Kody and Christine Brown’s daughter Ysabel fought back tears while anticipating that her father would be missing her upcoming scoliosis surgery.
On the Sunday, December 5, episode of Sister Wives, the 18-year-old revealed just how much it bothered her that Kody wouldn’t be present for her operation taking place in New Jersey.
“I need him to be there, but why isn’t he coming? Why wouldn’t he be there? Why wouldn’t he drop everything for me?” Ysabel said while crying in a confessional. “I think his priorities are a little screwed up. He has a lot of kids to think about and I’m not the only kid that he has to make sure is safe during this pandemic.”
Ysabel said “it sucks,” adding, “He’s so brave and he’s so strong and he’s letting fear control him. How long are you gonna stop your life for? How long are you gonna put everything on hold?”
Sister Wives viewers saw that Christine, 49, and Ysabel had already scheduled a date and had a flight booked for the operation during the November 28 episode.
During the latest episode, Christine explained that screws and fibers would be attached to Ysabel’s spine to correct the curving that had become more severe since her diagnosis back in 2017.
Meanwhile, Kody, 52, had his own reasons for not going along on the trip after Christine shared more details on their itinerary, including their plans to stay in New Jersey for at least five days post-surgery. Plus, Christine was planning to take all six of their kids and they were all going to need to quarantine before reuniting with the family.
The father of 18 became “antagonistic” because he thought it wasn’t about Ysabel so much and more about Christine “taking advantage of the time” and getting a vacation out of it.
“I hadn’t been aware enough of the daily grind Ysabel was going through with her pain,” Kody explained, noting he was “happy” that Ysabel could soon be alleviated.
Kody said that his biggest reasons for staying back in Flagstaff, Arizona, were because he would have to stay “away from the rest of the family” to practice social distancing and “because of the risk of exposure to COVID-19.”
Despite their different views, Christine said she was prepared to join Ysabel without him, saying in a confessional, “I would love [it] if Kody could come for Ysabel’s sake but for me, I don’t care if he’s not gonna be there.”
Christine also noted that some time apart from Kody “could be good.”
Ysabel underwent the surgery in September 2020, and her road to recovery will likely be featured in upcoming season 16 episodes. Fans can also expect to see the moments leading up to Christine and Kody’s split after 27 years of spiritual marriage.
Sister Wives airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.