Kody Brown hopes to reconcile with his estranged sons, the "Sister Wives" star revealed during final “Sister Wives: One on One” special of the season.
The reality star has 18 children with his wife and three ex-wives. He's no longer on speaking terms with Gabriel and Garrison, two sons he shares with Janelle. Their strained relationship was a topic of conversation throughout Season 17, with both sides airing their grievances.
Kody said his sons "disrespected" him by not following his strict COVID-19 protocols. He has also said the onus of reconciliation is on his sons.
But Janelle believes Kody refuses to see her sons' point of view. The mother of six, who recently announced that she and Kody are separated, said that her sons' feud with Kody was among the factors causing a strain on her marriage.
In the "Sister Wives: One on One" special, host Sukanya Krishnan says it seems like Kody has blamed Janelle for the estrangement with his sons on multiple occasions. He then offers the following response.
“She never teamed with me. I’m not blaming her as far as fault. She never took my side, he says. Krishnan interrupts, saying, "But that is kind of blaming, that is kind of pointing the finger. ‘Either you’re with me or you’re with your children.'"
Kody says he doesn’t understand why the situation is “so complicated” and suggests that his son should’ve either followed his protocols or moved out.
“They went out and found homes when (Janelle) had to move. Why couldn’t they have gone out and found homes so that they could keep dating during COVID?” he says.
The 53-year-old reiterates the fear he felt during the pandemic, which led to strict protocols.
“If one of my little children were to die because somebody had to get his pencil wet,” he says, hitting the chair. “That made me so mad. Do you understand? If one of my children die, how hard it would be to ever forget the guy who was bringing that home to us.”
Kody says he just wanted to “protect” his family.
“Now with those two boys I’m estranged from them. I can’t even have conversations with them anymore,” he says, adding that it’s “very sad.”
When asked what he wants to tell his sons, Kody looks at the camera and offers up an apology.
“Boys, I’m sorry. I was trying to protect my family. Next time, I’d manage it differently and I’m sorry," he says.
In the episode, Janelle discusses Kody's estrangement from her sons and says that Gabriel and Garrison feel “rejected.”
“(Kody has) not even made any effort. He’s still acting like they need to come to him,” she says.
Later on, the mother of six says that things didn't have to turn out this way.
"I think if he had truly been watching out for me and my children, he would've figured out a way to make it work for the whole family instead of having his rules and hanging out with (Robyn), staying where he was respected and obeyed," she says.