Sister Wives is one of the longest-running reality shows on the TLC network. First airing in 2010, the series follows a polygamist family in Utah with Kody Brown as the family patriarch and his - at the time of first broadcast - four wives and eighteen children.
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With seventeen seasons and a cult following, the show has managed to keep viewers invested in the storylines of Kody and his family for well over a decade. As par for the course of any reality show, scenes are carefully edited and manipulated to keep viewers entertained to the highest degree, even if the truth is somewhat neglected in the process.
Some Scenes Are Scripted
Moments of dramatic conflict will create some of the best dialogue on Sister Wives, keeping viewers engaged and eager to see its resolution in the next episodes. This is no accident, as producers will often have a say in the dialogue the cast members have on the show.
Fans of the show have long been convinced that the show is partially scripted to stir up drama. This was confirmed by Kody Brown and wife Christine's son-in-law, Tony Padron. When asked in a Q&A if Kody and Meri's arguments on the show are real, he responded "it's real, but it's blown up", implying that the producers manipulate real storylines by guiding them with what to say (via Looper).
The Wives Live Separately
Sister Wives presents Kody and his wives living as part of one singular household. The show frequently shows the wives and their children interacting in close quarters, sharing rooms. This makes for a good platform to create storylines of jealousy and conflict between the wives.
This, however, does not quite reflect reality. As revealed in an interview by Oprah Winfrey, the wives confirmed that they have "separate living spaces but interconnected", and they do not share close living quarters or share a bedroom with Kody (via The List).
Drama Is Exaggerated
To keep viewers returning for the whole season, the show's producers have to keep tensions as high as possible and ensure the drama is at a maximum. Editing, scripting, and more will try to showcase to viewers the most contentious moments of the family's home life.
Star of the show, Tony Padron, revealed on a Twitch stream that his arguments with his wife Mykleti Brown are not always genuine. Mykleti, when asked if they were real or not, she replied "a little bit of both", meaning that arguments are exaggerated for entertainment purposes.
The Vegas Storyline Was Pre-Planned
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One major storyline on Sister Wives was the Brown family's move from their hometown of Lehi, Utah, to Las Vegas, as shown in seasons 2 and 3. The storyline was portrayed as a particularly difficult decision for Kody, as they were forced out of their home state due to Utah's increasingly tight anti-polygamy laws. However, a relative of the family revealed that the move had long been planned.
In an interview with Christine Brown's aunt, Kristyn Decker, the star said this tension over the move was fabricated for the show. "They talked about moving to Vegas to escape Utah’s anti-polygamy laws long before they did. That was their plan and they used the state coming after them for ratings. That’s my strong opinion", Decker claimed (via Radar Online).
Kristyn Decker Said Her Storyline Was Misrepresented
As well as criticizing the Las Vegas storyline for misleading viewers, former Sister Wives star Kristyn Decker called out the show for poorly representing her appearance. Decker left her husband and the Apostolic United Brethren polygamist sect that the Brown family are part of and was criticized by her former co-stars on the show.
"My leaving definitely had to do with my husband’s behavior, but it was all the harms I saw around me,” Kristyn revealed. "I left polygamy before I left my husband", she added, implying that her Sister Wives storyline of divorcing her husband was one-dimensional and that toxic influences from the Brown family also played a role in her departure (via Radar Online).
Editing is Used to Dramatize Scenes
Reality shows like Sister Wives are all subject to heavy editing in post-production. The production crew can film with the cast for several hours a day and often for months at a time, meaning that countless hours of footage have to be cut down to only the most important - and dramatic - events.
Editing can also create a narrative that may not have occurred in reality, using careful manipulation of footage. It is said that Kody and Meri's on-screen divorce was filmed much later, having privately gotten divorced away from the cameras. The scenes, shot in February, were included as part of a sequence of events portrayed as occurring in December (via Nicki Swift).
The Cast Is Richer Than The Show Suggests
Financial troubles do play a role in Sister Wives, as the Brown family attempt to budget for their enormous and somewhat complex family unit. The Browns have previously filed for bankruptcy on more than one occasion, and budgeting their new Las Vegas home was a major storyline in the early seasons of the show.
The Brown family reportedly make around $50,000 per episode of Sister Wives, totaling a cool half-million per season - and this number is thought to have increased in later seasons (via Bustle). Their extra income is never mentioned on the show, even though it would play a significant role in their finances and budgeting for their family home.
Polygamy Culture Among The Cast Is Exaggerated
As the show's cast all hail from the same polygamist sect in the Church of Latter-Day Saints, the show misleads viewers on the family's experiences of polygamy and growing up in the church. This is especially the case for the wives and their motivations for practicing polygamy.
Kody Brown does not come from a polygamist family and admitted to having monogamous parents. Janelle Brown did not grow up with polygamy, and another wife Christine Brown, "wanted sister wives more than a husband" (via The List). Viewers would not pick this up from the show, which is edited to appear that the whole family grew up with polygamist ideology.
Kody Brown's Outburst Is Thought To Be Faked
Sister Wives star Kody Brown has always been a controversial figure among viewers. The star, who currently only has one wife as of 2023, divided fans over his treatment of his wives - something that many fans believe gets lost in the show's final edit. One scene in season 17, depicts a sudden outburst of anger by Kody towards Christine over her relationship with his other wives.
Fans of the show on Reddit drew comparisons between this rare moment of anger from Kody in this scene and the reality of Kody's multiple separations from his wives in recent years (via Showbiz CheatSheet). There seems to be a clear discrepancy between the show's editing and its portrayal of a typically cool-headed Kody, and the increasing stack of evidence that Kody cannot keep up a healthy polygamist relationship.
My Sisterwife’s Closet Is Likely A Successful Business
The Brown family's business, "My Sisterwife's Closet", is a jewelry and clothing boutique that features prominently on Sister Wives. The show has depicted the business as a source of financial difficulty for the family, including a scene where the family scouted for investors for the brand.
What the show fails to mention, however, is the fact that fans of the show can buy from the boutique and that Kody has recently cashed in his retirement (via Bustle). While the business may not always be booming at the boutique, the show fails to depict how the family's significant income from being reality tv stars keeps the business afloat, and they were given financial advice from the investors they could afford to hire.