Sister Wives stars Kody Brown and his wife Robyn Brown will not appear in the upcoming season of the long-running TLC polygamy series. TLC released a two-minute trailer for season 21 on Monday alongside a stark disclaimer: "After 16 years of filming Sister Wives, Kody & Robyn will not be returning to the show."
A YouTube description for the trailer teased that the series "is entering a whole new era," adding that "Meri, Janelle, and Christine are forging their own paths while working to heal old wounds."
Neither Kody, 57, nor Robyn, 47, has publicly commented on their exit ahead of the season's October 4 premiere. Both the trailer and the official promotional image feature only Janelle, 57, Meri, 55, and Christine, 54.
Co-stars react to the shakeup
Christine addressed the cast change in the new trailer, saying, "I don't know what it means. I have no idea."
Janelle said she was caught off guard by the news. "I was flabbergasted, really, when I got the news," she said. Meri echoed that reaction, sharing, "I was actually surprised when I was told that Kody and Robyn weren't coming back to the show."
A family built on plural marriage
Sister Wives has followed Kody Brown's polygamous family since it began airing 16 years ago, chronicling his marriages to Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn along with their combined children. The family's relationships have unraveled in recent years, largely playing out on camera.
Janelle shares five living children with Kody, along with one child who died. She separated from Kody in December 2022. Meri and Kody legally divorced in 2014 so that he could marry Robyn, though Meri and Kody remained "spiritually" together until January 2023.
Kody "spiritually married" Christine in 1994. The couple separated in 2021, with Christine announcing at the time that she had "made the difficult decision to leave" the marriage. Kody and Janelle's split followed in 2022, leaving Robyn as his only remaining relationship.
The Brown family's children
Robyn entered the family with three children from a prior marriage, whom Kody later adopted. The couple also share two children born after their marriage, Solomon and Ariella.
Christine shares six children with Kody: Aspyn, Mykelti, Paedon, Gwendlyn, Ysabel and Truely. Meri and Kody have one child together, Leon Brown. Kody is reportedly estranged from many of his 18 children.
New chapters for the sister wives
Christine married David Woolley in 2023, but the new trailer shows the recently wed couple in marriage counseling.
Reflecting on the family's journey in a Sister Wives episode earlier this year, Janelle said, "You know, look, I don't regret anything in the last 30 years. I love the family that we have, and I would do it all again in order to get the family and the kids that we have. [It] just is sort of like that chapter has ended."
Kody was filmed going on what has been described as an "apology tour" last season, during which he addressed each of his ex-wives about his behavior in recent years.
Season 21 of Sister Wives premieres on TLC on October 4.
