Signs Kody Brown's Marriage With His Favorite Wife Robyn Brown Is On The Rocks

Since 2010, audiences have been tuning in to TLC's "Sister Wives" to catch a glimpse of how plural marriages, like the one in the polygamist Brown family, work. Kody Brown had three wives when the series first aired and was in the process of courting a fourth one. Robyn Brown joined the clan in 2010 as Kody's fourth wife and caused quite a disruption to the already thrown-off family dynamic. In the Season 18 opener, Kody addressed the troubled time and said, "We were trying so hard that we believed that we were functional — but we weren't," according to People.

The tipping point for many (family and fans included) was when Kody divorced his first wife, Meri Brown (the only one to whom he was legally married at the time), in 2014 so he could adopt three of Robyn's children from her previous marriage. Seemingly, everything went slowly downhill from there, and almost a decade later, the controversial patriarch has only one functioning relationship. Robyn is currently the last wife left standing. But with all of the signs that their marriage is on the rocks, she could soon fall off the Brown wagon, too.

Robyn Brown made her lifestyle expectations crystal clear during Season 17 of "Sister Wives," when she openly admitted she wouldn't want to be in a monogamous relationship with Kody Brown. "If I wanted to live [in] monogamy, I could have," she stated during the episode (via In Touch Weekly). She then went into detail on how she had other proposals before Kody but turned them all down as she wanted a plural family, especially sister wives.

Kody, on the other hand, has been distancing himself from polygamy. In an interview with People, the reality star revealed he has no interest in bringing in another wife. "The idea of ever marrying again after the experience I've had; there's no reason for me to do that." In an interview with TLC, the patriarch stated that he didn't want to be a polygamy proponent anymore because he'd become aware of how plural marriage affected sister wives unfairly.

The spouses' differing views on polygamy may be causing a rift between them, as Robyn subtly fears she's on her own with Kody for good. When asked about courting a new partner in the tell-all interview for Season 17, Robyn nervously shared that Kody turned the idea down. In the same segment, Christine Brown commented on the pair's situation, noting that she isn't convinced they would marry again. 

A theory that could shake Kody and Robyn Brown's union is one that posits that Robyn has been intentionally driving the other sister wives out since she has always wanted a monogamous relationship with Kody. Fans of the show have been devouring this rumor on social media for years.

"They are both masters at gaslighting," a comment read in a Reddit thread on "Sister Wives," referring to Kody and Robyn both secretly wanting monogamy since the beginning. Others speculated that Robyn wanted polygamy just to have power over everyone in the household. "In reality, she wants control [over] a lot of people and a fully devoted husband who does whatever she wants," another user wrote.

It makes some sense, as Robyn once said it would feel wrong to bring in a new wife after Kody's three failed marriages, despite grieving over her plural family dream mere moments prior (as per People). What exactly is happening here? Did Kody give up a plural lifestyle for Robyn, or did he make her embrace monogamy? In both of these cases, if any are true, their marriage sure is on the rocks if they don't want the same thing. In addition, with everyone side-eyeing Robyn for her contradicting behavior, Kody could soon be, too.

In the aftermath of Kody Brown's three divorces, some of his wives have been hinting at Robyn Brown as the culprit for the family fallout. It has long been speculated that Robyn is Kody's favorite wife, and while the patriarch has denied the claims, his actions tell a different story, especially if you ask Christine Brown.

Christine, Kody's third and now ex-wife, openly admitted she left him because the notorious polygamist was playing favorites, as reported by The U.S. Sun. Janelle Brown also shared the sentiment, noting that even her children noticed how much time their dad was spending with Robyn's side of the family (via Today). "Sister Wives" fans have also been pointing fingers at Robyn for quite some time now. Reddit is filled with threads discussing Kody's special treatment of his newest wife, and they all agree on one thing — Robyn has had the upper hand the whole time. "The other wives run circles around [her]," a user wrote, commenting on an older episode of the show where Robyn claimed she doesn't get much help around the house. "Robyn is as responsible, if not more, for the failure of this family," another stated.

Will Kody start resenting Robyn now that everyone else feels the same way? He's notorious for rarely accepting responsibility and has displayed fits of anger when called out on the show. Now that he only has one wife remaining, blaming her for his failed romances seems to fit Kody's MO.

As was expected, Kody Brown is supposedly directing his frustrations over his breakups to Robyn Brown, according to an unnamed insider close to the pair. "Kody and Robyn are actually not doing very well right now," the source told The U.S. Sun. The situation was seemingly confirmed by Robyn herself, as she admitted that Kody had tried to sabotage their marriage in the aftermath of his separations. "It's been hell," Robyn noted in an exclusive talk with People.

She went on to emphasize just how challenging it was to be married to someone while going through a divorce on the side, but that she and Kody have been working through their issues. She added, "[Kody's] doing his best," and blamed the family as a whole for everything that went down. According to Robyn, nobody had tried hard enough to uphold the values that brought them into polygamy in the first place, including herself.

It seems there's no going back to what the polygamous Brown clan used to be, and Kody and Robyn currently only have each other as partners. If Kody keeps pushing Robyn away and reverting back to his temper tantrums as a way to express his emotions, he might be left with no wife at all.

Another major difference of opinion between Kody and Robyn Brown is their living situation. Since 2018, the Brown family has lived in Flagstaff, Arizona, but now that Kody is out of sister wives, he wants a change.

Before relocating to Arizona, the plural clan lived in Las Vegas for about seven years. As was documented in "Sister Wives," Robyn was the one who influenced their move from Nevada in order to be close to her college-going son, Dayton Brown. According to In Touch Weekly, Kody agreed it would be a good idea at the time, even stressing safety concerns. "We needed to move out. The timing was just right for getting our kids out of Las Vegas and into a safe place," he told the outlet. Five years later, the patriarch wants to move back to Sin City.

According to a source close to the family, Kody is ready for another move, as nothing is keeping him in Flagstaff. Additionally, it's financially exhausting for Robyn and Kody to maintain their large house, the source revealed to The U.S. Sun. Robyn, however, doesn't want to go to Las Vegas. While there is no way to know for sure where they stand on this issue (the spouses haven't spoken about it in public), Kody's remaining marriage could be on its last legs if Robyn insists on staying in Arizona, given that Kody has previously demanded his wives conform to his will.