Is Sister Wives fake? Since it premiered on TLC in 2010, it’s been one of the network’s most controversial shows. The reality series, which follows the polygamous Brown family, has been on TV for more than a decade now and fans still wonder if it’s scripted.
Many viewers of the show mostly just watch it for all of the drama involving Kody Brown and his spouses, Meri Brown, Robyn Brown and Janelle Brown — and there’s a lot of it. Especially after Kody and his third wife, Christine Brown, announced their split after 27 years of marriage in November 2021.
But how real are all the tears, theatrics and catfishing? And could it be true that the show is fake? Typical of most reality shows, Sister Wives has its fair share of seemingly manufactured moments.
Interestingly, Janelle all but squashed rumors that the series is fake in a tweet posted in March 2020. “We often forget the cameras are there,” the mom of six wrote amid season 14. “We have never scripted our show and occasionally things happen that get out of control fast. This was one of those times.”
Just a few months later, Christine’s daughter Mykelti Padron (née Brown) agreed Kody’s marital struggles with Meri are “real but blown up” for TV.
“But I don’t know their personal life,” Mykelti said in July 2020. “Between any of the siblings, individual siblings, individual parents or whatever, we really don’t know a lot of what goes on. We know what’s between us.”
According to Robyn’s former close friend Kendra Pollard-Parra, Kody and the sister wives previously had more problems behind the scenes. “Kody thinks of Janelle as more of a friend — she’s his buddy,” Kendra alleged to In Touch Weekly in April 2016. “Christine is a problem to him. And Meri, Kody can’t stand her.”
Although they all had a lot of tension in season 15 over buying a house big enough for all of them or four separate houses, Meri slammed breakup rumors in December 2020, revealing she was “committed” to Kody and her family. As for Janelle and Robyn, they also appear to be going strong with Kody to this day.
The long-running show returned for its 16th season in November 2021, as they continue to document the tension and divide that was caused by their move to Flagstaff, Arizona, and the delays on building their homes on Coyote Pass. Christine also confirmed that the season will document the moments leading up to her breakup from Kody.
“I know you probably have many questions for me, but because my leaving has been documented as part of our family’s show, most of your questions will be answered on our episodes,” she wrote via Facebook on November 4, 2021, ahead of the season premiere.