Sister Wives’ Kody Brown and Robyn Brown’s Relationship Timeline Through the Years

Still going strong! Though Robyn Brown was the last wife to join Kody Brown’s polygamous brood, the pair’s bond has only gotten stronger since their wedding day.

“She looked like a soccer mom,” Kody opened up about his first impressions of Robyn during an early episode of Sister Wives. “She had a van, three kids and was divorced. I thought, ‘I didn’t need a van, a divorced woman, and three kids in my life — that’s just trouble.'”

Robyn was previously married to David Jessop — with whom she shares children David, Aurora and Breanna — until their divorce in 2007. After their legal case was settled, she met the TLC show’s patriarch and his first wife, Meri Brown, at a gathering hosted by Robyn's cousin. From there, sparks flew as the duo courted throughout the reality series’ first season, which aired in 2010.

Robyn and her children — whom Kody legally adopted one year after the couple legally wed in December 2014 — then moved into the Brown family compound. (The Wyoming native divorced Meri before his 2014 nuptials, but the duo remain in a spiritual union.)

While Kody’s relationship with Robyn remained strong through the years, he and wife Christine Brown announced their separation in November 2021.

“It’s no shock. She’s been in the process of leaving him for a while. The big reason why she split from him is because Kody has been completely devoted to Robyn for the past five or six years. That hasn’t changed at all,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “He was devoted to being polygamous so he kept that going for as long as he could. He serves God and believes being polygamous is his way to heaven, so it’s not necessarily about having to be in love with all your wives. It’s about who else is as devoted as he is.”

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Following the split news, a second insider called Robyn and Kody a “dream couple,” noting that his other wives — including Meri and Janelle Brown — cannot compete against the Utah native. “She has him wrapped around her finger. They act like they’re still newlyweds. They’re still very much in love,” the source told Us.

The pair’s strong connection was the subject of controversy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Kody, who enforced a lengthy list of safety protocols for his family, primarily spent the lockdown with Robyn and their five children. (They welcomed son Solomon and daughter Ariella in October 2011 and January 2016, respectively.)

“It wasn’t that I felt guilty. I was feeling, like, bad. I was feeling not right,” Robyn exclusively told Us in March 2021. “This is not fair. I mean, I chose this [plural marriage] lifestyle for a reason and when things are out of whack, it bothers me. I’ve lost a lot of sleep because of it. And I don’t understand the choices that are being made as far as our family is concerned, but I have to respect them.”

She continued at the time: “I can’t say [I felt] guilty because I’m not the one making the choices, but at the same time, it’s like, I do definitely feel bad and it’s made the whole family experience really hard.”

During a January 2022 episode of the reality TV show, Robyn even admitted she felt like she was living in a monogamous marriage amid quarantine.

“Kody and I have been married for about 10 and a half years. Throughout those 10 and a half years, I’ve had Kody at my house, like, once or twice a week. Lately, it’s been constantly,” she explained in Us’ exclusive sneak peek in December 2021. “I’m sure that every plural wife is like, ‘Woo, that’s the way you want it.’ I’m like, ‘But that’s not what I signed up for,’ I guess you’d say. And then on top of that, he’s been really unhappy. He’s been a very unhappy person. It’s been a lot, and it’s been a challenge for our relationship.”

While Robyn's romance flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic, both Janelle Brown and Meri's relationships with Kody took a hit. Janelle confirmed in December 2022 that she and the Wyoming native had been "separated for several months." Meri, meanwhile, revealed that same month that Kody "made the decision" that they were no longer married after their anniversary.

Scroll below to relive Kody and Robyn’s romance timeline through the years:

Still going strong! Though Robyn Brown was the last wife to join Kody Brown’s polygamous brood, the pair’s bond has only gotten stronger since their wedding day.

“She looked like a soccer mom,” Kody opened up about his first impressions of Robyn during an early episode of Sister Wives. “She had a van, three kids and was divorced. I thought, ‘I didn’t need a van, a divorced woman, and three kids in my life — that’s just trouble.'”

Robyn was previously married to David Jessop — with whom she shares children David, Aurora and Breanna — until their divorce in 2007. After their legal case was settled, she met the TLC show’s patriarch and his first wife, Meri Brown, at a gathering hosted by Robyn's cousin. From there, sparks flew as the duo courted throughout the reality series’ first season, which aired in 2010.

Robyn and her children — whom Kody legally adopted one year after the couple legally wed in December 2014 — then moved into the Brown family compound. (The Wyoming native divorced Meri before his 2014 nuptials, but the duo remain in a spiritual union.)

While Kody’s relationship with Robyn remained strong through the years, he and wife Christine Brown announced their separation in November 2021.

