Kody Brown, his thirteen biological kids and four live-in wives will be featured on a new TLC reality show to air this fall, Sister Wives. The Brown family are Mormons in Utah who are openly living a plural marriage lifestyle (their words), which is technically illegal and a felony. In the trailer for the show (above) they focus on the difficulty integrating Kody’s new wife, his fourth, who has her own three children. The original three wives all live in the same home with their kids. The new wife has her own home but may move in with the family once an addition is built on for her. (Here’s more on that.) Radar Online has a review, and they say the show has a documentary type feel. Sister Wives is put out by the same production company that brought us Jon & Kate plus 8. In other words, these people are doomed. Here’s part of Radar’s review, which explains how the Browns avoid prosecution by only making one of the marriages legal.
Kody Brown is the man with three – soon to be four – wives, and 13 children from his combined families. And yes, they all live together in what appears to be a fairly smooth arrangement. The women share a unique and controversial bond and these “sister wives” are the core of the show.
Kody has a simple explanation for how one man ends up with so many wives: “I just fell in love. And then I fell in love again. And then I fell in love again,” he says
And fortunately for TLC, Kody falls in love AGAIN and in the opening episodes, which RadarOnline.com has watched, much of the plot is fueled by Kody’s announcement to his family that he’s getting married again and hey everybody shove over because more kids are moving in.
No matter what you think of Kody and the gang, this show will have you talking to your TV. Sure Kate & Jon seemed like a mismatch from the beginning and it was fun to watch them bicker. And yes, Jim Bob has a smooth running clan but this will be the first in-depth exposure for most of the TV viewing audience to “plural families” and the fact that Kody’s household appears to run so efficiently will certainly surprise many and cause others to question what lurks beneath the surface.
Oh, and yes we are saying “plural marriages.” Do not use the other P word (polygamy). And don’t use the M word either (Mormons).
For those of you too lazy to Google, the Mormom church outlawed polygamy a long, long time ago. Kody and his wives avoid possible criminal prosecution by having only one “legal” marriage and in terms of being Mormons, you can tune in and listen to Kody explain it but basically they all consider themselves fundamentalists of the religion that took a drastic change.
Even if you skipped or failed Intro To Psychology you are still going to analyze everything about Kodly’s wives. Wife Number 1 is Meri, 39, with one child. Number 2 is Janelle, 40, with six children. Number 3 is Christine, 37 with five children (and one on the way).
And, drum roll please, Robyn, 31, is introduced as soon-to-be wife Number 4 and she has 3 children from another husband.
The women all seem to get along great, although some tension develops as Kody prepares to expand the family after “courting” Robyn. (Does this guy sleep?)
Sister Wives is Kody’s coming out party – for years he’s kept his multiple wives secret from the world. No word on whether he has a little chat with the boss and co-workers before the first episode of this seven-part series airs, but he probably should because this is the type of show that’s going to get a lot of attention in Utah as well as the rest of the country.
[From Radar Online]
However these people want to live is up to them. They’re only screwing their already precariously balanced family and especially their kids by choosing to feature them on a reality show, though. It’s not like this is a one-off. Seven episodes will air this fall and it will be renewed if people watch it. TLC and their production company will suck this family dry when this show gets popular. There’s plenty more fresh blood on TLC this season, including a family of sextuplets in Queens, NY and a family of quintuplets in Texas. I think some of you summed it up best when you dubbed TLC “The Litter Channel.” Whether one wife is having bunches of kids or four doesn’t seem to matter.
Here’s a link to a brief video profiling the Browns that aired on BBC last year. Back then they claimed to be trying to legalize polygamy and increase acceptance of it. At this point all they’re doing is cashing in on it and selling out their family. At least all of the wives are of legal age.
Photos from TLC via Examiner
Yuck. This stuff creeps me out on so many levels.
Can we use the other M and P words, ‘morons’ and ‘pig-amy’?
They should rename themselves to TBEC (The Blatant Exploitation Channel).
There is so much crap on television. All of these “Reality” shows make the cable channels a ton of money. No paid actors, no script writers, etc.
TLC is freaking evil. That is all.
I am not so into babies, but this sounds very interesting, as I am a huge fan of Big Love so I am gonna tune in and watch this. I have said before I am a jealous person and I couldn’t share a man but there is something interesting about this.
dont agree with it but with all this cheating that’s goin on i guess u know who ur hubby is sleeping with. we live in a effed up world.
