Reality

‘Sister Wives’ Star Kody Brown and Family Are Already Splintering in Season 16 Premiere

sister-wives-20111525.jpg

The Brown family continues to splinter in the season 16 premiere of Sister Wives. InTouch released the official description for the Nov. 21 episode, and it seems like patriarch Kody Brown is considering a move to his own property. “After rejecting Christine’s idea of moving back to Utah, Kody checks in with [wives] Janelle and Robyn,” the episode synopsis reads. “Then, Kody says he now wants his own lot on the property, and the family discusses the possibility of spending the holidays apart.” According to the publication, Brown is hoping to buy property in Coyote Pass.

Brown described himself as being in “polygamy hell” at the end of Season 15, and those relationship problems have only worsened in the off-season. Brown and Christine announced earlier this week that they have split after more than 25 years together. The TLC stars announced the end of their relationship on Instagram, with Christine saying she had made the “difficult decision” to leave her husband, whom she shared with sister wives Robyn, Meri, and Janelle.

Videos by PopCulture.com

“After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave,” Christine, 49, wrote on Instagram Tuesday.  “We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family. At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family.”  She continued in the caption, “Thanks for your understanding and compassion!” adding hashtags including “change is good” and “change is scary” as well as “hope” and “journey.”

Kody also addressed this split on his Instagram account. “Christine’s decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness. We enjoyed many years together and I have a large amount of respect and admiration for her,” he wrote in his own statement. “Although we are moving forward on different paths, we will always remain committed parents.”

Kody and Christine married in March 1994 and share children Aspyn, 26, Mykelti, 25, Paedon, 23, Gwendlyn, 20, Ysabel, 18, and Truely, 11. Christine’s followers suspected a split might be on the horizon last month, when the reality personality listed herself on mortgage papers as a “single woman” that confirmed she had moved back to Utah following tension in her family about no longer wanting to live in Flagstaff, Arizona with her husband. 

During the first trailer for Season 16 of Sister Wives, Christine told cameras, “I don’t want to move on the property. I want to move back to Utah,” later revealing she was feeling a divide in her marriage to Kody while his relationship with wife Robyn was seemingly flourishing. “Why would I want to live on the same property with a dysfunctional marriage where right over there, he’s got a full-functioning marriage?” she asked in a teaser for the season. Sister Wives returns on TLC Nov. 21 at 10 p.m. ET.