Kody Brown has found himself in a place he never expected to be in — and he’s understandably having a tough time navigating it all.
Within a span of 14 months, three of the Sister Wives patriarch’s marriages imploded. His third wife, Christine Brown, was the first to leave in November 2021. A year later in December 2022, it was revealed that he had separated from his second wife Janelle Brown. A month after that, his union with first wife Meri Brown was over by January 2023 after the pair’s relationship had been platonic and distant for years.
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Now Kody is in a monogamous relationship for the first time in decades with fourth wife Robyn Brown, the only wife to whom he was legally married. In this week’s PEOPLE cover story, he and the women of Sister Wives address the “domino effect” at length, exclusively sharing how challenging this seismic shift in their relationships has been.
“It’s been painful, a lot of finger pointing and blame,” acknowledges the TLC star, 54. “But you have to hope we still have a friendship in the future. Because we’re bound forever through our kids.”
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But Kody — who is father to 18 children from his four marriages — recognizes his failures as a husband and knows he’s partially to blame for the demise of his three marriages.
“I could have done a lot better,” he admits.
For her part, Janelle, 54, is looking to the positive amid the chaos, telling PEOPLE: “We’re all settling into the new path. There’s only possibilities in front of us.”
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The fallout of the last several years will be explored on the show’s upcoming season. A teaser for season 18 teased how the marital shakeups have impacted his relationship with Robyn, 44.
“No one should be married while they’re going through a divorce,” says Robyn, who still remains committed to making her marriage with Kody work.
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“I never thought I wanted to leave. I know how much I love Kody,” she adds. “He’s doing his best.”
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Season 18 of Sister Wives premieres Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
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