A depressing birthday call, contracts to keep kids quiet, and picking a favorite among your
four wives.
Seems like it's hard work to keep each of your 18 kids happy.
Kody Brown and Christine Brown's fourth child, Gwendlyn, is one of the most outspoken "Sister Wives" stars.
On her YouTube channel, Gwendlyn rewatches episodes of her family's show and shares her
unfiltered thoughts about the series and her father.
"But when I watch the episodes, I do tend to dislike him a little bit."
Gwendlyn has frequently criticized Kody for his treatment of his wives.
In an April 2023 video, she watched a segment of the Season 17 "One on One" special, in
which Meri Brown described how Kody recoiled from her and refused to kiss her on their
anniversary, in total disgust.
Gwendlyn also expressed her frustration with Kody when he said that he no longer viewed
himself as being married to Meri.
At the time, the original Brown couple hadn't yet mutually decided to end their marriage.
Gwendolyn called Kody out for being "completely manipulative" and allowing Meri to wrongly
believe that reconciliation was a possibility.
She made similar remarks while rewatching her father admit that he should have told
her mother, Christine Brown, that he no longer had feelings for her.
However, Kody also suggested that Christine was a quitter for leaving him, leaving Gwendlyn to say -
"I think it's more cowardly to be in a relationship where you don't love somebody than it is to
leave instead of experiencing heartbreak."
Gwendlyn has also thrown shade at her dad's spending habits.
In response to a fan's question about why Kody bought flashy sports cars for himself
while his wives drive vehicles that are more practical for a supersized family, Gwendlyn responded -
"My dad's just been kind of the kind of person that wants to show off, even if they don't
have the monetary means to be able to do so."
On "Sister Wives," Kody said that the only thing he fears is being poor, which Gwendlyn
found upsetting.
She pointed out that Kody has a large family that should be at the top of his list of priorities,
not money.
She went on to say that it would make more sense for his biggest fear to be something
terrible happening to one of his children.
It also had her pondering whether Kody would only want a relationship with her in the future
if she became financially well-off.
In a Patreon video, Kody Brown and Christine Brown's second child, Mykelti, made a confession
about her father's parenting, saying -
"I think that my dad was a better father when I was younger."
Mykelti explained that it was because he had fewer children to divide his time between.
In another video, she revealed that Kody had little time available to spend with any of
his kids to begin with.
"He wasn't home very often.
He'd be home once a week, honestly, and so I didn't see him very much."
Mykelti tried to paint Kody in a somewhat sympathetic light by saying that his circumstances
are stressful, even though it could be argued that a lot of those circumstances are self-inflicted.
She then assured her viewers that he's a decent father who made an effort to bond with her
when she was younger.
Mykelti also came to her dad's defense by arguing that one of his now-exes wasn't exactly
a shining example of a spouse, either.
In a Crowdcast livestream for her Patreon patrons, Mykelti suggested that Meri Brown
only had herself to blame for her marriage becoming irrevocably broken.
She pointed to Meri's 2015 catfishing scandal — in which Meri fell in love with someone
she met online, only to later learn that they had lied about their identity — as the catalyst
that caused Kody to check out of their relationship.
Mykelti argued -
"If you're going to cheat on your spouse, you are giving up on the relationship first."
Mykelti did admit that Kody and Meri had other relationship issues, however, revealing -
"I think they were both unhappy in their marriage, and they might have been emotionally and verbally
abusive to each other."
It seems that losing a few wives didn't exactly improve Kody's state of mind, though.
In a January 2023 Patreon video, Mykelti spoke about her father's mood amid his divorces, saying -
"He's going through a bit of an angry patch in his life right now."
While a few of Kody Brown's children have become some of his biggest critics, his third
child with Christine Brown, Paedon, has claimed that Kody has tried to prevent his progeny
from speaking ill of their pops.
In a YouTube interview with John Yates, Paedon alleged that his dad wanted TLC to add language
in the Brown family's contract that prohibited his kids from making negative comments about
him on social media.
"TLC was like, 'I don't think we should do that,' and my mom was fighting him, my mom
was like fighting with us - 'No, you're not allowed to tell our children what they can
and can't say about you.'"
Paedon went on to say that Kody had called him, and he was delighted that his dad was
reaching out to him to catch up — but his heart broke when he realized that Kody was
just concerned about his kids potentially besmirching his good name.
Paedon revealed that it ultimately wasn't something he said on social media but something
he wore that displeased his dad.
In a 2022 TikTok video, Paedon showed off a shirt that read, "What. Does.
The Nanny. Do?"
It was a reference to something his mom said on "Sister Wives" about a nanny who had been
hired to help Robyn Brown.
According to Paedon, his father was furious about the shirt and sent him a text that read
in part -
"How dare you disrespect me like this."
Many of Kody Brown's family members were unhappy with his decision not to accompany his daughter
Ysabel to New Jersey when she underwent surgery to correct her scoliosis.
