LAS VEGAS, UNITED STATES – The future of the Brown family’s structure was the subject of an intense discussion on the season 20 premiere of the reality show Sister Wives. Patriarch Kody Brown, 56, revealed he is contemplating re-entering polygamy despite being left with only one wife, Robyn Brown.
In the episode, which aired Sunday, September 28, Kody and Robyn—who legally wed in 2014—were on a candid date when Kody brought up a relative’s question about whether they were still in a plural marriage, opening the door for a serious discussion about the possibility of marrying again.
The Value of Plural Marriage
Robyn voiced her uncertainty about the direction of their life: “I wasn’t quite sure what to say to him. I didn’t want to speak for you. I feel like if this is still something that’s a part of me, then wouldn’t I live it?”
Kody, who was previously married to Meri, Christine, and Janelle Brown, highlighted Robyn’s prior commitment to the practice, stating she had “turned down qualified, worthy individuals for marriage because they weren’t going to live plural marriage” before meeting him.
He then pressed the issue, asking Robyn if she still saw “a value” in staying polygamist and if it was good for the “future” of their relationship.
Robyn’s Conditions and Kody’s Concern
Before Robyn could fully answer, Kody showed his own hesitancy, quipping to the cameras: “I don’t know what space Robyn is in, and I don’t know what space we’ll be in in two or three years. I almost feel like turning the table and saying, ‘Well, do you want to get back in plural marriage?'”
Robyn ultimately provided strict conditions under which she would consider it: if there were a potential sister wife who was “really supportive and really wanted to work and really wanted a relationship with me as well as with you, not just you,” and if they had a “guarantee that it was going to be OK and it was going to be wonderful.”
Kody, however, ended the conversation with a note of caution, questioning the wisdom of risking their current relationship: “I think you and I share something very special. But if it’s not duplicatable, it could put us at risk. … There’s something wonderful here. Why would we put that at risk?” The question leaves the future of their plural marriage ambitions very much in doubt.
