Kody’s COVID rules, a lack of intimacy, and an ill-fated move to Arizona have caused the Brown family to crumble on Sister Wives. The family has certainly had its share of troubles over the past couple of years. First, Meri and Kody’s relationship turned platonic, then the pandemic further divided the family when Kody imposed his own set of guidelines to follow, and finally, Christine left and moved back to Utah.
The Brown family’s carefree days of living in a cul-de-sac, celebrating holidays together, and sharing Kody equally among the sister wives are gone. Although nobody could have predicted a global pandemic, it was clear that Kody’s third wife, Christine, was unhappy about the move to Flagstaff and was adamant about not wanting to share a single home with her Sister Wives co-stars. Her desire to move back to Utah, where her daughter Aspyn and her family live, only intensified after agreeing to move to Arizona.
The Brown family planned to build separate but connected properties on Coyote Pass, but in the meantime, the sister wives each moved into homes driving distance from each other. Viewers watched the family begin to have issues when, during a rare dinner among the wives, they realized their separateness was becoming commonplace. Then when COVID hit, Kody had to carefully divide his time among his wives, but he was really only getting along with Janelle and Robyn, and almost never visited Meri. Kody's fear of catching and spreading COVID caused him to impose strict rules that would require his wives and kids to comply or not see him. Christine took issue with this, and for her, it was the last straw. She packed up Kody’s things and declared that she no longer wanted to live in an intimacy-free marriage. That left Robyn, Janelle, and Meri with signs the Brown family will continue to crumble following Christine's departure.
Kody’s relationship with his first wife Meri has been tenuous for years, but after the catfishing incident, it seems they have nothing more than a friendship. While Kody’s relationship with his second wife Janelle was previously doing well, she too refused to abide by Kody’s COVID laws, and viewers began to see the cracks in their relationship as well. While discussing their plans for Thanksgiving, Janelle stormed off, cursing Kody as she left.
The Brown family has never faced such divisiveness before. The family’s fragile state took an even deeper hit when Janelle’s sons Gabriel and Garrison fought Kody on his COVID rules, and they are reportedly now not on speaking terms. The only wife who seems to remain in good stead with Kody is Robyn, and it’s easy to see why some viewers think she will be the only wife left standing as the family continues to crumble. Still, even Robyn has complained Kody is around too much and has made it clear she didn’t sign up for monogamy. It's likely the remaining members of the Sister Wives family have a bumpy road ahead.