If you’re not familiar with Christine and the rest of the gang on TLC’s Sister Wives, well, you are seriously missing out. The show centers on the Brown family, who live a polygamist lifestyle and have to balance their controversial beliefs with raising a family — and all while cameras are rolling. It’s interesting, for sure, and fans of the show are obsessed with watching Kody Brown and his four wives — the aforementioned Christine along with Meri, Janelle, and Robyn — go through life together.
There are some touching moments on the series that show that the Browns are essentially just like any other family, only with far more wives than is typical. It’s only natural to want to know more about the Brown family, especially each of the wives. Christine, in particular, is one of the most interesting sister-wives on the show, for numerous reasons. Here’s what you should know about the reality star who shares her hubby with three other women.
Christine Brown from Sister Wives grew up in a polygamist family
When you learn that a couple is in a polygamous relationship — whether you’ve seen them on TV or happen to know them in real life — you may wonder how it happened. While it may seem like an usual arrangement to most people, it wasn’t for Christine. The Sister Wives star actually grew up in a polygamist family, so entering into a plural marriage herself was a natural choice for her. That’s not to stay she didn’t have concerns, though.
In an interview with ABC News, Christine explained, “I grew up in a polygamist family and I felt fear,” she said. Christine also went on to say that the Browns just wanted better for their own children. “We were taught that we couldn’t talk about our lifestyle … and we were cautious of the police,” she said of her own childhood. She continued, saying, “We haven’t raised our kids that way. We haven’t wanted our children to feel fear like that.” Polygamy is basically all Christine has known, and she’s sticking to it.
Sisters Wives' Christine Brown isn't legally married to Kody Brown
Even though more and more people are accepting of the Brown family and their polygamist lifestyle, that doesn’t mean the law accepts it. Because polygamy is illegal in the majority of states, Kody Brown is only legally married to one of his wives, Robyn. He was once married to Meri but divorced her to adopt Robyn’s children. Kody is “spiritually” married to his other wives, Janelle, Christine, and Meri, according to Good Housekeeping. Still, this union could get them in trouble.
As legal expert Monica Lindstrom told Radar Online, “Under Arizona’s Constitution, living with one wife and a spiritual wife, or two or three, etc., could meet the definition of ‘polygamous cohabitation,’ which is prohibited.” Even though the Browns’ idea of a spiritual marriage may mean Kody isn’t legally tied to them, Christine’s spiritual marriage to Kody could still land her in some hot water.
Christine Brown "wanted sister wives more than a husband"
In a polygamist family, you can’t help but keep track of the wives in order of who came first, second, and so on. And interestingly enough, those numbers and the order in which each wife got married are actually pretty important, at least to Christine Brown from Sister Wives. Christine is Kody’s third wife, which is exactly how she wanted it.
Christine told Anderson Cooper on his show (via HuffPost) that she always wanted to be the third wife. As she explained on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Christine always knew she didn’t want a man as much as a family. “I never wanted to just be married to a man,” she said. “I honestly wanted sister wives more than a husband. I wanted the whole family. I didn’t just want Kody.”
Christine again professed her love for being a third wife in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun. The Sister Wives star stated, “I’m a third wife and I love it.” Clearly, Christine knew what she was getting herself into in entering a polygamist family, and she’s where she feels she belongs.
Sister Wives' Christine Brown star shares six kids with Kody
Sister Wives stars Christine and Kody Brown obviously don’t have a conventional love story, as Kody already had two wives — Meri and Janelle — when he met Christine. However, the two did get to working on their own family pretty quickly after they got married. Christine and Kody have a total of six children together, which is a third of the total Brown family kids.
According to TLC, Kody proposed to Christine on their first date over Valentine’s Day weekend 1994. Just one month later, they tied the knot and soon began welcoming kids into their family. Per TLC, “Together they have 6 children: Aspyn, Mykelti, Paedon, Gwendlyn, Ysabel, and Truely.”
As Good Housekeeping noted, the youngest, Truely, was actually born during Season 1 of Sister Wives in 2010, whereas the oldest, Aspyn, was born in 1995, meaning Christine had been having children for the majority of her and Kody’s marriage.
