Kody Brown was once married to four women, but he didn't treat them all equally. The polygamist patriarch favored one of his wives above all the others, and his favoritism ended up destroying his family. To some extent, he was powerless. It's not like he could help that he was more attracted to his fourth and youngest wife, but it made his other wives feel terrible about themselves. Polygamy is already hard enough, but Kody's attraction to one of his wives made it impossible to keep the plural family together.

When the popular unscripted series premiered in 2010, Kody only had three wives. They all lived in a multi-unit complex in Utah, where each wife held court over her wing of the house. The first season of the show featured Kody courting and marrying his fourth wife, Robyn Brown. Adding Robyn and her three children from her first marriage to the family changed the dynamic. By the time Sister Wives season 19 aired, all three of Kody's other wives had left the marriage. Kody's attraction to Robyn helped drive his other wives away.

Was Robyn Really A Diesel Model?

Kody's First Wife Introduced Him To Robyn

Kody and Robyn met in 2009 when he and his first wife, Meri Brown, attended the same party. It was Meri who met Robyn first and encouraged Kody to court her. The mother of one would eventually come to regret her involvement. In 2014, Kody asked Meri to divorce him so he could marry Robyn and adopt her children from a previous marriage. Meri agreed, but over time, her friendship with Robyn soured, especially after Meri decided to leave Kody in 2022.

During a recent episode of Sister Wives season 19, Kody's second wife, Janelle Brown, shared some details of Kody's first impressions of Robyn. “Kody has said, ‘Well, all of a sudden, I met Robyn, and she’s this Diesel jeans model, and she’s everything I want,’” Janelle alleged. While his other three wives always sensed Kody was more attracted to Robyn, he should have tried harder to treat them equally. His inability to do so ended up costing him his family.

Kody Was Focused On His Wives' Images

"You Had To Always Look Nice"

During an episode of Sister Wives season 19, Kody's former wives discussed his interest in appearances. "Kody liked makeup," third wife Christine explained. "It was like you had to always always look nice. It mattered to him so much." Meri concurred, adding, "Kody's always wanted people around him to look good." She said when they were first dating, Kody would take her shopping for clothes. For Janelle's part, she ignored Kody's interest in looks.

Did Kody Ever Love His First Three Wives?

He Said Hurtful Things That He Didn't Even Mean

When Sister Wives premiered in 2010, the Browns were one big happy family. They presented an image of a functional polygamous family to contrast with all the negative images in the minds of the public. Sadly, the show ended up chronicling the Brown family's dissolution. During the show's first season, Kody married Robyn, and the family grew. It had been 16 years since he added his third wife, Christine Brown, to the mix. At his peak, Kody had four wives and 18 children.

Kody even used like "soul mate" to describe his feelings for Robyn, which hurt his ex-wives deeply, even after they'd walked away from the marriage.

Christine was the first of Kody's wives to walk away from the marriage. The turning point was during an episode of Sister Wives when Christine revealed Kody told her he wasn't attracted to her when they got married. He also told his first wife, Meri, he was never attracted to her, and accused her of driving him to polygamy. He implied he never loved his second wife, Janelle Brown, saying he stayed with all his wives out of duty. Kody basically said Robyn was the only wife he loved.

Over recent years, Kody often said hurtful things about his first three wives. Kody even used like "soul mate" to describe his feelings for Robyn, which hurt his ex-wives deeply, even after they'd walked away from the marriage. During Sister Wives season 19, Kody finally itted that he never meant those hurtful words. In a moment of extreme self-awareness, he explained that he was hurting, and he lashed out in pain. It must have been validating for Meri, Janelle, and Christine to hear him say that.

How Kody's Wives Have Changed Their Looks Since Leaving Him

"It's Only Getting Better"

Since leaving Kody, all three of his ex-wives have improved their looks dramatically. Christine's before and after photos is nothing short of stunning. Her caption reads, "Feeling AMAZING and full of energy, and it’s only getting better!"

"It was fun to dress up and spend the evening out for a good cause."

Christine isn't the only one of Kody's ex-wives who has changed their appearance since leaving him. His former first wife, Meri, recently posted photos of her incredible makeover on Instagram. The photos show Meri wearing a little black dress, a chic new choppy bob haircut, and looking glamorous on the red carpet.

Kody's former second wife, Janelle, recently posted an Instagram photo of herself all dolled up. The Sister Wives season 19 star wore a glamorous velvet gown to a ritzy fundraiser. "My friend @aprilwraines and her husband had an extra ticket for a fundraiser this weekend in Raleigh," reads her caption. "It was fun to dress up and spend the evening out for a good cause." Kody may have only had eyes for Robyn during his marriage, but his ex-wives have never looked better.

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

Sources: Christine Brown/Instagram, Meri Brown/Instagram, Janelle Brown/Instagram