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Are the ‘Sister Wives’ Mormon? Details on the Reality TV Stars’ Religious Beliefs
Sister Wives returns to TLC on September 15, 2024, and fans are ready to catch up with Kody Brown, Robyn Brown and the rest of the cast. Kody used to follow the polygamist lifestyle before three of his four marriages ended. This has led viewers to wonder if the stars of Sister Wives are Mormon.
Are the Sister Wives Mormon?
The cast of Sister Wives are a part of the Apostolic United Brethren, which is a Mormon fundamentalist group that follows polygamy. While the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints banned the practice of men having more than one wife hundreds of years ago, the Apostolic United Brethren hung tight to the belief.
The Apostolic United Brethren, which is typically referred to as “The Work,” “The Priesthood” or “The Group,” is considered to be “the more liberal branch of the Fundamentalist movement,” according to religious scholar J. Gordon Melton, the author of Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America. This is because they allow members to have sex for recreational purposes as opposed to strictly for procreation.
Does the Cast of ‘Sister Wives’ Come From a Polygamist Background?
Kody met his first wife, Meri Brown, in 1989 after they were introduced by Kody’s sister. They married in 1990 and went on to have one child together. Meri came from a large polygamist family herself and had 25 brothers and sisters. Kody and Meri divorced in 2014 so that he could marry his fourth wife, Robyn. However, Meri and Kody stayed “spiritually married” until the mom of one announced that she and Kody had decided to “terminate their marriage” in January 2023.
Kody’s second wife, Janelle Brown, wasn’t raised in a polygamist family but she married into one with her first husband, Adam Barber, who also happened to be Meri’s brother. Janelle’s mom, Sheryl, was against the idea of plural marriage at first but changed her mind when she met Kody’s dad. She ended up marrying Kody’s dad, Winn, and became his third wife. While Janelle and Kody were never legally married, they considered themselves to be “spiritually married.” Janelle announced her and Kody’s split in 2022.
Christine Brown, Kody’s third wife, grew up in a polygamist family, and in 2019, Radar Online reported that Christine and Kody’s great-great-grandfathers were actually brothers. The two were introduced by Christine’s sister Wendy in 1990 when Christine was only 19 years old. This was shortly after Meri and Kody had wed, and the three of them developed a friendship. In his memoir, Becoming Sister Wives, Kody noticed that Meri and Christine had developed a close friendship, but he ultimately decided his marriage to Meri was still too new to bring in a second wife. Years later, Kody and Christine reconnected and they were “spiritually married” in 1994. Christine left Kody in November 2021 and has since remarried.
Kody’s fourth wife, Robyn, also grew up in the polygamist lifestyle, but before she married Kody, she was in a monogamous marriage with her first husband. After their divorce, Robyn first met Kody when she attended church with a cousin. The two courted for six months, much longer than Kody courted his other wives, before legally marrying in 2014.
Do Any of Kody Brown’s Kids Want a Polygamist Lifestyle?
Apparently, the allure of polygamy didn’t rub off on any of Kody’s children, and the majority of them have spoken out about their desire to not have plural marriages. In 2019, Sister Wives season 13 featured the wedding of Kody and Christine’s daughter Aspyn Brown. During the episode, Aspyn revealed that polygamy was not in the cards for her.
“I don’t want to do plural marriage. I kind of feel bad that none of us want to, but it was just not what we were meant to do, I guess,” Aspyn explained.
Paedon Brown, Mykelti Brown, Ysabel Brown, Gabe Brown and Savannah Brown have also said they don’t plan on following the polygamist lifestyle.
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