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Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Says Christine Complained About Their Relationship ‘for Years’ Ahead of Split

Sister Wives Kody Brown Says Christine Complained About Relationship for Years Ahead of Split
Kody Brown and Christine Brown Shutterstock; Courtesy of Christine Brown/Instagram

Knew it was coming? Sister WivesKody Brown and Christine Brown experienced a plethora of relationship struggles ahead of their November split.

The pair, who married in 1994, struggled to get on the same page during the Sunday, December 19, episode of Sister Wives, while Christine, 49, was out of town with the couple’s 18-year-old daughter Ysabel.

“Christine’s given me an ultimatum — either she’s not going to conform to [the rules] at all, or we have to do it in a way that’s going to get the whole family together,” Kody, 52, explained to sister wife Janelle Brown during Sunday’s episode. “So, it’s either the whole family or nothing with Christine. That’s the life she wants. It makes me realize that in a plural marriage … I just don’t matter. Because Christine’s fine with just, ‘You do what you want. You do you, I’m going to do me.’”

Related: Sister Wives' Christine Brown and Kody Brown's Ups and Downs Over the Years

The reality star added that his argument with his then-wife was just another sign of their “crappy relationship,” noting that they’d been having a tough time for a long time.

“She’s really been complaining about the lack of romance or closeness in the relationship for years,” he said during a confessional. “I could start pouring my heart out with poetry that I’m not necessarily feeling, but that’s going to be short-lived. It feels like sometimes that’s what I’m doing because it’s this constant pressure.”

Christine, who shares children Ysabel, Asypen, 26, Mykelti, 25, Paedon, 23, Gwendlyn, 20, and Truely, 11, with Kody, also admitted the duo are “in a tough spot,” so she was OK going out of town with Ysabel for the teen’s surgery.

“I don’t mind getting away for a while, but it will still be there when I get back,” Christine explained. “But I don’t mind putting it on hold for a bit.”

Related: A Breakdown of Where Kody Brown Stands With His Sister Wives

The duo announced their split in November, with Christine moving back to Utah shortly after. The breakup made the other wives, Meri Brown, Robyn Brown and Janelle, 52, “reevaluate” where they stand with Kody, a source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time.

Sister Wives Kody Brown Says Christine Complained About Relationship for Years Ahead of Split 2
Kody Brown and Christine Brown Courtesy of Christine Brown/Instagram

“Janelle found a new home,” the insider noted. “She’s excited about spending time with her children for the holidays. Her kids [Logan, 27, Maddie, 26, Hunter 24, Garrison, 23, Gabe, 20, and Savannah, 17,] are her real family. … [Janelle’s] really close to Christine, so she’s in constant communication with her.”

Meri, 50, for her part, has had her own issues with Kody through the years, admitting during Sunday’s episode they’re “friends” now but not much more.

Related: 'Sister Wives' Family Guide: Get to Know Kody Brown's Spouses and Kids

“It just kind of came down to that we’re friends, which I guess is a good thing. It’s a good thing. But I don’t know, I guess I just kind of have hope for more than that,” she shared. “If I quit and I walk away, then it’s not going to get better. I’m not going anywhere, y’all. You’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.”

She also added that she thought about leaving the polyamorous family in 2015 after her catfishing scandal.

“Through that time, I was considering every single option that I had. Leave, go do my own thing. I’ve considered everything,” Meri, who shares daughter Mariah, 25, with Kody, continued. “And this is where I am. This is my decision.”

Sister Wives airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.

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