Sister Wives season 18 episode 9 sheds light on the Brown family’s situation, including the way the older Brown children feel about their father.
In-depth examination of Kody Brown’s adult children’s interactions with their father in Sister Wives season 18 has exposed the communication barriers the Brown children have with the family patriarch. From the beginning of Sister Wives, Kody has never wavered in his conviction that he is a good father. Regretfully, his behavior has repeatedly demonstrated that he prioritizes himself before his kids and that he lets his feelings lead him to make snap judgments that ruin his connections with them. Although Kody has been known to occasionally have happy moments with his children, they are infrequent.
Many of Kody’s elder children have experienced an irreversible change in their relationship with their father following numerous seasons of Sister Wives where Kody’s marriages to Robyn Brown, Christine Brown, Janelle Brown, and Meri Brown took center stage. For the most of 2022 and 2023, Kody—who is divorced from all of his wives save Robyn—has been at odds with several of his sons. However, the details of their disagreement remained unclear until recent episodes of Sister Wives season 18 revealed what really transpired to drive a wedge between Kody, Gabe Brown, Garrison Brown, and a number of 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 five 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 of their lives, many of the older Brown children have 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 details about his relationship with Kody, along with Gabe and Gwendlyn, 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 for 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, Gwendlyn, and several of their siblings were younger, Robyn wasn’t in the picture. The kids got more 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 dynamics, 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 does nothing to change that. 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
As most Sister Wives viewers know, Robyn has a habit of victimizing herself in nearly every situation. Regardless of how minimal her involvement is, Robyn can morph and manipulate every possible issue into something that’s been personally set up against her. Even in the most mundane moments, Robyn makes it clear that she’s the one who’s going to be hurt by what others do, no matter how minimal of an impact others’ actions would typically have on her. While Robyn doesn’t seem to appear to be aware of how often she does this, it’s been abundantly clear to the Brown family since Kody began courting her in 2010.
During a 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
Robyn revealed in an interview piece on the most recent Sister Wives show how wounded she has been by the older Brown children’s behavior toward her in the past, particularly during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Robyn revealed that although Kody’s connections with his kids have been difficult, she has been working to make sure that this hasn’t affected her kids’ relationships. Robyn revealed in a heartfelt moment that she feels betrayed by the elder Brown children, particularly since she believed she had a good 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 children. She’s isolated her kids from Kody’s other children, 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.
The Brown Children Are All In Agreement About Kody & Robyn’s Behavior
By the time Sister Wives season 18, episode 9, aired, Gabe, Garrison, and Gwendlyn had established that most of the Brown kids felt the same way about Kody and Robyn’s actions. They believe that Robyn and their children were given preferential treatment by Kody in the past, and Robyn has exploited every opportunity for drama to paint herself and her children as the victims. Although fans of Sister Wives already knew this, it’s encouraging to know that the Brown family shares this sentiment.
Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.