Long before Kody and Christine Brown announced their split, they were on different pages about how to handle COVID regulations, and it played out on the Nov. 28 episode of ‘Sister Wives.’
On this week’s episode of Sister Wives, Kody Brown once again found himself at a standstill when it came to how he and his family should handle the quarantine and social distancing rules amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The episode was filmed during August of 2020, just five months into the pandemic. At the time, all four of Kody’s wives and their respective children were quarantining separately, which left mixed feelings within the group.
While Kody and Robyn Brown wanted to continue the strict quarantine regulations, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown were willing to be a bit more relaxed. Janelle’s children were especially adamant that the entire family should be quarantining together, in the same bubble, but Kody and Robyn did not agree. With Hunter Brown heading back to college on the show’s Nov. 28 episode, Kody organized a socially-distanced meeting with the entire family on their massive Coyote Pass property.
Kody and Christine Brown on ‘Sister Wives.’ (TLC / Courtesy: Everett Collection)“Things between Kody and I are a little stiff right now, but it’s a family barbecue and we haven’t gotten together for so long,” Christine admitted. “So all of that is just put away and we’re going to have a great time.” The main issue in Kody and Christine’s relationship was that she wanted to move back to Utah, but he had three other wives to think about, as well, and they didn’t want to pick up and move again.
More tension rose between the couple when Christine revealed that she was scheduling a surgery for the pair’s daughter, Ysabel Brown, for her scoliosis, which the teenager had been struggling with for years. Kody wanted to wait until the pandemic was over to have the surgery done, but Christine knew her daughter was in pain and wanted to get it done with. Because of COVID, Kody would not be able to go to the hospital with Christine and Ysabel amidst the procedure. “Ysabel and Christine are going to be gone for a month, and they have to quarantine a week before and after,” Kody explained. “So we’er talking about a six week process and it’s just not good for me to be away from the other families for that amount of time.”
Kody Brown with his wives. (TLC / Courtesy: Everett Collection)Meanwhile, Christine revealed that she was keeping multiple secrets from Kody. First, she approved Ysabel’s decision to get a tattoo to cover up her scar after the surgery. Then, she admitted to not following the strict protocols that Kody set up for the family amidst COVID. “I’m going to be honest with you — this is real honesty here,” she said in a confessional. “We’ve hung out at Janelle’s house a few times, my kids and I. Not socially distanced. I just had to choose. It came down to choosing between Janelle and Kody and I chose Janelle sometimes.”
It was more than another year after this episode was filmed that Christine and Kody announced their split at the beginning of November 2021. Clearly, though, the writing had been on the wall for quite a while.
