Christine and Kody Brown in side by side photographs taken during their TLC confessionals.

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Opinion: Is TLC Sensationalizing the Divorce of ‘Sister Wives’ Stars Kody and Christine Brown for Ratings?

TLC's determination to show the warts and all aspects of Christine and Kody Brown's divorce on 'Sister Wives' has led some fans to believe the network is pushing the narrative for ratings.

by Lucille Barilla

Published on October 13, 2022

2 min read

Christine Brown pulled back the curtain on the problems of polygamy

After years of towing the Brown family happiness narrative, Christine has become the clan’s most outspoken critic and pulled back the curtain on the problems of polygamy this season.

Reality television is supposed to show the unfiltered life of its subjects. Therefore, fans expect stars to reveal everything about their lives. However, is TLC taking advantage of Christine and Kody’s very public split to push a narrative that could be detrimental to their family’s overall health, including their youngest daughter, Truely?

Is TLC sensationalizing Christine and Kody Brown’s divorce for ratings?

While this season of Sister Wives focuses on Christine and Kody Brown’s split, the trickle-down effect on their polygamist clan is apparent. Could they have toned down the narrative? How much of a hand does the family have in the stories told?

In a YouTube teaser for “Telling Truely,” it appears TLC’s cameras were not present during the delicate conversation between Christine and her daughter. However, some fans believe it isn’t necessary for viewers to know every detail about the couple’s split, including a private discussion between a child and their parent regarding divorce.

“It aggravates me that Christine cannot be honest with her child and tell her that she is leaving the family. I have NO CLUE why it is so hard for Christine to be honest with Kody, tell him off, and tell her youngest child her parents are divorcing. If I were Truley, I’d be mad too!” wrote one fan on Reddit.

“The show should not have discussed this. Fans don’t need to know everything, including the reaction of a little girl to her parent’s divorce. Shame on you, Brown family and TLC,” penned a second viewer.

‘Telling Truely’ will be the season’s most heartbreaking episode yet of TLC’s ‘Sister Wives’

‘Sister Wives’ stars Christine, Kody, Robyn, Meri, and Janelle Brown | TLC/Discovery Press

TLC dropped a teaser for its newest episode, “Telling Truely,” on October 12. In this installment, Christine reveals her youngest child accidentally overhears a phone conversation where she discusses a move to Utah with her daughter Mykelti.

Christine says she and Kody agreed to tell the 12-year-old about their divorce together. However, this one phone call altered those plans. She sat her daughter down, told her that the two of them would be moving in a few months, and explained why they would leave their Flagstaff, Arizona, home.

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.