“It’s no shock. She’s been in the process of leaving him for a while. The big reason why she split from him is because Kody has been completely devoted to Robyn for the past five or six years. That hasn’t changed at all,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time. “He was devoted to being polygamous so he kept that going for as long as he could. He serves God and believes being polygamous is his way to heaven, so it’s not necessarily about having to be in love with all your wives. It’s about who else is as devoted as he is.”

[sendtonews type="float" key="4mwFpUBniu-2838174-14453"]

Following the split news, a second insider called Robyn and Kody a “dream couple,” noting that his other wives — including Meri and Janelle Brown — cannot compete against the Utah native. “She has him wrapped around her finger. They act like they’re still newlyweds. They’re still very much in love,” the source told Us.

The pair’s strong connection was the subject of controversy amid the coronavirus pandemic. Kody, who enforced a lengthy list of safety protocols for his family, primarily spent the lockdown with Robyn and their five children. (They welcomed son Solomon and daughter Ariella in October 2011 and January 2016, respectively.)

“It wasn’t that I felt guilty. I was feeling, like, bad. I was feeling not right,” Robyn exclusively told Us in March 2021. “This is not fair. I mean, I chose this [plural marriage] lifestyle for a reason and when things are out of whack, it bothers me. I’ve lost a lot of sleep because of it. And I don’t understand the choices that are being made as far as our family is concerned, but I have to respect them.”

She continued at the time: “I can’t say [I felt] guilty because I’m not the one making the choices, but at the same time, it’s like, I do definitely feel bad and it’s made the whole family experience really hard.”

During a January 2022 episode of the reality TV show, Robyn even admitted she felt like she was living in a monogamous marriage amid quarantine.

“Kody and I have been married for about 10 and a half years. Throughout those 10 and a half years, I’ve had Kody at my house, like, once or twice a week. Lately, it’s been constantly,” she explained in Us’ exclusive sneak peek in December 2021. “I’m sure that every plural wife is like, ‘Woo, that’s the way you want it.’ I’m like, ‘But that’s not what I signed up for,’ I guess you’d say. And then on top of that, he’s been really unhappy. He’s been a very unhappy person. It’s been a lot, and it’s been a challenge for our relationship.”

While Robyn's romance flourished during the COVID-19 pandemic, both Janelle Brown and Meri's relationships with Kody took a hit. Janelle confirmed in December 2022 that she and the Wyoming native had been "separated for several months." Meri, meanwhile, revealed that same month that Kody "made the decision" that they were no longer married after their anniversary.

Scroll below to relive Kody and Robyn’s romance timeline through the years:

After four years together, Kody and Robyn were spiritually married. At the time, Kody was legally married to Meri and spiritually married to both Janelle and Christine.

The pair welcomed their first child, a boy named Solomon Kody, after one year of marriage.

After Kody’s divorce from Meri, he legally wed the My Sisterwife’s Closet cofounder so that he could adopt her three older children.

Kody and Robyn welcomed daughter Ariella Mae on January 10.

The couple went on a plural date night alongside Meri, Janelle and Christine. Robyn captioned an Instagram selfie at the time, “Playing hooky! We may never go home! #spontaneousmoviedate.”

The large brood, who previously lived together in a joint compound in Utah, relocated to Flagstaff, Arizona. Instead of one large house, each wife — and their respective children — had their own residence.

"Vegas has been good for us; I’m not saying that it hasn’t, it’s been really good. And it’s been great for our kids. They’ve all really grown here and done so many wonderful things and it’s been great for us," Christine said during a season 13 episode of the reality TV program. "I’m just ready for the next adventure.”

“Kody is leading the charge on how careful we’re being,” Robyn exclusively told Us of her husband’s COVID-19 safety guidelines, explaining why he stayed at her house significantly more than his other wives' homes. “I know that it’s really important to protect lives up until the very end.”

She continued: “I know that they were making choices that they felt comfortable with as far as traveling and having people in the home … making it so that Kody was not able to go see them. I have little kids, so I kind of just had to run my will with Kody with whatever he decided and just do what he was doing because that’s the only way my little kids would be able to see him.”

Following Kody’s split from Christine, a source hinted that Robyn felt uneasy that her strong connection played a role, telling Us, “She secretly knows that she’s the one to blame for the separation, so obviously there’s some guilt there.”

 

“I cannot express enough how hard it is to be in a plural family where my husband and his other wife is having a problem and it completely affects my life, but I’m really supposed to stay out of it and I have no say,” Robyn said the difficulties of being in a plural marriage during the December 26 episode of Sister Wives. “The lines are hard between our different marriages because it’s like, ‘OK, you’ve got to respect that she’s got her own relationship with Kody.’ But at the same time, their relationship affects yours.”

A source told Us that Kody was "spending all his time with Robyn" amid his ongoing struggles with Janelle and Meri. "The others are in their own world, living their own lives. He spent the holidays with Robyn and her kids. He didn’t even try making plans with the others,” the insider said at the time. "All the wives were very much separated for the holidays, spending time with their own families."

