Kody Brown and Christine Brown in side by side photos from TLC's 'Sister Wives.'

‘Sister Wives’: Christine Brown Calls Her Wedding Rings a ‘Noose’

'Sister Wives' star, Christine Brown says she felt relief taking off her wedding rings which felt like a 'noose' after separating from her estranged husband, Kody Brown.

by Julia Odom

Published on September 26, 2022

3 min read

‘Sister Wives’ Season 17 featured Christine’s last anniversary with Kody Brown

In the September 25 episode of Sister Wives, Christine is on “baby watch” in Utah with Mykleti and Tony Padron, awaiting her granddaughter, Avalon’s arrival. “So today is mine and Kody’s anniversary. It’s so loaded. Is? Was?” Christine says in a confessional.

Before going to Utah, Christine and Kody talked about how they would navigate their 27th wedding anniversary since no one in their family knew about their separation. Kody asked Christine if she would post something on social media to keep things normal for the kids, but she refused to lie about the state of her marriage.

Kody admitted he was asking her to post something on social media as a “test” to see how certain she was of her decision. But Christine is no longer playing games. She considers the ending of her marriage to Kody to be when she took her rings off. “I don’t consider myself married to him anymore,” Christine admits.

Christine calls her wedding rings a ‘noose’

In the new episode, Christine is eager to move on from her marriage to Kody and is frustrated with how drug out the separation process has become. She took off her rings months prior when Kody had shrugged off Christine when she asked him for an intimate marriage.

‘Sister Wives’ stars, Kody Brown and Christine Brown get married in 1994.

Kody Brown and Christine Brown, ‘Sister Wives’ | TLC

“About three months ago, I asked him to not come over anymore. I went up to my room, and I took my rings off. And gosh! It felt so good just to take them off,” Christine said.

Not wearing her wedding rings has become part of her process of regaining her independence and freedom. “I mean, I don’t wear our wedding rings anymore most of the time. I just feel like they’re a noose, to be honest with you,” Christine admits.

When is Christine and Kody’s ‘spiritual’ marriage actually over?

It has been difficult for Christine to determine when her marriage to Kody actually ended. Since she was brought into the family as Kody’s third wife, they had a wedding ceremony, but it wasn’t legally binding by a marriage contract. The Apostolic United Brethren (AUB) elders conducted the spiritual commitment ceremony, binding them as husband and wife through the church.

“Kody and I never had a legal marriage. Like it was a spiritual marriage. And I don’t know at what point our marriage is technically over. ‘Cause, there was no real marriage contract,” Christine explains.

Since the Sister Wives stars don’t have the finality of divorce, the ending of Christine and Kody’s marriage is fuzzy. “It’s over. I don’t know at what point it’s over,” she admits. “I’m guessing it’s when I asked him to not come over anymore,” Christine concludes.

During the Sister Wives Season 16 finale, Christine said that as per the fundamentalist Mormon sect she and Kody were married in, the only way to leave a “celestial” marriage is if the church elders grant a release.

Since Christine left the church, she thinks there is no need to go through the AUB church bishops for the release of her marriage. “As far as I’m concerned, that’s just between me and God,” Christine had told audiences.

While Christine doesn’t regret her marriage and the formative years she spent with Kody, she is eager to move on. Fans are happy that the Sister Wives star finally living life according to her rules.

New episodes of Sister Wives Season 17 air Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.