Christine Brown's dad supported her decision to become a sister wife
It’s no secret that many parents wouldn’t be on board with one of their children entering into a polygamous relationship. But since Christine Brown grew up in a polygamous family and was well-versed in that lifestyle, it should come as no surprise that her own family was pretty happy and totally onboard with her decision to marry Kody and become his third wife. And, as it turns out, Christine’s dad was majorly invested in her relationship with Kody, and was a huge supporter of the pairing.
In an interview with ABC News, Christine explained how she and Kody got together. “I talked to my Dad first — he had wanted me to marry Kody for years, so he heartily agreed,” she said. Having parents to support your relationship can obviously make all the different for a couple, but it seems as though Christine’s dad had been wanting her to be a sister wife alongside Meri and Janelle for a while before she and Kody tied the knot, spiritually, of course.
Sister Wives' Christine Brown has undergone an incredible transformation
When you’ve been on a reality television show for as long as Christine Brown as been on Sister Wives, it makes sense that people would get used to seeing you look a certain way. If Christine were to cut her hair super short or start wearing a full face of makeup constantly, fans would notice, as that’s different for her norm. So, when Christine’s weight loss transformation made its rounds on social media, fans simply had to know what she was doing — and Christine wasn’t opposed to sharing.
According to In Touch Weekly, Christine addressed her fans on Instagram, writing, “I eat for my blood type and work out.” When a fan asked, “Where do you find the information on eating for your blood type?” Christine replied, “Just online. I’ve read about it for years and I just did it.” She continued, commenting, “And I love it!”
Sister Wives' Christine Brown is distantly related to her husband Kody
Christine and Kody Brown from Sister Wives may be related by more than just their spiritual marriage. As Radar Online reported, “Kody and Christine share relatives William Moore Allred and Orissa Angela Bates, making them distant cousins.” They share a great-great-grandparent, which makes them fourth cousins. Although this is a distant relationship, they are still indeed blood relatives. However, this isn’t entirely shocking for the area in which they grew up.
As ScreenRant explained, “Fans of the family know that the church they once belonged to, The Apostolic United Brethern, is a small group of closely-knit people. Not shockingly, most of the members share the same ancestors.” Although Christine and Kody’s other wives do not share any of the same DNA, they, of course, view each other in a sisterly way. “In being in the same family, you have to sort of develop a sister relationship or friendship in order to all get along,” Oprah Winfrey explained on her show. Meri agreed, saying, “It’s definitely a very bonding experience. We’re sisters in that sense, and we’re very close.
Sister Wives' Christine Brown enjoys being the homemaker
Though all of the wives on Sister Wives have the freedom to go out and do their own thing, Christine Brown has pretty much always been the stay-at-home mom of the group. In fact, in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun, Janelle Brown explained that she enjoyed working. “I feel very liberated,” Janelle said. “I have a career, my independence and freedom. I’ve never had to stay at home with sick kids or worry too much about what’s for dinner,” she added, to which Meri agreed.
However, Kody’s third wife Christine was revealed by the publication to be a homemaker — and she wouldn’t really want it any other way. With 18 kids total, it can’t hurt that Christine enjoys being a stay-at-home mom, right?
Although the women have chosen their own roles, they, of course, are still all wives to one husband. And they all hope to see that kind of relationship normalized one day, especially Christine. “My grandfather was put in prison because of his beliefs and all of his wives were separated. My father was 12 years old when this happened, and his family never got back together, even when my father got out. It was tragic,” she told the publication. “That truth has to end.”
Christine Brown from Sister Wives believes her family is "very patriarchal"
Christine Brown from Sister Wives may live in a modern world and even star on a reality television show, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t without her traditional values. In fact, they are something she has taken quite a lot of pride in and she has no shame about her beliefs.
In an interview with the Las Vegas Sun, Christine revealed, “I feel our family is very patriarchal, but it’s exactly what I wanted,” she said. “I just want to be a princess in life.” Her husband’s other wives, however, view things differently. “Patriarchy has a very negative connotation for me,” Janelle explained. “It’s true that Kody is the glue that holds us together, but I definitely have my voice.” Meri agreed.
Considering Christine was raised in a polygamous family, she might have stronger ties to a more patriarchal family model. Whatever the reason, though, Christine is old-fashioned and yet progressive all at the same time.
