While Thanksgiving has long come and gone for the rest of us, fans of Sister Wives got to see all of the drama go down during the holiday between Kody Brown, his wives and their children in the Sunday, January 2, 2022, episode. Christine and Janelle chose to be with their kids without Kody, which led to plenty of tension and an “F” bomb being dropped.
As viewers have watched, ever since the lockdowns, Kody has not allowed the sister wives and their children to mingle with each other besides their own immediate households. Instead, he travels between houses for visits.
Wives Robyn, 43, and Meri, 50, chose to spend the holiday with Kody, 52, and abide by the super strict pandemic guidelines he set up. He noted, “I’m making all the sacrifices and I’m asking everybody else to simply meet that level of sacrifice so that the family can exist,” when it came to what Janelle already described as his “uber, uber, uber careful stance.”
However, Christine, 49, who announced her split from Kody on November 2 after more than 25 years together, said she would be doing things her own way on the holiday. She planned to spend Thanksgiving with their daughter, Aspyn, in Utah. Janelle, 52, also wanted to be with her adult sons, Garrison, 23, and Gabriel, 20, instead of with Kody.
Kody didn’t take too kindly to two of his wives choosing to be with their children instead of him. “They’re all saying they want to get back together, but Christine has made it clear to me now that she’d rather be with Aspyn and Mitch than me,” he told producers during a confessional. Kody added, “And Janelle is indicating by her actions that she’d rather have [her sons] around than me.”
He gathered all four of his wives to talk about holiday plans, but Janelle thought he came off as “condescending” and later said that he could “f—k off.”
“I’m not telling you guys how to live your life anymore. You guys are independent women. I would ask you to seriously consider a much bigger picture — the picture that I have to see,” he explained to the ladies about his ultra-strict COVID-19 holiday protocol.
“No guilt trip, just a little prick to your conscious and you guys decide what to do. I’m not going to tell this family how to do it. I’m going to lead the way that I think is the right way,” Kody added. Christine let him know that she “100 percent [has] a clear conscience.” In a confessional, she said of Kody, “I’m pretty sure that’s a guilt trip,” of his speech to the wives and added, “If he wants me to make a choice between him and my kids, my kids will win every single time.”
Christine let him know that she “100 percent [has] a clear conscience.” In a confessional, she said of Kody, “I’m pretty sure that’s a guilt trip,” about his pandemic holiday rules speech to the wives and added, “If he wants me to make a choice between him and my kids, my kids will win every single time.”
Christine also called Kody’s ultimatum about being around certain children and not others for the holiday “irresponsible.” She explained in a confessional, “If he’s the dad of all these kids, whatever. Everyone’s gotta make their own choices — he does, too.”
Janelle muttered her curse word toward Kody while walking out of the tense meeting. “I’m between a rock and a hard place here. I’m having to make sure my kids are safe, my kids are mentally well, I’m giving them the best chance. And then, I’m having to choose these rules that the family has [for COVID-19], which aren’t very different from my rules. I’m stuck,” she explained, adding. “I’m stuck here, and I don’t want to spend Thanksgiving alone. My family’s all being quarantined, I’m not being dangerous here.”
As fans who follow the ladies’ Instagram accounts know, Christine spent Thanksgiving with her mom, Ruth Ann LeBaron, and Truely, her youngest daughter with Kody. They wore matching pajamas while standing in front of a newly erected Christmas tree, enjoying her first Thanksgiving after officially splitting from Kody just a few weeks earlier.
Janelle also pushed back against Kody during the 2021 holidays as well. “Had almost all of my kids home for Christmas,” she captioned a photo of herself alongside five of her six children she shares with Kody.
Sister Wives airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT.