‘Sister Wives’ Star, Kody Brown, Calls Visiting His Children an ‘Inconvenience’

Season 16 of Sister Wives revolved almost entirely around Kody Brown’s coronavirus (COVID-19) precautions, and the strife differing opinions were causing inside the Brown family. Season 17, the show’s current season, appears to be heavily focused on Christine Brown’s departure from the polygamist family. Kody’s subpar parenting is also heavily featured. At one point in the third episode of season 17, Kody said visiting his children was “inconvenient.” 

Kody Brown’s coronavirus rules prevented him from seeing most of his children

When the coronavirus ran rampant through the United States in 2020 and 2021, Kody Brown and his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, instated a set of precautions. The couple refused to have family gatherings, did not allow the five children they share to leave the house, and took to wiping down mail and food as it came into the home. 

When the holidays rolled around, Kody wanted all of his children to quarantine for two weeks and produce a negative COVID test before they visited. The request caused a fair bit of drama in the family. Eventually, the family did get together for the holidays, only to be exposed to the virus by a nanny Kody and Robyn employed. 

Kody’s coronavirus precautions were the main focus of season 16, which aired its finale in April 2021. Season 17 is picking up where season 16 left off. Now it seems possible that the pandemic was just an excuse for Kody to leave most of his family behind. 

Kody Brown called seeing his children outside an ‘inconvenience’ 

Kody claimed to be livid over his kids opting not to adhere to his strict guidelines. He once claimed that while he wanted to see his children, he couldn’t do so because of their behavior. Now, the father of 18 is making some pretty contradictory statements. Kody might not have been interested in connecting with his kids, anyway. In the recent episode, “The Labors of Life,” Kody called meeting up with his children an “inconvenience.” 

During a family Zoom call, Christine Brown opened a dialogue about Ysabel Brown returning to in-person school so she would have face-to-face time with her friends before graduating. Kody didn’t seem bothered by her return to class but made it clear he wouldn’t be visiting if she went back to school. Janelle, trying to ease the tension, suggested Ysabel didn’t need a PCR test to meet up with Kody outside. Referencing the cold weather, Kody said meeting his children outside was an “inconvenience.” 

Could the restrictions have just been a cover? 

The coronavirus and the restrictions that Kody and Robyn opted to adhere to seemed to hasten the end of Kody and Christine’s marriage. It also likely sped up the timeline of Kody’s estrangement from most of his adult children. Would it have all happened anyway, though? Some Sister Wives fans theorize that Kody’s concerns about the pandemic were merely a cover for his desire to spend as little time with his other wives and adult children as possible. 

Christine’s admissions about her relationship back up the theory. Christine recently revealed that out of 800 days in Flagstaff, Kody spent just three full days with her and the children they share. The family’s move to Flagstaff predates the pandemic by nearly two years, so it seems Kody checked out long before the virus began circulating. It’s plausible to think the pandemic gave him a reasonable enough explanation for a full bow out.