Why Kody Brown And Christine Brown Have No Plans To Be Friends After Their Split
Christine Brown has been talking for years, but Kody Brown wasn't listening. Ultimately, fed up with how she was treated, the "Sister Wives" star decided it was time to go her own way and let Kody be himself without her. They shared the news of their split in November 2021 after spending more than 25 years together and welcoming six children during that time.
Christine was the first sister wife to leave the Brown patriarch, with Janelle Brown following in her footsteps less than a year later. In the midst of the two separations, Kody pushed his other wife, Meri Brown, even further than he had before, causing the collapse of that marriage, too. Now, the polygamist is left with only one wife and maybe no friends in the family — at least not Christine.
Kody hasn't exactly been kind to Christine, who was his third wife, so it's no surprise she's grown indifferent toward him over the years. From refusing intimacy with her to claiming their marriage was based on (his) ego, it was a question of "when" and not "if" Christine would leave Kody. Faced with the consequences of his behavior, Kody tried making amends in his own way, which Christine wasn't interested in.
"We will continue to be a strong presence in each other's lives," Christine wrote in the Instagram announcement of their divorce. Not as positive presences, apparently. As they try to navigate a friendship of sorts, it's starting to look like even just a "presence" may not even be possible.
Kody still feels hurt while Christine thrives post-divorce
If you thought the drama between Kody and Christine Brown was over because the couple called it quits, think again. Tension was plentiful when the ex-spouses met for the first time (at least in front of TLC's cameras) following their split. The visibly frustrated Kody shared his feelings about the encounter and Christine herself in a solo interview, stating that he still feels betrayed by his once-third wife.
"I kind of feel like, in my heart, I just never want to see her again. I want to spend some time hating her," the patriarch said dramatically in the TLC preview. Christine expressed similar sentiments in an interview with People, gushing about her newfound sense of self in the wake of their divorce. "My whole world has changed, and every single cell in my body is happier."
Despite not being thrilled with one another, Christine and Kody do share six children together, with their youngest, Truely Brown, still underage. Given all that the pair have said about each other after splitting, we can assume Truely is the only reason they're willing to work on co-existing in the same room. They touched upon the topic again in a Season 18 episode, and according to People, they were both unsure about how to proceed with their amity. Christine explained, "I don't know if that's naive," referring to the mere possibility of them being friends, with Kody agreeing.
Their history makes friendship unlikely
In the second part of their reunion, the way Kody Brown approaches Christine Brown makes it crystal clear the exes don't have a particularly bright future when it comes to a true friendship. Christine appears to have truly moved on, while Kody is still trying to suck her back into his drama-filled vortex. "I think it gives you satisfaction if I did hate you," the patriarch told Christine. "It doesn't. It's heartbreaking," she replied.
The reality star is notorious for always seeking out a scapegoat or making himself a victim in basically every situation that goes awry. He refused to take accountability during his split from Christine on multiple occasions and has publicly accused her of badmouthing him to their children for sharing her side of the story. His behavior makes it difficult for anyone to like him, let alone Christine. The mom of six admitted she lost all respect for her ex-husband when he failed to show up for their daughter Ysabel Brown when she needed back surgery, so it's highly probable she still doesn't think too highly of him.
Another reason it would probably be hard for Christine and Kody to stay close is that Kody didn't want to end things. He initially didn't even accept their split because he thought Christine was playing games. It seems like Kody wanted to put her on the back burner, which ultimately cost him much more than he anticipated — including a friendship.