When Sister Wives stars Christine Brown and Kody Brown announced their split, many fans wondered how they would end their marriage since they were only spiritually married and never wed legally. Now, an insider reveals the status of their spiritual union.
“Kody wouldn’t go through with a ‘spiritual divorce’ from Christine,” a source told Us Weekly in a story published on Friday, January 28. “He left her on her own to make peace with the separation — it was her and God, not her and Kody.”
There is a process that exists in the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) church that Christine, 49, went through to spiritually separate herself from Kody, 53, after nearly 27 years of marriage.
“You can leave a marriage in our church,” Christine explained in her confessional during the season 16 finale of Sister Wives, which aired on January 23. “If it’s a marriage like mine and Kody had, where it’s just a spiritual marriage, then they release you spiritually and you go through them. As far as I’m concerned, that’s just between me and God.”
The insider said that Kody and his third wife, Christine, didn’t have a “formal ceremony at a church,” though. “He wouldn’t give Christine — or any of his other wives for that matter — the courtesy of going along with [a formal ceremony] since he feels betrayed,” the source told the outlet.
“[Kody] doesn’t believe in divorce and therefore will not participate in any spiritual divorce ceremonies,” the source added.
As In Touch previously reported, Christine and Kody announced their breakup via Instagram in November 2021. Since their split, Christine sold her house in the Brown family’s home base of Flagstaff, Arizona, and moved back to Utah.
“After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave,” the TLC personality wrote in a statement at the time. “We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family. At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family.”
During a Cameo video message to a fan in January, she opened up about how she felt leading up to her breakup announcement. “I was so nervous about going public with leaving, and thank you for supporting me and my journey,” Christine said in the clip. “It really, really means a lot to me and the timing of this is incredible.”
The former couple’s split was documented on season 16 of their hit TLC series, and the exes will rehash the details of their breakup on the upcoming season 16 tell all.
Sister Wives airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.