The reason for it all? Christine Brown and Kody Brown didn’t publicly announce their split until November, but their marriage was struggling long before.
During the Sunday, December 5, episode of Sister Wives — which was filmed in summer 2020 — Kody, 52, tried to convince Christine, 49, that Arizona is the best place for their families to live, despite the fact that she wants to move back to Utah.
However, she didn’t want to speak to him, admitting in her confessional, “Kody and I are struggling more than ever before. The thought of living here on the property and seeing him in full functioning marriages — do I want that? No. The best I can give today is just to pretend.”
After Kody apologized for shutting down her desires and noting that he was “trying to be stoic,” she was not having it.
“That’s a stupid word he’s using. Stoic? Bulls–t. He was an ass,” the mother of six told the cameras. “Whatever, you wish you were stoic. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to talk to him. I don’t trust a word that’s coming out of his mouth. I don’t believe him that he’s sorry.”
Later in the conversation, Kody, who shares Aspyn, 26, Mykelti, 25, Paedon, 23, Gwendlyn, 20, Ysabel, 18, and Truely, 11, with Christine, tried to understand why she wanted to return to Utah despite the fact that she can’t see her father right now due to the pandemic. She then cut him off, telling her husband, “No, this is not a safe conversation anymore. I’m sorry, it’s just not. … It’s not because you’re not safe.”
Christine ultimately left the conversation in tears.
“He’s not even my friend right now. Why would I talk to him about things that are close to my heart if he’s not even my friend?” she said in her confessional. “It feels like a bit of a crossroads.”
Later in the episode, Christine opened up about traveling with the then-couple’s daughter, Ysabel, who needed to get surgery in New Jersey. Due to the quarantine rules, Christine and her children would be gone for more than six weeks, and Kody chose not to go — something Christine was happy about.
“Kody and I are not getting better,” she shared. “It’s been bad for a long time. I would love it if Kody could come for Ysabel’s sake, but for me, I don’t care that he’s not going to be there. I think us being separated for this month might be good.”
Last month, Christine announced that she and Kody had ended their relationship.
“After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave,” she wrote via Instagram 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.”
Kody and Christine tied the knot in 1994. He is also in relationships with Meri Brown, Janelle Brown and Robyn Brown.
Sister Wives airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.