But no one was more upset than Ysabel herself, with the then-18-year-old saying in a "Sister
Wives" confessional -
"I think his priorities are a little screwed up."
She also reminded viewers that Kody always talked about family coming first.
In fact, while explaining why he couldn't spend a few weeks in Jersey with Ysabel, Kody
told the "Sister Wives" cameras -
"No man could be away from family that long."
In her rewatch of the episode, Gwendlyn called Kody out over this comment, pointing out that
if he had gone with Ysabel, he would still be with family.
According to Paedon Brown, Kody being there for Ysabel would have been a rare bright spot
in their father-daughter relationship.
He told John Yates -
"Ysabel doesn't have a lot of good memories of [Kody].
Most of her memories that involve him are sad."
As for Ysabel's mother, Christine Brown told People that Kody's treatment of Ysabel is
what made her finally decide to pull the plug on their marriage.
Ultimately, it sounds like Kody and Ysabel just drifted further apart.
As she was preparing to leave for college, she told the "Sister Wives" cameras that she
was actually not close to her father at all.
In a December 2022 episode of "Sister Wives," Gabe Brown cried as he recalled the phone
call he received from his father on his birthday in October 2021.
At the time, Kody Brown had caught COVID for the first time after spending months convincing
his family that his form of social distancing — which was spending the majority of his
time with Robyn Brown and the kids he shares with her — was what was best for everyone.
Kody wanted to talk to Gabe about COVID because his son had been sick with the virus before,
but Gabe was focused on something else.
He recalled -
"I didn't remind him that it was my birthday because I wanted to see if he remembered.
And he didn't.
So to him, it was just a phone call just asking me about COVID."
Somehow, Kody later became aware of his mistake and tried to rectify it by calling Gabe again.
But his belated "Happy birthday" wasn't enough to mend a relationship that was already hanging
on by a thread.
"He tried to call me back, tell me happy birthday, and make up for it, and that's the last time
I ever talked to my dad."
In his January 2023 interview with John Yates, Paedon Brown said that his brother was broken-hearted
and still affected by the unhappy birthday call.
In a 2020 episode of "Sister Wives," Kody Brown and Meri Brown's only child, Leon Brown,
talked about how their religious upbringing made it difficult for them to accept being gay.
But when they came out to their family, Leon praised Kody for being loving and supportive.
"He had had a conversation with God many years ago and God said, 'You love, I judge,' and
so all dad does is love."
However, when Leon came out as transgender in a 2022 Instagram post, they did not mention
their father, writing -
"I'm finally ready to share my favorite self with the world.
and that self is incredibly genderqueer, trans, and unapologetic."
Leon was one of the kids that Kody listed as being a family outsider in a 2022 "Sister
Wives" episode.
Gwendlyn Brown explained to her YouTube viewers that her family members' religion and the
conservative political views that many of them share made Leon decide to distance themself
from the group.
Gwendlyn assured her fans that Leon had found a safe community, but she didn't reveal whether
Kody still had any semblance of a relationship with Leon.
However, in another video, she said that her dad's political leanings have become more
right-wing — and support for the LGBTQ+ community isn't exactly popular among those
with similar viewpoints.
Before Kody Brown's exes forced him into monogamy by leaving him, some of his kids fretted over
how he would feel if they decided to stick with just one spouse by choice.
While discussing dating in a 2014 episode of "Sister Wives," Kody and Janelle Brown's
oldest daughter, Maddie Brown, said that plural marriage is not for her:
"I think my dad is sad that I won't be a polygamist.
But I think that he's also kind of just come to the realization that it's not gonna happen."
Maddie also dismissed some of her parents' dating rules as ridiculous, such as no kissing,
holding hands, or hugging.
For his part, Kody said during the episode that he would never push any of his kids to
abide by his sister-wives system if he doesn't feel that it's right for them.
Maddie married her husband, Caleb Brush, in 2016, and the couple welcomed their third
child in 2023.
In 2015, Maddie revealed that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had refused
to baptize her because she would not publicly renounce her parents.
The Browns' high-profile plural marriage was the cause of Maddie's rejection, and this
made her change her mind about wanting to join the church.
"Why would I want to be a part of a church that wouldn't let me join because of my parents' decision?"
In his interview with John Yates, Paedon Brown suggested that Kody Brown made all of his
wives and kids who were still living at home pack up and move to Flagstaff, Arizona, because
Robyn Brown's son, Dayton Brown, had gotten accepted into Northern Arizona University.
Paedon suspected that Kody moved the family for his favorite wife, while his frustrated
sister Aspyn Brown had a different theory.
"I just feel like they're running away from something and I don't know what they're running
away from."
Many family members were unhappy about the move.
And although the wives were tasked with having these tough conversations with the kids, Gabe
Brown directed his anger towards his father.
"I just was gonna check in with you."
"I don't know, kinda do as the slave driver says."
Kody and Janelle's daughter Maddie Brown had a different reason for being vexed with her father.
She and her husband had moved to Las Vegas to be closer to the rest of the family — and
they were being pressured to make another move to Flagstaff with their baby boy.
