Family Ties in Sister Wives: Christine Brown’s Surprising Revelation

In a recent episode of TLC’s Sister Wives, Christine Brown made a startling revelation that despite no longer being married to Kody Brown, they remain connected by blood. During a conversation with her current husband, David Woolley, Christine explained the complexities of growing up in a polygamist community where family connections were inevitably intertwined. “I knew growing up that I would have to marry a convert because I was literally related to everybody in the church,” she shared. Despite marrying Kody, who was indeed a convert to their faith, Christine revealed they still shared a distant familial connection. “I’m related to Kody,” she admitted, clarifying that they are “third cousins once removed,” a relationship that is “fully legal” unlike polygamy itself. David appeared stunned by this information, only managing a surprised “wow” in response. The revelation provides insight into the close-knit nature of polygamist communities, where familial connections often overlap in unexpected ways.

Christine’s former sister wife and close friend Janelle Brown contextualized the revelation, explaining it was actually a long-standing joke within their household. “There was always this joke about how they were cousins, but they are so distantly related it’s ridiculous,” Janelle told viewers. She emphasized that such connections are commonplace in polygamist communities, adding, “I think in polygamist families, this kind of stuff happens all the time.” Janelle further clarified that Christine and Kody’s familial relationship was extremely distant, not the kind where “you saw each other at the family reunion.” The revelation highlights the small, interconnected nature of the polygamist community they belonged to, where family trees often overlap in complex ways. Janelle herself is no stranger to these intricate connections, having experienced several family crossovers of her own throughout her life in the polygamist community.

Indeed, Janelle’s own life exemplifies the complex family dynamics common in polygamist circles. Before marrying Kody in 1993, she was briefly married to Meri Brown’s brother, Adam Barber, for two years. Meri, who was Kody’s first wife from 1990 until their split in January 2023, thus had her own unexpected connection to Janelle. During an appearance on the “Reality Life With Kate Casey” podcast, Janelle described her first marriage as a short-lived “starter marriage,” saying they only “physically lived together for, like, six months.” The connections didn’t end there – in perhaps the most surprising family crossover, Janelle’s late mother, Sheryl Usher, ended up spiritually marrying Kody’s late father, Winn Brown, after initially opposing her daughter’s entry into polygamy. “My mom came to save me from the polygamists because no daughter of hers was going to marry some into some crazy cult,” Janelle recounted in a November episode. “And she ended up marrying Kody’s dad.” This remarkable turn of events occurred in 1992, just before Janelle became Kody’s second wife, further illustrating how tightly woven the relationships within their community became.

While Christine’s blood relationship with Kody surprised viewers, the episode also captured another significant development: Kody’s meeting with Meri in Cedar City, Utah, as part of what he described as his “ex-wives apology tour.” The encounter proved challenging, with multiple arguments erupting between the former spouses. Kody attempted to focus on making amends, telling Meri, “Listen, an apology is so needed here because this is still so toxic. And I apologize for that.” However, his approach fell flat with Meri, who questioned the sincerity of his words. When she pointedly asked if he was apologizing for being toxic to her specifically or just making a general statement, Kody confirmed, “Yes, I apologize that I am toxic to you, Meri, or was toxic to you.” Yet his repeated use of the word “apologize” appeared to undermine his message rather than reinforce it.

Meri’s frustration with Kody’s approach became increasingly evident as their conversation progressed. “You got to stop with the ‘apologize’ word. The more you use it, the more it feels insincere,” she told him directly, adding that his language “validates that it doesn’t feel like this is a sincere conversation.” She further explained that his use of the word “apologize” came across as “very extreme and very forced,” suggesting she doubted the authenticity of his attempt at reconciliation. Kody acknowledged his discomfort during their interaction, admitting, “I’m actually uncomfortable, Meri. I triggered the minute we got together. I apologize for that.” Despite the tension that characterized much of their exchange, they ended their meeting with a hug—though their individual reflections on the encounter revealed starkly different perspectives on what had transpired between them.

In their private interviews following the meeting, Kody and Meri expressed contrasting views about their conversation and its implications for their future relationship. Kody appeared hopeful, saying, “From here out, I hope the swords are down. If we can move forward in the future, just making sure that we are very kind, we might be able to remain in good places with each other.” His statement suggested a desire to establish a peaceful, if distant, relationship with his former wife. Meri, however, remained skeptical and guarded about the encounter. “I’m not sure at this point, you know, what this all means,” she confessed to viewers. “There’s been a lot throughout this whole divorce process, throughout the property process, things that I’ve discovered since then. But it doesn’t affect me. I’m not listening to what he says.” Her words reveal a determined effort to move forward independently, having emotionally detached herself from Kody’s influence—a stark contrast to the hopeful tone he struck. As the Sister Wives saga continues to unfold on TLC, these complex family connections and ongoing emotional reckonings provide viewers with a rare glimpse into the aftermath of a polygamist family’s dissolution and the challenging process of redefining relationships when shared spiritual beliefs no longer bind them together.