Kody Brown was honest regarding his experience parenting in the most recent episode of “Sister Wives,” which aired on September 18.
During a segment about how he splits up his time between families, Kody admitted to “almost never” watching his children.
Kody Brown Of ‘Sister Wives’ Admits He ‘Almost Never’ Babysits His Own Children
“I’m good at watching my kids, but I almost never do it. It’s easier for me to pay somebody $20 an hour than to lose $200 an hour with the business that I have at hand,” he said.
Kody has a total of 18 children with four women, most of whom are teenagers and adults.
He and his first wife Meri Brown have one child, Leon. Kody and his second wife Janelle Brown have six children. Kody also has six children with Christine Brown, his third wife, who left him in November 2021. The season tracks their ongoing breakup and her relocation to Utah.
And with his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, Kody shares five kids. Robyn has three children from a previous marriage, who Kody adopted.
The episode begins with Kody defending himself over Christine’s claims that he is “never there” for her and their children, the youngest of whom is 12.
Christine said in a solo interview that the only time he showed up to hike with her and her family, he brought along his kids with Robyn because he was “babysitting” them — something, he said, is “not normal” for him.
“It’s not normal for me to babysit my kids. I’ve been working all my life. I was raised on a ranch. We were always busy. The idea of going kayaking or hiking and stuff like that is not something I really do a lot of with anybody,” he said.
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The other wives weigh in on Kody’s schedule. Janelle describes him as being “scattered.” Meri said she used to wish he was “more focused and centered,” but has made peace: “I realized, this is just who he is.”
Robyn looks to be more forgiving of Kody’s behavior. “Kody is somebody who keeps himself very, very busy,” Robyn said in a solo interview.
She goes on to explain how she uses a nanny instead of relying on Kody for childcare help.
“Kody and I have a lot going on during the day,” Robyn said. “That’s why I have a nanny — so that I can have her help me instead of trying to ask Kody to help with the kids.”
Robyn said if it were any other way, it would be unfair. “It’s not fair of me to ask him to help when he has so many responsibilities,” she said.
Previously, Christine alluded to Robyn being Kody’s “favorite wife,” a topic that comes up in this discussion in how he splits his time.
Christine said Kody is more involved with Robyn’s kids than her own. “It’s hard to see just such a contrast with Kody, how he is at Robyn’s house versus how he is at my house. He’s just disengaged at my house,” she said.
Similarly, Janelle said that Kody often “ends up” at Robyn’s a lot to “help with the little kids.”
Kody’s inaction has been an ongoing problem, according to Christine.
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In an earlier episode, Christine recalled asking Kody for help when she was pregnant with Truely, only to have her request denied. “I asked Kody, I said, ‘I need your help,’ and he goes, ‘I can’t do that, I’m in other houses,’” she said
Christine said, amid their separation, Kody’s visiting schedule has not changed.
“He’s not here any more than he was before, he’s not here any less. It’s the same,” Christine said. “Truely’s not even noticed it.”
Christine now lives in Utah with their youngest child, Truely.