Sister Wives' Christine Brown has a side hustle
Christine Brown may have spent the majority of her married life as a stay-at-home mom and one of four sister wives, but she also began working for a notorious multilevel marketing company. Both Christine and Meri sell products by LuLaRoe, a company which has come under fire for many reasons, as Deadline reported.
She even has a link to her private Facebook group, “Christine Brown sells LuLaRoe,” on her Instagram page, making it clear that she’s dedicated to her side hustle. In the group’s “About” section, Christine wrote, “Get ready for some fun while you shop from the comfort of your own home buying fabulous, cozy and comfortable clothes.”
Additionally, Christine posts numerous Instagram photos of herself modeling LuLuRoe clothing, using hashtags for the brand as well. Christine also came under fire for posting a controversial photo of herself to advertise LuLaRoe amid nationwide protests in 2020.
Sister Wives' Christine Brown is protective of her children
In a large family like the Browns from Sister Wives, it would be understandable for some of the kids to fly under the radar from the supervision of their parents from time to time. But as Sister Wives fans know, that really doesn’t happen. Kody and all four of his wives are very supportive and protective of all of their kids, and Christine has felt the need to step in when she thinks one of her children is making a mistake.
As People reported back in 2016, Christine was especially protective when her daughter, Mykelti, got engaged to someone when she was just 19 years old. “I don’t even know Tony,” Christine said about her daughter’s fiancé. “Mykelti’s just so young … I didn’t imagine growing up so fast, because marriage is a huge, grownup step. I’m like, ‘You’re a baby.'” Of course, Mykelti ended up tying the knot and her family — including Christine — were there to support her, but that didn’t mean Christine wasn’t super protective at first.
Christine Brown from Sister Wives has strong faith
The stars of TLC’s Sister Wives obviously lead interesting lives, and people can’t help but be fascinated by their belief system. But the family isn’t all that different than other religious households, well minus the whole “four wives” thing. According to In Touch Weekly, the Brown family belongs to the Apostolic United Brethren, a sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS) and is related to the Mormon religion. And even though the family’s faith might seem strange to some, Christine from Sister Wives has said that it is her guiding light.
In an interview with the Las Vegas Sun, Christine was asked what it takes to enter into a polygamist marriage. “It’s very much a faith-based decision,” she responded. “You need a firm connection with God. And, when asked what inspired her, Christine’s answer was simple. “We’re a very religious family, so Jesus,” she said. “Jesus loved people. He is the most courageous man I know.” That’s one sister wife who knows exactly what she believes.
Sister Wives' Christine has struggled with jealousy issues
One of the most common questions people have for the women in Kody Brown’s life is whether or not they get jealous of each other. And for Christine, that is actually a pretty big concern. In a clip shared by TLC, Christine revealed that she had had a “hard time with Robyn.” She continued, saying, “I was very jealous of her, jealous of her relationship with Kody.” Christine added, “And It’s very hard when you’re jealous of someone to see them as a person, and not as the enemy.” While Christine has had to work through her jealousy issues, it’s an ongoing battle.
As the International Business Times reported of a 2015 episode of Sister Wives, Christine and Kody ended up having a session with a therapist during their 21st anniversary trip, during which Christine’s jealousy issues came up again. “I reached a point where almost every day is hard,” Christine said in the episode, adding that she had to continually deal with her jealousy and anger issues within the plural marriage.
Christine believes she is edited inaccurately on Sister Wives
As is the case with most people on reality shows, the cast of Sister Wives has sometimes felt that they were edited to look more upset, dramatic, or just downright angrier than they really were. At least, that’s what Kody Brown’s third wife, Christine Brown, has hinted at. In January 2020, while live-tweeting a new episode of Sister Wives, Christine let her fans and followers in on a little secret: She wasn’t really all that sensational in real life.
“My bratty reaction just makes me cringe,” Christine tweeted. “I said very very logical things but … I’m not bad, just edited that way.” It’s understandable that Christine would feel defensive over her actions, especially in the case of that particular episode, when the family was arguing about living together again, as In Touch Weekly reported. Whether or not Christine really was edited to look “bad” or “bratty,” is still up for debate, but in her mind, that’s not quite reality.
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