garrison explained that Kody prefers Robyn and her children, which would be fine if he spoke about it honestly. Instead, the Brown siblings all feel slighted by the idea that Kody consistently tells them he’d like to spend time with them or foster closer relationships but doesn’t go about doing so at all. The relationship between Robyn and Kody, which all the siblings and Kody’s ex-wives have clocked to be closer than any of their previous relationships, is clearly the one leading the charge, leaving everyone else very little leeway.
Gabe Explained Robyn’s Self-Victimization Is Hard To Deal With
The majority of Sister Wives fans are aware of Robyn’s propensity to victimize herself in almost every circumstance. Robyn can turn any situation into something that has been personally set up against her, no matter how little or how much she is involved. Even in the most little situations, Robyn makes it plain that she will be harmed by what others do, regardless of how little of an effect those acts would ordinarily have on her. Although Robyn doesn’t appear to be aware of how frequently she does this, the Brown family has been acutely aware of it ever since Kody started courting her in 2010.
During the Sister Wives season 18 conversation, Gabe explained to his mother, Christine, and his siblings that Robyn’s self-victimization has been one of the toughest things for him to deal with in trying to have a better relationship with Kody. Instead of pushing Kody to have a better relationship with all his kids, Robyn has inserted herself into his arguments and, at times, made things even harder to navigate. Gabe shared that after Robyn inserted herself into a conversation between the Brown siblings, he’s felt more distant from several of his siblings as well as Kody and Robyn, with both Garrison and Gwendlyn agreeing.
Robyn Has Made Kody’s Issues With His Kids About Her
During the most recent episode of Sister Wives, Robyn shared in an interview segment just how hurt she’s been by the way the older Brown children have acted towards her in recent years, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Robyn shared that Kody’s relationships with his children has been tough in recent years, but she’s been trying to ensure that her kids’ relationships aren’t impacted. In a tearful moment, Robyn shared that she feels slighted by the older Brown kids, especially considering she thought she had a decent relationship with them in the past.
Robyn explained that the problems she’s faced with Kody’s kids in recent years have pushed her to protect her own children. She’s isolated her kids from Kody’s other kids, and throughout the episode, viewers get to hear some of Kody and Robyn’s daughters discuss how hard it’s been to ignore their siblings in public settings, as most of them still attend the same schools. While the issue has been between Kody and his children, Robyn has chosen to make the entire problem about how she feels instead of supporting her husband and the family as a whole.
The Brown Children Are All In Agreement About Kody & Robyn’s Behavior
The bulk of the Brown kids feel the same way about Kody and Robyn’s actions, Gabe, Garrison, and Gwendlyn acknowledged toward the end of Sister Wives season 18 episode 9. They believe Robyn and their children have historically benefited from Kody’s favoritism, and Robyn has manufactured a version of any turmoil that casts her and her children as the victims. Although Sister Wives watchers already knew, getting confirmation from the Brown family that they share the same sentiments is a welcome development.
Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.