Look people do have the right to live as they choose, ITA with CB. I’m not going to call them freaks or whatever. But in my heart I really don’t believe this man and these woman are at what I would consider to be ‘healthy’ places, emotionally. Because they chose to do the show, and also because they are polyamorists. Seems to me the men in these situations always cash in, and have the upper hand, and are the ones actually getting the joy/benefit out of multiple wives. As a woman I would not want to share my S/O or be shared with anyone other than children/friends/family. I also don’t think being a jealous person has anything to so with it. I am quite the opposite anyway.
I’m sorry if that offends any polyamorists out there.
I WILL NOT be watching this show. Is this entertainment?
I just don’t understand how they can film people while they are committing a crime. I mean, how about we follow some illegals as they try to find and then proceed to marry someone for a green card. Or watch some kid from the ‘hood street hustle a $5o bag of dope into $100!!!!!!
I think I’m going to pass on this one.
No thanks.
C/B, I agree with your take on this.
didn’t they already do this show on E!? I think it was called “The Girls Next Door” and the guy was married (albeit separated) to one wife with two kids next door and had 3 women living with him in his house.
My best friend is a Mormon (living in Utah) and I am, oh, probably an agnostic (which goes over really well in Bible-thumping central KY, HA!) We’re both originally from the Chicago area & are openminded, so she doesn’t care when I ask all sorts of questions about her religion. I called her one day after driving past a new Fundamentalist Mormon church & asked her what that was-her reply: “Those are the Mormons that Mormons think are weird & crazy!”
@Wicked Steppmom
Segregation among the segregationists! I love it.
As someone who has no family in town to help out with the kids, and an extrovert who pretty much wants company constantly, I would totally be open to the idea of my husband taking a second wife. I’d have to really like her, she’d HAVE to be good at cleaning, she’d have to have a similar parenting style, and I’d have to have the opportunity to get a little of my own somewhere else on the nights that their in bed. BUT I would be open to it.
@15…well, I guess I’d become a polygamist if the shoe were on the other foot. Me and a bunch of husbands who worship me, clean the house, help with finances and the kids…..AND have a nightly rotation……hmmm, doesn’t sound so bad. Only requirement, washboard abs. 😉
@keen…HAHAHAHA!
Anywho, I don’t like to share, so if 1, let alone 3 women were bearing my guy’s children…ohhh…if he even BROUGHT UP the idea of another woman, he would be dropped REALLLLY quick. And there may be a touch of domestic violence mixed in. Because I can’t promise I wouldn’t hit him.
4th paragraph from the bottom, MorMOM church? That is the best freudian slip ever!
they focus on the difficulty integrating Kody’s new wife, his fourth
my heart bleeds for them. oh wait, no, it’s my eyeballs.
LOL Keen!! Astute observation and excellent point. Seriously hilarious!!
I hate to admit it, but I would TOTALLY watch this show. Much better than seeing the tired formulas of Mom + Dad + 5+ children, or little people + any normal daily activity.
I’m not a jealous person, but there’s no way I’d want a “sister wife.” It just sounds degrading to me personally, like wives are a dime a dozen. But that’s just my opinion, and it will be interesting to me to see how they handle it.
I guess technically they aren’t committing a crime because only one of the marriages is legal but still these situations seem very much like the male is having his cake and eating it too. I guess it is a big job to provide for everyone assuming he does so (one wonders if any of the wives or children receive public assistance). Still if more money needs to be made, he gets to spend more time outside the house away from the tumult.
What garbage. I would never watch this. The men enjoying themselves with multiple wives and the women catering to their every need. It’s unfortunate these women have no independent spirit and only live to serve the man.. Even if the situation were reversed it would still be unwatchable.
My immediate thought is of how these poor children are having to live because of their parents’ choices. I don’t care how adults want to live, but bringing innocent children into that situation is only setting these children up for a hard life and difficulty maintaining normal relationships (unless they all want to replicate their parents).
It’s one thing to say that people have the right to live as they choose, but polygamy is not a lifestyle that should be idealized.