Maddie admitted on the show -
"I'm kind of bitter.
[...] I will be surprised if Flagstaff is their final destination.
They get bored really easy."
Some kids want nothing more than for their parents to have a change of heart and reconcile
when they're going through the divorce process, but when the Brown family rapidly began unraveling,
many of Kody Brown's kids supported their moms' decisions to ditch their dad.
"I was honestly relieved when I heard my mom was leaving my dad.
They're not happy.
They're not in love."
Ysabel Brown said that she wasn't surprised to learn that her parents were separating.
While she admitted to feeling some sadness about the split, she also ultimately viewed
it as what was best for her parents — but more so for her mother, Christine Brown.
"I'm happy that my mom will be able to find somebody who she's really, really, really
happy with."
In one of her reaction videos, Gwendlyn Brown revealed that she struggled to contain her
excitement when Christine had the divorce discussion with her, recalling -
"I was like, 'Don't show her that I'm super f---ing hyped.'
I gave her a polite smile and stuff, but inside I was freaking out."
Gwendlyn was also thrilled that her mom was moving away from Flagstaff to somewhere she
believed that Christine would thrive, Salt Lake City.
In another video, Gwendlyn questioned why her father was so determined to remain spiritually
married to his non-legal wives who were clearly unhappy with their relationship, asking -
"Does he consider them trophies?"
Gwendlyn has also shared some insight into Kody's relationship with Robyn that may help
explain why she's now his only remaining wife.
"Robyn is upholding this patriarchy that he seems to think that is happening."
She went on to say -
"[She] does what he wants at this point just to make herself and her children survive."
Gwendlyn also has a theory about why her father finds the patriarchal family structure so appealing.
In response to a fan's question about her dad's misogynistic views, she said -
"[Those] kind of opinions and thoughts seem to benefit him."
In a February 2023 video that she shared with her Patreon patrons, Gwendlyn Brown claimed
that Kody Brown spanked her when she was a child and remembers being bruised sometimes
as a result.
The allegation was in response to a fan's question about whether Kody used corporal
punishment as a form of discipline, which Gwendlyn said she is against.
When Gwendlyn later uploaded the same video to her YouTube channel, she edited out the
spanking claim.
However, she also discussed a "Sister Wives" scene in which Kody screamed at her mom, Christine.
"We are definitely starting to see the true side of him because he has yelled at me like
this before."
In his interview with John Yates, Paedon Brown spoke about Kody using physical forms of punishment
with him, including spankings and flicking him on the mouth.
However, Paedon also stated -
"He made sure to be an authority figure in my life, and he was a very, very good father
when he was doing it."
The American Psychological Association has warned parents that physically disciplining
children is ineffective and harmful, and it may make kids view violence as an acceptable
way to deal with disputes.
The APA also says -
"Physical discipline does not improve behavior and can lead to emotional, behavioral and
academic problems over time."
During the early days of the pandemic, some of Kody Brown's wives and kids noticed that
his COVID rules conveniently allowed him to be around Robyn Brown much more often than
his other family members.
But in his interview with John Yates, Paedon Brown said that he and his siblings realized
that their dad favored Robyn over his other wives long before the family's pandemic problems
started pulling the Browns apart.
In an interview with The U.S. Sun, Paedon admitted that he was a bit mean to Robyn's
children from her previous marriage as a kid because he noticed that his dad also seemed
to favor them.
He said -
"I saw my dad doing things with them that he didn't do with me."
Gwendlyn's experience echoed that of her brother.
During a "Sister Wives" rewatch, she teared up as she observed Kody interacting with his
and Robyn's youngest kids.
"It hurts so much to see him be a good father to others when I didn't really get that much."
Gwendlyn has also shared her thoughts about how Kody's treatment of his children has changed
over the years.
She explained to her YouTube viewers that she's witnessed him checking out of his kids'
lives when they get older, positing that this is because he finds their minds more malleable
when they're young children.
In a Patreon video, Mykelti Brown responded to a question from a fan who wanted to know
if Kody and Robyn Brown planned on taking another shot at plural marriage after the
family's sister-wife exodus.
Mykelti expressed her doubts and explained that Kody's belief in polygamy came from the
Apostolic United Brethren religion, but he is no longer an active member of the Mormon
church sect.
In a YouTube video, Gwendlyn Brown shared her thoughts on her parents' failed plural
marriage attempt, saying that while some people can have successful polyamorous relationships,
she doesn't believe such a lifestyle was a fit for her parents.
Paedon told Us Weekly that his mother, Christine, isn't interested in giving plural marriage
another shot, and it doesn't appeal to him, either.
He told John Yates that he's also against the idea of his dad marrying another sister
wife — unless Kody happens to fall in love with a woman much younger than Robyn.
He suggested that it would prove that Kody favored Robyn for her relative youth in comparison
to his other wives, because Paedon is convinced that the new sister wife would immediately
become his dad's new favorite.