The Brown family returns on September 15 with the premiere of the 19th season of Sisterwives – and judging by the trailer, the former polygamists seem more torn than ever.

When we last saw the Brown family, their land at Coyote Pass in Flagstaff, Arizona—once the prospective site of their four future homes—was still completely undeveloped, and patriarch Kody Brown had been abandoned by three of his four wives.

While Season 18 exposed the cracks in all of Kody’s relationships, it seems that Season 19 will address the aftermath of those broken marriages and the ever-deepening rift between Kody and his remaining wife, Robyn.

Ahead of the emotional premiere of the new season, here’s a recap of everything that happened to the members of the multifamily in season 18.

Kody Brown

In season 18, Kody was at odds with every woman in his family and didn’t speak to many of his 18 children.

After his third wife Christine “spiritually divorced him,” Kody was left with two estranged wives, Meri and Janelle, and Robyn (his only legal wife).

According to Kody’s interviews in Season 18, the patriarch questioned everything after Christine left him, including his fundamentalist Mormon faith and his other marriages.

He also revealed that he was in a darker, more bitter place than ever before – something his wives also confirmed in their own interview recordings.

Kody’s relationships with many of his adult children also suffered in Season 18. During the COVID-19 quarantine, many of Kody’s family members found it difficult to follow the patriarch’s restrictions and guidelines, causing tension between the different households.

This was exacerbated by the fact that Kody lived primarily with Robyn and their children during lockdown and remained there even after the peak of the pandemic – leading many in his family to accuse Kody of having a “favorite woman” in Robyn.

Meri Brown (Wife No. 1)

Season 18 marked Meri and Kody’s 32nd anniversary – but according to the couple, their relationship had been problematic for decades (long before Meri’s Catfish scandal).

Despite years of estrangement and emotional distance—they often only spoke to each other every few weeks and saw each other even less—Meri was confident that the two could reconcile and help keep the multi-family together.

However, at the end of the season, Meri ended the marriage and decided it was time to return to Utah to run her bed and breakfast.

As Kody’s first wife, Meri was the only wife legally married to the patriarch for many years. But when fourth wife Robyn came into the family, the two filed for divorce, which allowed Kody to legally marry Robyn and adopt her children from a previous marriage.

Since she is neither legally nor spiritually married, Meri leaves her polygamy behind in the hope of meeting a new friend.

Janelle Brown (Wife No. 2)

At the beginning of season 18, we saw his second wife Janelle move with their daughter Savannah from their RV in Coyote Pass to an apartment in Flagstaff.

While touring this new apartment, Kody got into a heated (and televised) argument with Janelle, which ultimately led to the couple’s separation.

The main reason for the disagreement between Janelle and Kody was his strained relationship with their sons Gabriel and Garrison.

The two spent the rest of season 18 considering reconciliation – but at the end of the season, Janelle announced that she wanted to remain separated and had no interest in reconciling with Kody, effectively ending their 29-year marriage.

Christine Brown (Wife No. 3)

In season 18, we saw Christine happily separated from Kody and living in Moab, Utah.

After 25 years of marriage to Kody, Christine ended the marriage in season 17 and moved back to her home state with her daughter Truely.

Although she occasionally reconnected with Kody to discuss co-parenting, by season 18 Christine had completely withdrawn from the multifamily—aside from her continued friendship with her sister wife Janelle.

During season 18, it was revealed that Christine had ended her relationship with Kody and was now dating a man named David Woolley.

Following the conclusion of the season, a special wedding episode aired, documenting Christine and Woolley’s wedding in October 2023.

According to the trailer, season 19 will look back at the beginning of Christine and David’s relationship.

Robyn Brown (Wife No. 4)

At the end of season 18, Robyn (who joined the family in 2014) was Kody’s only remaining wife – although his broken relationships with his other wives and their children seemed to put a strain on the now monogamous couple.

Throughout the season, Robyn was seen primarily in interview footage, often speaking very emotionally about the situation of the Brown family and mourning the loss of their pluralistic structure.

Although she tried to convince Meri, Janelle and Christine to stay and work things out with Kody, Robyn remained alone in their Flagstaff home with Kody and their five children. (However, it was recently revealed that the couple is listing their home for $1.65 million.)

Now it seems Robyn must decide what her new monogamous relationship will look like as the two navigate the post-divorce world.

According to interviews with Kody in season 18, Robyn is the only wife who has remained faithful to him and was never respected or treated well by the family members.

He also said that Robyn was the only woman he ever truly loved and that polygamy forced him to marry women he didn’t truly love.

The brown children

Although they are adults and lead independent lives, many of the Brown children are deeply influenced by their parents’ relationship, as we will see in Season 18.

Many of the children said that Robyn was the reason for their family’s unhappiness, not only because of their father’s perceived favoritism toward Robyn, but also because of the consequences of her quarantine restrictions.

More grandchildren were also announced this season, as Christine’s daughter Mykelti announced that she and her husband Tony are expecting twins.

After the end of season 18, the tragic news came that Janelle’s son Garrison had died after his battle with drug addiction ended in suicide.

While it is unclear whether Garrison’s death will be addressed in season 19, both Janelle and Kody have made public statements about his death.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Treatment Referral Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, call 911, or call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, or text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Sisterwives The season 19 premieres on Sunday, September 15 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.