Sister Wives: What We Know About Robyn Brown's Life Before The Show (2024)

Sister Wives season 18 star Robyn Brown has an interesting backstory that makes viewers curious about her life before she became Kody Brown's wife. Kody was married three times before he and Robyn connected romantically. Robyn and Kody were together for four years before their spiritual marriage. He had never courted any woman since his third marriage 16 years ago. She had been legally married to his first wife, Meri Brown, and soon spiritually married Janelle Brown and Christine Brown. It was Meri who encouraged Kody to get together with Robyn.

Kody and Robyn’s wedding reception was televised, and that’s where Meri, Janelle, and Christine gave Robyn a Claddagh ring as they welcomed her into their family. After their spiritual wedding in May 2020, Kody married Robyn in December 2014 after legally divorcing Meri. While Kody and Robyn had a seemingly happy relationship, the rest of his marriages began to collapse. Kody was, after all, spending more time with Robyn and not being an equal partner to his other wives. They had the strongest marriage through all the seasons of Sister Wives, even after Meri, Janelle, and Christine revealed their separation from Kody.

Robyn Had A First Husband

Robyn was married to David Jessop before her plural marriage to Kody. In Touch reports Robyn married her ex-husband in June 1999. Their divorce documents show that David was the petitioner. He filed for divorce in April 2007, and the pair’s legal separation was finalized in 2009. Robyn spoke about her first marriage in an April 2021 episode. “I was married before,” said Robyn before adding that there was a lot of fighting and pain in the marriage. She made a promise to herself as she came out of the divorce. Robyn told herself, “If I ever marry again, I’m just going to be more cautious and more careful.'

Robyn was just 21 years old when she married David in Montana (via The Things.). Robin had not opened up about the real reason for her divorce, but she did mention the hardships she faced during marriage. According to TV Season Spoilers, David and Robyn’s marriage wasn’t recognized by the Church, and they didn’t get married in a temple because Robyn refused to do it. Since the marriage didn’t take place in a Church, it has no authority over the divorce. “So, their spiritual release was not initiated by the spiritual leaders,” the report mentioned. Apparently, Robyn never wanted to be in a polygamous relationship.

The Withoutacrystalball page on Instagram claimed Robyn was not in favor of her ex-husband having more than one wife, and she herself wasn’t interested in being a plural wife. “However, the source revealed that Robyn always had the desire to become an actress,” the report added. There also seem to be speculations that Robyn’s ex-husband David and Kody come from the same lineage, as David is Kody’s third cousin. Robyn’s first husband also happens to be the first cousin of Kody’s second wife, Christine.

Robyn Had Kids Before She Met Kody

Robyn's kids from her first marriage have a blood relationship with Kody. Robyn and her ex-husband have three children together: Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna. Robyn met Kody in 2010, a year after her divorce from David was finalized. Robyn and Kody welcomed their first child, Solomon, in 2011. Robyn and Kody married legally in 2014 so Kody could adopt Robyn’s older children. To do this, Kody had to divorce his first wife, Meri, but they later entered a spiritual union. Robyn and Kody had their second child together, Ariella, in 2016.

“I ended my first marriage because of abuse. My kids come first ALWAYS,” Robyn said, according to E! Online. David had been ordered to pay $159 per month to Robyn as child support for their three kids. He allegedly stopped seeing the kids regularly soon after and terminated his parental rights. The kids have since changed their last name to Brown. Robyn and David’s son, who was named David previously, changed his name to Dayton (via The Sun.) David has also since remarried a woman named wife Jen, and they have four kids.

Where Is Robyn's Ex David Jessop In 2023?

David was arrested on January 12, 2018, “for partner or family member assault, causing bodily injury.” He was released after four days. After he pleaded not guilty, his charge was downgraded to disorderly conduct in August 2018, and had to pay fines. Most recently, David was reported to be battling cancer. His family started a GoFundMe page, so they can help raise funds for his treatment. David has Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, a bone marrow cancer. A mutation causes the stem cells to produce many more white blood cells than needed.

David's family has raised $5,899 out of the $50,000 target so far, thanks to 127 donors. David has to take medication so his cancer can be under control and eventually put into remission. He will have to stay on them for 10–15 years. David was having “serious internal problems,” and his numbers were not coming down as expected either. The last update on the page is from July 2023, which said, his “body has been in a lot more pain.”

Did Robyn Have A Career Before Kody?

Robin had been a single mom before she met Kody but never really discussed what she did for a living before Sister Wives. Robyn may have worked in an assisted living facility as a receptionist or an activities coordinator, according to Cheat Sheet. Robyn may have relied on her mother and stepfather to help her financially as well. Earlier episodes of Sister Wives showed her having an office job, but no details were supposedly revealed. Even if she did work, her income may have been supplemented by the aid of her family.

There were rumors of Robyn having a short-lived acting career because her IMDb page started when she played a role in the 2000 CMT movie Countdown. It also mentioned that Robyn was in the 1998 sitcom Just Shoot Me. These rumors were then debunked because the Robyn Brown credited for the famous 1990s sitcom was a different person entirely. Screenshots from the show revealed that the Robyn in the show did not resemble Robyn from Sister Wives. Besides, Robyn’s last name before she became Kody's wife was Sullivan.

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.

Sources: In Touch, The Things, TV Season Spoilers, Withoutacrystalball/Instagram, E! Online, The Sun, Cheat Sheet, GoFundMe