'Sister Wives’ star Robyn Brown revealed how their polygamous lifestyle almost landed them in jail
The Brown family's journey through plural marriage has not been smooth, with the family almost always facing the threat of prosecution by Utah authorities over their lifestyle. Recently, 'Sister Wives' stars- Robyn Brown, Kody Brown's remaining wife, recounted those difficult times during a candid chat with her daughters Aurora Brown and Breanna Brown at Arizona's The Commons Church. She further explained that the threat of prison forced their family to flee from Utah to resettle first in Las Vegas, and later in Flagstaff, Arizona.
These were not mere threats—the daughter of Kody, Gwendlyn Brown, had shared a very resounding memory from her childhood years. She said that the police came up to their door and warned them, "We're gonna take your dad to prison," as per People. This mounting pressure reached a head with the dramatic move to Nevada, where the Browns could finally hope to live undisturbed in their chosen lifestyle.
Ironically, their present residence in Flagstaff may not prove to be the haven they were expecting. Legal experts observe that Arizona's constitution explicitly forbids not only polygamous marriages but also "polygamous cohabitation." Criminal attorney Monica Lindstrom commented that while Kody is lawfully married to Robyn alone, the spiritual marriages to his ex-wives may have brought them under the purview of Arizona law.
But a lot has changed for the family since those early days fleeing Utah in fear. What was a plural marriage has, over time and several departures—Christine Brown, Janelle Brown, and Meri Brown—made way for a monogamous relationship between Kody and Robyn. The next generation doesn't seem so keen on emulating their parents, it would appear. Robyn's daughters, Aurora and Breanna, seem far more undecided about plural marriage for themselves, with the former admitting she has "conflicting thoughts" and the latter claiming she doesn't feel the same calling as her parents, according to E! News.
Robyn has been particularly vocal about the challenges of practicing Christianity while maintaining a polygamous lifestyle. "Usually when I tell people about my religious background, they look at me like I'm wrong," she said, adding that women often become defensive and angry. At the same time, men are more likely to respond with curiosity before dismissing it for themselves.
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Their various confrontations with local law enforcement have not been the family's only battles in the courts. The family took their fight to the courts in 2011, challenging Utah's anti-bigamy law as unconstitutional. The Browns won their case initially, but it was overturned on appeal in 2014. The Browns have some sense of stability now that they reside in Arizona; however, legal experts like Flynn Carey, an attorney at Mitchell, Stein, Carey, and Chapman in Phoenix, said the public lifestyle might still bring them risks. Bigamy, under Arizona law, is considered a class 5 felony and thus can be punished by probation, county jail, or state prison sentences. However, as Carey pointed out, prosecuting these types of cases is not straightforward in light of the positions taken by the Supreme Court on private relationships between consenting adults.
Most indicative of changing times, however, is the way in which the next generation of Browns is forging their own paths. While their parents once faced the threat of imprisonment over their values, their children are proudly opting out of the lifestyle. The evolution within the family mirrors broader societal changes in the way alternative family structures are viewed and accepted, even as legal frameworks struggle to keep pace with changing social mores.