Robyn confessed during part 2 of the Sister Wives season tell-all special that she often feels caught in the middle of Kody's conflicts with the other wives. "It’s been really, really tough for me. It’s been really painful,” she said at the time. "There’s been a lot of unsafe spaces. I just want people to see me as who I am. I want them to see that I love this family. That I'm committed to them. That I'd do anything for them. That I love them. And that I want the relationship."

In the first preview for season 17 of Sister Wives, Robyn hinted that she felt betrayed by Christine leaving the family. "I would never do anything to this family to hurt it. I just wish people would see that," she said.

Robyn and Kody purchased Christine’s portion of the family’s Coyote Pass property in Flagstaff, Arizona, for $10, according to property records obtained by Us. The sale went through one month prior.

Robyn witnessed Kody falling apart during season 17, which was filmed in spring 2021 and aired in fall 2022, as he and Christine continued to grow apart pre-split. After Christine moved Kody’s things out of her place, Robyn realized just how serious their issues were and called for her husband to try and make amends to save their plural family. “Sometimes you just can’t sleep in the same bed with your spouse because you’re struggling. Maybe she just needs a break,” Robyn said during a confessional interview. “He doesn’t need to not be there. In fact, it should be the other way around. He should be there, present.” The mother of five later confessed that the tension between Kody and Christine affected their relationship as well. “I miss my husband. Anytime I try and talk to him I get the anger thrown at me,” Robyn claimed. “I have tried to speak with the sister wives, I’ve tried to talk to Kody but, you know, nobody’s willing. I’m starting to feel really helpless.”

Following Christine’s announcement that she and Kody had split, the patriarch called for control of the rest of his wives and their respective children. “I’m going to be the head of my household again,” he told all of his wives during a season 17 episode, which was filmed in summer 2021 and aired in October 2022. “So, I’m not going to be circumvented in that. If everybody is willing to conform to patriarchy again, I guess.”

He explained: “I’ve been fighting to make everybody happy. My bitterness is out of trying to do that and not having the family that I had thought about and designed. If it is too awkward, or I don’t feel like the head of my household when people are around then I’m not going to have the whole family together.” The family leader concluded: “I’m disappointed in how I’ve managed this. I felt like all of your independence was more important [and] in that [thought process] we sort of [lost] some sort of community. I guess I’m just sorry we failed.”

On camera, Robyn took issue with Christine’s explanation of when she and Kody fell apart romantically. After Christine claimed that her marriage was struggling in Las Vegas, Robyn called out the alleged “lie.” Robyn also denounced the notion that she and Kody were thriving while his other marriages had issues.

“She’s sitting here saying everyone’s relationships were struggling in Las Vegas and we didn’t have what we had,” Robyn said during a confessional. “And that Kody and I were the only ones that were OK. That’s not true.”

Robyn expressed concern for the future of the family — and Kody’s well-being — during the season 17 finale. “It’s hard to be a plural wife when your husband has a wife leaving him,” she explained. “Most men in monogamy, they go do stupid stuff and they date whoever. And they’re angry and they’re pissed. And [think that] women suck.”

The Utah native continued: “He’s dealing with that while he’s married. And I’ve told him several times, I feel like he’s lining up all women and I’m there too. And he’s shooting us all down because Christine is a woman. And he’s angry and he’s hurt.”

Robyn later told Meri and Janelle, “We need to work on it. Or we’re going to sort of disappear as a family.” Janelle, however, didn’t want to focus on the negativity and walked away from the conversation after confessing that she didn’t feel like her boys were “welcome” at group gatherings.

After the finale aired, Janelle and Kody confirmed that they had been “separated for several months.”

“That’s the most unfair question,” Kody said during part 3 of Sister Wives: One-on-One when asked if Robyn was his “favorite” partner. “You don’t have any idea the work she has done. What she has done as a person. The sacrifices that she’s made. The games that she hasn’t played.”

He continued: “It’s not about a favorite, it’s about finding favor. The words that Christine [Brown] uses incite enmity toward Robyn. She never did anything to Christine but be kind to her.”

Robyn revealed during part 3 of Sister Wives: One-on-One that she is done being a punching bag for her plural family. “They’re making those choices but somehow, I get lumped into it,” she said when speaking about Kody’s drama with estranged wife Janelle. “I’m like, ‘Leave me the hell out of it.’”

The mother of five showed frustration toward her husband and her fellow wives after being scrutinized for being Kody’s alleged “favorite” spouse. “I’m tired of being punished and blamed. And people thinking I’m a bad person because I am just communicating,” Robyn said while breaking down into tears. “I’m tired of being punished for it. I’m tired of it being somehow a bad thing, because it’s not.”

She added: “I don’t let Kody push me around. I say my truth. I speak to him like he’s my best customer. And I expect him to treat me the same way.”