Gwendlyn Brown, the daughter of "Sister Wives" stars Christine and Kody Brown, is speaking out about her parents' split. Christine announced she was leaving Kody publicly in November 2021 after 26 years of marriage and six children together, including Gwendlyn.
The 21-year-old, who has spent almost her entire life as the subject of a reality TV show, is recapping Season 17 from her point of view, starting with Episode Two. She said "virtually none" of her siblings watch the show: "It's just drama to the viewers, but to us it's family."
"I want to recount what I was going through in the situation and maybe if I have no idea what is going on nw," Gwendlyn said in her first YouTube video, published on Dec. 21, 2022.
Gwendlyn added she is coming at the show from the perspective of a queer, autistic person and "not being married to a man with multiple other wives" (she recently got engaged to Beatriz Quieroz).
Most of the season recounts Christine and Kody's split and her preparation to move to Utah with their youngest child, Truely. Gwendlyn recalled the conversation she had with her mother when she delivered the news.
"I was like, you're leaving? Good for you! She told me she was moving and also divorcing my father at the same time. I was all hyped for her. Obviously I love he and I visit her all the time. But she was going home and I was happy for her. I didn't love the relationship they had and she's doing great now," Gwendlyn said.
Her sister Mykelti and Ysabel previously weighed in on the show. “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,” Ysabel said in a confessional.
She added, at another point in the video, that she still sees her mom more than her dad despite the distance.
Gwendlyn also shared her perspective on another topic of conversation frequently discussed during the season. Christine claimed that Kody had a favorite wife: His fourth wife, Robyn.
"I always thought my mom and Robyn were close when the show first started," Gwendlyn said.
She said that watching "Sister Wives" changed her outlook on Kody and Robyn's relationship. "I do feel less about Robyn from watching this but I feel like that's not really fair ... because I don't really like her as a person. Watching her makes me like her less as a person, for sure," she said.
Despite focusing on her parents’ split and other heavy topics, the video’s tone was light-hearted. Gwendlyn was tongue-in-cheek while watching her father weigh in on various topics. “With all the talk about money, he’s realizing how expensive it is to have so many kids,” Gwendlyn said. “It’s funny.”
She spoke about her dad's relationship to his older children, after Gabriel Brown said he didn't make an effort. "He's not actively reaching out to us but he has been working on it and I think he is getting better," she said.
Overall, Gwendlyn appeared to look on the bright side of her family arrangement. “At least polygamy brought my mom and Janelle to be besties. And me! It brought me too,” she said, strutting for the camera.