Christine Brown forever changed the dynamics of the Sister Wives family after she left Kody, and fans are curious about how Kody's three remaining marriages are doing in the wake of the shake-up. Although Kody's relationship with Christine was troubled before she exited the plural marriage, the Brown family's followers were skeptical that any of the polygamist patriarch's wives would ever leave him. Now that Christine has drawn a line in the sand with her split, here's how Kody's marriages with his three surviving wives stand.
The popular opinion among the Sister Wives fanbase is that Kody's first three sister wives should leave him. Viewers agree that Kody has wronged Meri, Janelle, and Christine as his only functioning relationship is with his fourth wife Robyn. Based on Kody's actions on the Brown family's reality show, it's evident the polygamist favors Robyn. As for Meri, Janelle, and Christine, Kody has neglected the three of them in different but equally hurtful ways. Although the majority of fans have hoped that the first three wives would leave Kody, few thought any change would come to the plural marriage after more than 20 years of staying together. When Christine announced that she was breaking up with Kody, however, Sister Wives' audience realized that Kody's marriages aren't set in stone.
The sister wife that Kody has had the most trouble relating to is his first spouse, Meri. Kody and Meri tied the knot in 1990, and until Robyn came along 20 years later, Meri was the only sister wife that Kody was legally married to. Meri's felt the most iced-out by Kody and even turned to an online relationship after the Sister Wives star stopped feeling adored by her spiritual spouse. Because of their emotionally-void marriage, viewers assumed that if any wife were to leave Kody, it would be Meri. Now that Christine's broken the ice and demonstrated that Kody's not impervious to breakups, fans are hopeful that Meri might follow in her former sister wife's footsteps. Meri and Kody have reached an understanding, however, and according to Us Weekly, a source confirmed that Meri and Kody's marriage remains stable but clarified, "They’re together for TV, essentially."
Kody's relationship with Janelle has been less rocky than the polygamist patriarch's tumultuous marriages with Meri and Christine. Still, Janelle has expressed that she's felt left out in the plural marriage dynamic and has considered leaving in the past. In the Sister Wives season 16 trailer, Janelle was frustrated with Kody for splitting the family up during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite fans' hopes that Janelle will follow Christine's lead, Us Weekly reports Kody and his second wife have reached an understanding. A source explained Kody and Janelle "have a respectful relationship" that isn't likely to collapse soon. Unsurprisingly, Kody and Robyn's marriage is better than ever after Christine's departure. Kody and his latest wife have the only loving relationship of the Sister Wives cast and Christine's absence hasn't affected their enduring connection. Us Weekly shared Kody and Robyn are "still very much in love.”
By leaving Kody, Christine proved that the Sister Wives stars don't have to settle for the fickle love life they have with the polygamist reality star. Now that Christine's left, fans long for Meri and Janelle to follow Kody's former wife's example, fly the coop, and find better marriages. Unfortunately for viewers with high hopes for a shift in the Brown family's status quo, Kody's managed to hold onto his three remaining Sister Wives.
Source: Us Weekly