4 wives and 18 children: What Kody Brown and the Sister Wives are doing now.

Now in its 13th year, the US reality show that follows Kody Brown and his four 'sister wives' Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn has covered a lot of changes for the polygamous family.

And the latest season currently airing in Australia on Binge has brought to light several bombshells, including that Kody has gone from four wives to just one wife in a matter of months.

In December 2022, Kody's first wife Meri announced she had left the family, and later in the same month, second wife Janelle revealed she was also separated from Kody. Meri and Janelle followed in the footsteps of third wife Christine, who left Kody in November 2021. 

Kody reflected on how the dissolution of his marriages made him consider his steadfast values on polygamy and religion.

"It’s a weird thing to be getting left," Kody said.

"It’s made me question getting into plural marriage. It’s made me question my faith, and especially question my religion. The message that we had to the world about functional polygamy seems so dysfunctional now."

With so much change in the Brown household, let's take a look at what everyone is up to now.

Meri.

First wife Meri gave fans an update on her marriage in the most recent season Sister Wives.

"My relationship with Kody has not improved as far as like a husband and wife relationship," Meri explained.

"That's not something that he's interested in. I mean, it just is what it is. It's where we are." 

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A post shared by Meri Brown (@therealmeribrown)

Kody clarified that while the pair who married in 1990 remain friends, they are no longer married. 

"I feel like my relationship with Meri is very good, but it's not a married situation," Kody said.

"It's an amiable relationship but I don't think it's a fulfilling relationship for Meri, not in any way." 

Meri and Kody share one child, Leon Brown who is now 27 years old. Leon came out as transgender in June 2022.

"Here’s to me getting to know myself, share myself, and continually evolve to be the person I am, to be my favorite self in all contexts," they shared to Instagram.

While Meri was Kody's first wife, he divorced her in 2014 in order to marry his fourth wife Robyn for financial reasons as she had three children from a previous marriage.

Being married to more than one person is illegal across the United States. But in Utah, polygamy was decriminalised in 2020 after much protest from the plural marriage community and its supporters in the state.

Janelle.

Second wife Janelle announced her separation from Kody in the most recent season of Sister Wives.

"I think if we both really sat down, we’d look at each other and say, 'Really?' We’ve been separated for several months," she said.

In the same episode, Kody confirmed their split after almost 30 years together by adding: "Janelle has made it pretty clear to me that she’s enjoying her life without me."

The couple had been experiencing difficulties relating to two of their six children, who Kody appears to be estranged from. Kody also accused Janelle of being 'too independent' which upset her.

"In the last 18 months, I’ve realised that I’m pretty good, I’m independent," Janelle said.

"And I’m not gonna stand here and be yelled at. I just don’t need it. I don’t deserve it."

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A post shared by janellebrown117 (@janellebrown117)

Janelle and Kody's six children are Logan, 27, Madison, 26, Hunter, 25, Garrison, 23, Gabriel, 20 and Savanah, 17. They share two grandchildren, Axel and Evie, from daughter Madison.

Janelle's priority now are her children, her grandchildren, and her health coaching business.

Christine. 

Christine, who now has over 1.1 million followers on her Instagram account, has been busy enjoying time with her kids, grandkids, and dating new suitors since the 2021 announcement that she and Kody had split.

Recently pictured having fun at her daughter Gwendlyn's engagement party to girlfriend Bea, Christine also hosts a regular cooking show for her subscribers. 

She remains connected to Kody because of their children and shared history.

"We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family," she wrote after their initial separation.

The couple who married in March 1994 share five daughters and a son: Asypen, 27, Mykelti, 26, Paedon, 24, Gwendlyn, 21, Ysabel, 19, and Truely, 12. They are also grandparents to Mykelti’s daughter Avalon and twins Archer and Ace. 

Tensions between the pair first emerged after Christine shared that she wanted to move from the family's ranch in Flagstaff, Arizona, back to Utah. But Christine reportedly began struggling with jealousy in the relationship shortly after fourth wife Robyn came along in 2010.

Back then, Kody was still legally married to his first wife Meri, and 'spiritually married' to Janelle and Christine. He divorced Meri and married Robyn in 2014.

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A post shared by Christine Brown (@christine_brownsw)

In a message to fans after the split, Christine shared that her separation from Kody had been a "long time coming".

"Thank you for supporting me with leaving Kody. The decision was a long time coming and I feel like a much better person divorced than I ever did," she said, according to Page Six. 

"Life is so great. I had no idea life could be simple. It’s a phenomenal world. It’s a whole new world. I hope Kody and I can still remain friends through this," she continued.

Listen: Mia Freedman chats with Ollie Lucks about being in a polyamorous relationship. Post continues below. 

Robyn.

Robyn is Kody’s most recent and supposedly 'favourite' wife. 

She married Kody in 2014 after he divorced his first wife Meri, and the pair share two biological children Solomon, 10 and Ariella, 6 as well as her three children from her previous marriage: Dayton, 22, Aurora, 19 and Breanna, 17.

Robyn has always been open about wanting to work on the issues in her plural marriage and unsuccessfully encouraged Meri and Janelle to take Christine's departure as a 'wakeup call' to save their family.

"We’re still here and we don’t need to fail more: We need to fix it," Robyn said at the time.

The Sister Wives when all still a family (L to R: Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn) and Kody . Image: Getty.

In season 17, Robyn shared how she hired a nanny to help her with the kids' and their daily routines.

"Kody and I have a lot going on during the day," Robyn said. 

"That’s why I have a nanny — so that I can have her help me instead of trying to ask Kody to help with the kids.

"It’s not fair of me to ask him to help when he has so many responsibilities."

Stream season 17 of Sister Wives now on Binge.

This article was originally published on November 4, 2021, and has been updated with new information.

Laura Jackel is Mamamia's Family Writer. For links to her articles and to see photos of her outfits and kids, follow her on Instagram and TikTok.

Feature Image: Getty.

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