Statistics show that 70% of women in polygamist marriages are on some form of pharmaceutical regime for depression or anxiety. Polygamist communities also have higher rates of physical and sexual abuse than the national average (for Canada & the US). One theory to explain this is because the child to adult ratio is skewed so the children are not monitored properly. Another explanation is that the children are under psychological stress because of the high level of distress and anxiety amongst their parents & this manifests as abuse of siblings. Also when polgamy becomes multi-generational the age at which girls marry decreases, and they begin to marry men who are much older. This creates a large pool of young men for whom there are no partners & abusive situations can arise.
I realize this is all pretty heavy for a gossip website, but I think that TLC needs to understand they are complicit in disseminating information about an abusive, dangerous lifestyle.
That being said, I do think Cody is kinda charming. NOT that I’m lookin’ to be wife #5.
Good point Bea. And I am sure that will be totally ignored or glossed over.
I will admit I am quasi curious about this show and may actually watch.
no words…
“Falling in love” is a euphemism for “wanted to have sex with”. Been that way forever, right? It’s just that “religious” people can’t say they want to bone somebody so they have to cloak it in “love”.
I hate how these shows gloss over the disgusting reality of polygamy.
If you notice, polygamy is all about how men are superior. It’s one man with several wives, not vice versa. Also, in the broadest truth, girls are brought up with the expectation to be nothing but wives and baby making machines. And even though they say no one gets married until they are 18, that is simply not true.
Beyond that, how do you think these guys pay for these kids? It’s called Welfare. They are very open about taking welfare, calling it “God’s Providence”
So you taxpayers out there, aren’t you glad you are funding this?
This is not a ‘Let people live how they want to live’ situation. Polygamy by these Mormon offshoots are complete exploitation and subjugation of women draped in the veil of quasi-religious freedom. Sure, this show might follow the least objectionable form, but the damage of polygamy is immeasurable, and should not be allowed to exist.
When you already have three wives and 10 children, when exactly do you have time to ‘fall in love’ with a fourth woman? Since you consider yourself a ‘religious’ person, I suppose it’s wrong to just bone someone you’re attracted to, so you have to marry them.
When and how are you spending time with your 13+ children? Or are they all just God’s children and they get that special attention from Him on Sundays at church?
This arrangement is just so f’ed up, there are no words.
Where does your head have to be for you to think, it’s Ok that he has 3+ other partners while I get this sliver of his time and money for myself and our children. I’ll just cook and clean and care for the kids and wait in my room for my hour of his time on the third Tuesday of the month.
WTF!!
No, I won’t be watching. I’m not amazed by the seeming smoothness of the family dynamics. Behaving a certain way in front of the cameras has now become their jobs. We all act a little differently act work that we do away from work. So, if you need to be sweet and kind to each other when the cameras are rolling, so be it. But, if ratings fall and bitchiness is what sells, we can perform that act as well.
It’s been months since I’ve dared to watch anything on TLC or the Discovery Channel. At this point, they’re just the Freak Show Exploitation Network. They should open a carnival and travel the country offering folks a peak at the freaks in the tents for $2.
/rant
WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG
@ #29 ~ Aw… don’t dis the Discovery Channel!
if you are a midget or have 200 children due to fertility treatments or 200 children due to your religious beliefs you can get a show on TLC. so why not a guy with 4 wives? seriously, what is going on with this channel? i blame the gosselins – they started it all.
Dear Celebitchy,
THEY AREN’T MORMONS.
They’re not.
You get excommunicated from the Mormon church i you practice polygamy.
I’m pissed about this show because more people will think that Mormons practice polygamy, and they don’t.
Bleh! Where today, or in history, is there a society/religion that has the woman marrying lots of husbands? And these husbands have to satisfy her every sexual whim while taking care of her and raising all of her kids together as “brother husbands”? I haven’t heard of one. The Amazons were imaginary…although I don’t think they bothered with keeping husbands around…
Polygamy was a massive part of Joseph Smith’s vision for his religion, which was, you know, Mormonism. Own it. Smith was a horny con man who wanted very young “wives”. Because he “loved them”. Because it was “God’s Decree”. Like I said, a horny con man. Yuck.
So he’s looking for a new pay cheque in order to fund his retarded life choices? And more women and children are damaged by this? And they want people to WATCH it?
Actually, they screw over more than just themselves.
Since the “husband” can’t really support multiple wives and a legion of kids these “plural marriages” are funded by welfare intended for single mothers.
A check arrives at their P.O. box every month, and more pregnancies insure the cash never stops coming.
Bitches acting all crazy, making me hate TLC even more and shit!
