Sister Wives’ Robyn Brown Cries Over Kody Being ‘Rejected’ by His Kids

Robyn Brown broke into tears on Sister Wives after comparing her rocky childhood to husband Kody Brown’s issues with his estranged children.

“When I see Kody being rejected by his kids, I see myself,” Robyn, 47, said on the Sunday, November 23, episode of the TLC series. “My dad, Paul, married my mom when I was about 9 years old. Paul was absolutely wonderful to me.”

She explained through tears, “And while I was angry and did reject my biological father for years, I do understand how much I needed him and still would love to have him in my life and in my kids’ life.”

Robyn got choked up, saying, “I look like my biological father. I look like him more than my mom.”

Robyn’s comments came after her husband, Kody, 56, confessed to feeling broken up over his current relationship with the majority of his older kids. He compared it to the friendship he missed out on with his own father.

“There’s a phrase I heard, ‘The knife of the father is never out of the heart of his children,’” Kody told Robyn. “That breaks my heart. I wish so badly that I could’ve fixed things with my own dad while he was alive.”

Kody started to cry thinking about the missed opportunity. “I told Grandma Cheryl once, I said, ‘Cheryl, what I would do, what I would give to sit down to have a couple beers with my dad.’ And she just looked at me and said, ‘I think he would have really liked that.’”

The reality star noted that at least he “got a beer with Garrison the last time we ate together,” referring to his and ex-wife Janelle Brown’s late son, Robert “Garrison” Brown, who died by suicide in March 2024 at the age of 25.

“I’m sure that that was a sweet memory for him,” Robyn commented, noting that Kody’s melancholy proves he has “some regrets” about his parenting in recent years.

Fans of Sister Wives know that before Kody’s splits from Christine Brown, Janelle, 56, and Meri Brown, in 2021, 2022 and 2023, respectively, his relationships with many of his children were not great.

During the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Kody didn’t see the majority of his adult children because of his lockdown rules. He butted heads most with his and Janelle’s sons, Garrison and Gabriel, 24, which was documented on Sister Wives.

Janelle taking her kids’ side in their arguments with Kody added to their marital tension ahead of their breakup. (Kody and Janelle welcomed six kids during their marriage.)

Once Kody split from his first three wives, his dynamic with their children didn’t improve. Earlier this season, fans learned that his and Janelle’s daughter Maddie, 30, didn’t tell her dad she was pregnant with baby No. 4, because of their estrangement.

Kody has a similarly strained relationship with his and Christine’s six kids — but does see their youngest daughter, Truely, 13, on a more frequent basis. Meri, meanwhile, shares one child, Leon, 30, with Kody, whom he rarely talks about on camera. (Robyn and Kody share son Solomon, 14, and daughter Ariella, 9. Kody also adopted Robyn’s three older children when they legally wed in 2014.)

“I got to work on me, because I’m angry about what a lot of the kids have said, done and believed,” Kody confessed on Sunday’s episode. “But I’ve also got to have the tools to be able to engage in a relationship, putting my feelings aside and inviting them to step into a space where we can communicate safely and lovingly.”

He pondered the idea of getting a therapist so his kids could speak freely with him about their rocky relationships. Robyn liked the idea, hinting that it might fix what she thinks Kody’s exes have made worse.

“I think there’s some hurt feelings and misunderstandings and some influencing that’s been happening. Some pretty intense influencing,” Robyn said, seemingly referring to her former sister wives’ approach to their splits.

Robyn added, “I don’t think parents actually completely realize how much little things they say actually influence the way their children think about the other parent. And in plural marriage, dad’s not around the same amount as mom.”

Christine, 53, clapped back at the insulation, telling the cameras, “I’m just exhausted and so tired of being blamed for how his kids feel about him. It’s his responsibility and not mine.”

Janelle noted, “I wish I had a lot of influence on my adult children,” joking, “Boy, things would be really different.”

Kody, for his part, claimed, “I’ve reached out to every one of my children, and multiple times. And if they don’t have a relationship with me, it’s because they’re not reciprocating.”

Robyn reminded her partner, “No matter what any of them say, there will always be a Kody-sized hole in their hearts if you’re not there.”

She pointed out that since their family broke up, it’s been “really, really complicated” for everyone, especially the kids.

“I had a lot of mean things to say about their mothers [and that was] part of the problem,” Kody confessed. “That wasn’t a road I should have ever gone down.”

Sister Wives airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.