On Sunday’s episode of Sister WivesKody spoke with Robyn at length about her relationship with her children.
Over the past five years, it has become clear that most of Kody’s relationships with his 18 children are strained or nonexistent.
During the fight, Kody insists to Robyn that he is not the villain, that his children are as responsible for their fights as he is. In some cases, he thinks they are even more to blame than he is.
There are two things he’s willing to take the blame for: kicking some kids out of the house during Covid because they couldn’t follow the rules…
And missing him daughter Ysabel’s terrible surgery.
Ysabel’s surgery and the fight with her father
In 2020, Kody and Christine’s daughter I needed back surgery.
Technically, it was scoliosis surgery and she needed the procedure to resolve the curve in her spine. Fans watched as the young girl suffered unimaginable pain.
At first, it appeared that the family could not afford the $50,000 down payment required for the procedure. But through hard work on Christine’s part, they earned the money.
Finally, relief came in September of that year, when she scheduled the procedure with a doctor in NJ.
Everyone was ready to support her. Christine was scheduled to travel with her, Meri and Janelle offered their support ahead of the big day — and then there’s Kody.
Now, we all know what happened in 2020. The COVID pandemic was a huge upheaval in the lives of everyone around the world. In the Brown household, Kody was very strict about the family rules and everyone’s comings and goings.
In fact, he even forced his Gabe children and Garrison to leave Janelle’s house because they couldn’t follow her rules.
At the same time, Kody used the restrictions as a means to not travel with Ysabel to NJ for her surgery. He flatly refused to travel and be with her in her time of need.
And then he went ahead and made fun of her at the same time.
Kody calls his daughter “bitter”
In an episode of Sister Wives Before surgery, Ysabel talks to her father about her planned absence, which he attributes to COVID-19 and the need to stay healthy for the good of the family.
Ysabel is obviously in favor of taking medical precautions, but says in the episode that Kody’s priorities certainly seem “messed up.”
After telling his daughter he’s not going with her, he awkwardly asks her if she’s going to “become a bitter old housewife because your father didn’t do that for you?”
What a strange and sexist thing to say, don’t you agree?
“I’m not going to be bitter,” responds Ysabel. “I won’t hold it against you.”
However, in a subsequent confessional, the poor young woman becomes emotional, raising important questions about her father.
“I need him to be there, but why won’t he come?” Ysabel cries in the air.
“I don’t know, why wouldn’t he be there? Why wouldn’t he just drop everything for me? I think his priorities are a little confused.”
Kody’s defense is… shaky at best
Kody tried to explain that if he went into surgery, well… then he would have to quarantine… and then he would be away from his many children and wives for weeks.
“The amount of time, because of COVID and quarantine and things like that, I would have to be away from the rest of the family, and because of the risk of exposure to COVID-19,” he said in the episode.
“What we’re trying to do is so I can see the whole family this whole time.
To her credit, Ysabel tries to be understanding.
“He has a lot of children to think about. I know I’m not the only child he needs to make sure is safe during this pandemic. It’s a shame he can’t be there,” she said.
Later, Ysabel tells the cameras that she thinks Kody’s fear of catching COVID-19 is taking over his life.
“He’s letting fear control him,” she said.
Even though Kody didn’t get COVID, what he feared still happened.
End of Kody’s marriage
Many fans point to Ysabel’s surgery and Kody’s decision as the last straw for Christine. After that, Christine announced she was leaving Kodywith most of her children taking her side.
Not long after that, given the way Kody treated his children, Janelle did the same, divorcing Kody and ending their spiritual marriage.
Meri did the same a year later, although in her case, she was more or less kicked out by Kody, who no longer wanted to have a plural marriage.