Actually, I don’t care how these fame-whore idiots choose to live, though it no doubt sucks to be their children.
But I would have to say hell to the nah is my man tried to move some trick in with us.
But he never would… because he is not a slimeball.
I think polygamy should be as legal as gay marriage. As long as people are 1) adults, 2) consenting and 3) fully informed, whatever they do is and should stay in the privacy of their home.
It’s funny to watch people calling gay marriage a “civil right” and the ones against it “uneducated” but then conveniently forgetting how polygamy too is a civil right (multiple consenting commitments among adults!). But polygamy is too unsettling for these people… the ones who want to force gay marriage down the throat of conservative Christians but somehow are too uncomfortable when somebody forces polygamy down their throat… really amusing to watch!
I don’t like polygamy because it is always a guy with multiple wives. If it went both ways, I’d be fine with it. But as it is, it always comes across as a way for men to assert their dominance over the women and girls.
I don’t care about the adults. They can do whatever they want, and I don’t care if they’re happy.
I’m devastated for the wreck these people have made of their kids’ lives. I don’t even have to watch an episode to know that.
Four women maneuvering for power/favor/attention in the marriage, 16 kids, constant drama, no example of marriage (good or bad) to help shape relationship expectations. Imagine what this does to the self-worth ideation of girls to see a man go out and get a new woman to knock up multiple times every few years when the “new” wears off the last one. It’s a mess.
Those kids, no matter how clean, well-dressed, and well-fed they are, they will never have a healthy family. No matter how well they smile and “keep sweet,” those kids will be utterly miserable.
This wife #4…the one dragging her kids from a previous divorce into this? She should have her kids removed from her care. Yes. I mean that. They lost their dad and now they’re going to lose their mother, their privacy, their way of life, and their entire cultural family unit. Sorry…she’s unfit.
Eh, I’ll admit it, I’ll watch.
I live in arizona right by the Utah border so I see polygamist sometimes. Especially in grocery stores with a ton of food stamps! >:(
Yeah, let my man come home and be like, I wanna marry another woman and live in the same house as you and our child… I would say ok bitch, out you go and take the stupid ass man with you!! I so dont think so…..
@rudy5 – you are so right, I’ve seen it many times in AZ as well.
Why doesn’t this Mormon guy just be honest – his peen fell in love, then fell in love again and again…
It’s creepy how polygamists always try to make it seem like it’s such a great arrangement for everyone in their families. Children raised in polygamy households grow up with teachings that a woman’s salvation is directly linked to her willingness to lay down her life for her husband, how is that empowering for women and children? Totally selfish on the father’s part, imho!
Live and let live.
This is the kind of thing that makes us folk up north really wonder just what the hell is in the water down there. Just weird. Frakkin’ way out weird.
I dont care what these wierdos do with their own lives but when they start getting children involved in their perversion of love and marraige, thats what really pisses me off.
What Adults do in their own private homes is up to them but when they involve children in their twisted perversion of “love and marraige” that is what really pisses me off. Where is child protection?
@Trillion
“Polygamy was a massive part of Joseph Smith’s vision for his religion, which was, you know, Mormonism. Own it. Smith was a horny con man who wanted very young “wives”. Because he “loved them”. Because it was “God’s Decree”. Like I said, a horny con man. Yuck.”
When I mentioned that historical fact to my sister in law, a mormon convert, she got really mad at me and told me it wasn’t true. But it totally was. 🙂
I actually mentioned it in the form of a joke. “Why are the streets so wide in Utah?” 😀
The reason polygamy is such a harbinger of abuse is because it is run like an organized crime family. Prohibition of alcohol didn’t work, neither does banning this lifestyle. This needs to be made legal so that you can control more of the blatant abuses.
As for the screwed up kids argument, I doubt there is any statistical evidence for kids being more screwed up in monogomous vs polygamous families. I wonder how the parents are going to provide for their kids to do the basics of life such as college, a car, music lessons, etc…
I should probably watch the show, before I comment further.
Yes, this is wrong on so many levels. Think of the children who are being f**ked up beyond repair.
TLC has now solidified themselves as an evil entity. If TLC disappeared, I think the world would be a better place.
I believe that there are enough ways in the world for everyone to have one. We don’t have to agree with what works for others but we all should respect their right to make adult choices. Obviously for these people it works as well as those of you who are busy criticizing someone’s life.