The recent disclosing episode of Sister Wives that aired on December 29 saw Robyn Brown spilling some shocking facts about her relationship with Kody Brown and her views on legal marriage. She joined the Brown family in 2010 with dreams of a harmonious polygamous household. However, Robyn revealed that a legal marriage was never part of her plan.
“I never even wanted to be legally married to Kody,” Robyn, 46, confessed during the episode. “I was actually really grateful that I wasn’t going to be legally married to Kody because I’d gone through so much trauma with my legal divorce in my last marriage. I was very happy and content with my spiritual marriage. I didn’t need anything else.”
Kody and his first wife, Meri Brown, were divorced in 2014. The aired episode had a very crucial focus on the happenings. After they had legally parted ways, Kody got married to Robyn. Then, he legally adopted her children from her previous marriage.
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Meri, 53, spoke regarding this decision. She said, “It was what I needed to do.” She didn’t step back from sharing that Kody was “really kind” and “present in our relationship for, you know, a month or so” afterward. But the closeness was gradually coming to an end followed by her infamous catfishing experience several months later.
55-year old Kody, mulled over on what impact the divorce has had. “Meri volunteered it, but for some reason, it still had an emotional impact on her because shortly after was when she went through the catfish experience,” he noted.
The other Sister Wives were candid in sharing their perspectives and thoughts on legal divorce and its implications. Janelle, 55, was skeptical about whether the decision was truly Meri’s idea. “I was actually sort of speechless when she told us that she was actually doing it,” Janelle admitted. “I already had started to see a little bit of favoritism for Robyn from Kody at that point, and I did worry.”
Christine, 52, brought another perspective. She recalled how Robyn had discussed examples of other families where the first wife divorced the husband so he could legally marry the second wife and adopt her children. As per Christine’s claim, these conversations “planted the idea” within the family. However, Robyn denied these allegations and called them “an absolute lie.” She stated, “Meri told me when she made the offer that she had the idea in her head to give me the legal marriage so that Kody could adopt my kids.”
Robyn joined the Brown family as Kody’s fourth wife. At that time, Kody was already legally married to Meri since 1990. Besides, he was spiritually married to Janelle and Christine in 1993 and 1994, respectively. The 2014 legal divorce between Kody and Meri came with a drastic shift within the family. That, in turn, had led to several separations in the long run.
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By 2023, Meri officially ended her marriage to Kody through their church and cited abandonment. Janelle and Christine had also called it quits on their spiritual marriages to Kody in the months prior.
The family’s fractured dynamics didn’t hold back Robyn from speaking out about her intentions and the challenges of adjusting. “I’ve never even heard of anyone divorcing their first wife so that the second wife could adopt kids,” she said. “I was content with my spiritual marriage and never sought more.”
