Two of Christine and Kody Brown's six children share their thoughts on their parent's divorce in the upcoming episode of Season 17 of "Sister Wives," out Oct. 9.
The former couple, who publicly announced their split in November 2021, gets together with their extended family to celebrate their daughter Ysabel's 18th birthday and high school graduation in the episode, titled "The Last Family Gathering."
In an exclusive clip shared with TODAY, Ysabel offers her opinion on her parent's breakup.
“I think with my mom and my dad getting a divorce, if I’m honest I did see it coming. But of course, I’m sad about it. I mean, sometimes it just doesn’t work out. And I’m happy that my mom will be able to find somebody who she’s really, really, really happy with,” the teen said in a confessional.
Mykelti, who welcomed her first child in another episode this season, joined her husband Tony Padron for their own interview about Christine and Kody's divorce.
“I was honestly relieved when I heard my mom was leaving my dad. They’re not happy, they’re not in love,” the 26-year-old explained.
Pardon also weighed in, admitting that he saw the divorce coming.
“I thought it was a little inevitable. I can’t imagine any man being perfect enough to be able to handle four wives,” he said.
Meanwhile, in another confessional interview, Kody reflects on his "strained relationships" with "a bunch" of his 18 kids.
“I’ve got what feels like very strained relationships with a bunch of the kids. I’m not in a good place with everybody and it’s not that I’m trying to be angry or trying to hold them accountable in this moment or anything like that. I don’t feel like I’ve got the respect that I should have,” he says.
The patriarch of the family goes on to admit that he’s “in a funk” and is experiencing “loneliness combined with a bitterness with the entire family.”
Last episode, after Christine announced she was leaving the plural marriage, Kody told his three remaining wives that he planned to be "head of (his) household again," and that they had to "conform to patriarchy."
Still, at the family party, Kody puts his best foot forward for his daughter's sake and gets excited when the group is about to sing "Happy Birthday."
"So you're sweet 18. That'll get you a new car. It's worth it 'cause she didn't waste her kisses on any stupid boys," the proud dad declares.
In a confessional, Kody offers an explanation of the term "sweet 18."
"A sweet 18 birthday party is a birthday party where the girl hasn't been kissed. I don't know where this term came from, it was something I was hearing in high school," he says. "A girl who hasn't ever kissed a boy."
"Young men and young women or men and women should both do the same thing. You protect yourself, you find trust before you're driven mad with sexuality," he continues.
Looking back on her party, Ysabel says it was a refreshing experience in the middle of a tough time for the family.
"We kind of jumped right back to where we were before (COVID) hit back," the teen said in a confessional.
Earlier this season, Ysabel's decision to return to school became a topic of conversation during a heated Zoom call between Kody and his four wives.
After remote schooling, Ysabel wanted to return to in-person education to be with her friends. Kody, traveling between households, was worried about exposing himself to COVID-19, and implied that he wouldn't visit if she chose to return, leading to tension.