Sister Wives‘ Kody Brown candidly addressed the biggest challenges that come with being a polygamist.
In Us Weekly‘s exclusive sneak peek at the Thursday, November 6, episode of Special Forces, fellow recruit Andrew East asks Kody, 56, about the “pros and cons” of his lifestyle — including any possible “downside.”
“I had 18 kids with four wives,” Kody says. “It has been three divorces and I would never do that again — I would never marry again.”
Kody explains that he was always “a believer,” adding, “I grew up in an entire culture that had it as a side note to their belief system. My dad had three wives.”
Sister Wives, which premiered on TLC in 2010, introduced Us to Kody’s plural family. Kody was already married to Meri Brown, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown when he met fourth wife Robyn Brown. He and Robyn, 47, legally wed in December 2014 in order for him to adopt her three children from a prior marriage. (The couple share two children of their own, Solomon, 13, and Ariella, 9.)
Kody’s first three marriages, however, didn’t last. Christine, 53, announced their split in November 2021, followed by Janelle, 56, who revealed in December 2022 that she and Kody had separated. Meri, 54, confirmed her split from Kody in January 2023.
Shawn Johnson East, Andrew East and Kody Brown on ‘Special Forces.’ FOX via Getty Images
“There ended up being some bad blood with family over the divorces. In some cases with my children, communication has ceased,” Kody adds on Thursday’s episode of Special Forces. “When you don’t have a deep connection with your children, that is a disappointment. But there are probably certain things I won’t own. I will own where I should.”
Despite the changes in his personal life, Kody had Robyn’s support when joining Fox’s competition series.
“When they called me about Special Forces, I’m telling my wife, and she’s like, ‘We’re going to have to discuss this.’ One month went by, another month, we never discussed it,” Kody exclusively told Us in September. “[I’m like], ‘We’re not going to discuss it, are we?’ She says, ‘I know you’re going to do it. There’s no way I can stop you.’”
Kody added: “Maybe going was stupid, but it’s the kind of challenge that you almost relish. It’s like, in my age, the idea of having a purpose to get into the kind of shape you need to be for this was just marvelous. It was almost spiritual.”
Kody Brown’s relationships with Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, Christine Brown and Robyn Brown have all had their ups and downs — but many Sister Wives viewers were shocked when nearly all his wives started to leave him. TLC fans were introduced to the Brown family in 2010 when he was legally married to Meri and […]
Kody’s time on Special Forces also allowed him to share more about his past with his costars — starting with Andrew, 34.
“We had some very fascinating theological discussions. It was so interesting because you meet this guy and … he has multiple wives, right … how do you get to that point in life?” Andrew shared on “The Viall Files” last month. “We would talk for hours about, like, his understanding of the bible and then his upbringing. It’s really fascinating to start to get a picture of, like, how you end up with multiple wives.”
He continued: “You end up building a certain amount of empathy for people, and understanding. We’d hit these forks in the road … [it’s] just a difference in how you see things. But fascinating conversations all round.”
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs on Fox Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.