How much do the 'Sister Wives' cast get paid? Inside the Brown family's earnings after 19 seasons
'Sister Wives' star cast has earned considerable fame with their family drama after the TLC reality show first premiered on September 26, 2010. The finale episode of Season 19 aired on December 25 and since there is currently no confirmation for Season 20, let's take a look at the earnings of the Brown family by the end of the show. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Kody's net worth is estimated at $800,000, followed by Robyn at $600,000. The independent ex-wives Christine, Janelle, and Meri's earnings are worth $400,000 each. As per The Sun, it has been reported that the dysfunctional family made a meager $ 4 million from the 18 seasons, previously.
It is a known fact that TLC has set up the Kody Brown Family Entertainment, LLC to reimburse the cast members. The Brown family company is listed in Nevada and Kody and his wives take a paycheck of $25,000 to $40,000 per episode. However, Kody registered a new company in May 2022 along with his remaining wife Robyn named Dabsark Entertainment in Flagstaff, Arizona after Meri, Christine, and Janelle dissolved their 'spiritual' union with him. InTouch Weekly reported that TLC produced the show with a budget of $250,000 to $400,000 for every episode.
In 2019, Soap Dirt reported that 'Sister Wives' was supposed to go off air after season 11 due to low ratings but Kody negotiated a low-profit deal with the network to continue filming. It has been reported that each main cast member from the show pocketed a salary of $180,000 by the end of season 11. However, to roll the next seasons Kody proposed to work for the price of just one salary – which was less than $200k. Before appearing on the show Kody worked as a salesman and was president of Das Hundhaus Firearms and Accessories. According to Distractify, he hasn't confirmed any other source of income after being live on the show for decades.
Speaking of the other cast members' extra income, Meri has successfully launched a thriving bed and breakfast in Utah - Lizzie's Heritage Inn after her split from Kody. The vintage inn was established on her great-great-grandparent's property and the rooms are rated from $250 to $300 per night. Janelle on the other hand earns by giving lifestyle and health coaching workshops with a business named Strive. On May 15, 2020, Christine launched her business CBrown Quest, LLC, she is also a well-known ambassador of the weight-loss brand Plexus along with Janelle. Christine and Meri work as influencers for LuLaRoe Fashion Retailers. Robyn used to own an online fashion and jewelry boutique named My Sisterwife’s Closet which went defunct in 2019.
As per Newsweek, Janelle's daughter, Maddie Brown, recently revealed that the family was struggling to make ends meet before the show. "Before the show, we were very poor. I think my dad made decent money, but you have, like, 15 kids," she shared on her 'The Authentic Society' podcast. The young podcaster also admitted that her parents were interested in spending the money and not investing in savings. She also described their previous professions, saying her estranged father worked in "sign sales" and her mother, "worked for the state a lot of the time." She also confessed to hating her father's dishonest method of earning income, "I think we inherit so much of our thought process around money from our parents...So my dad always chose the get-rich-quick scheme, almost always," she concluded.
