Sister Wives: Kody Brown Claims This Ex-Wife’s To Blame For Family’s Financial Woes (He Shouldn’t Be Throwing Shade)

Sister Wives star Kody Brown and his four wives often struggled with financial issues, and he recently put the blame on one specific person. Supporting 18 children and multiple households strained their resources. Kody and Meri Brown filed for bankruptcy in 2005, while Christine did so in 2010. With so many mouths to feed, there was never enough money.

The family’s 2018 move to Arizona led to significant expenses, including an $820,000 purchase of Coyote Pass land, which remained undeveloped due to financial and family disputes. Failed businesses, medical bills, and high mortgage payments compounded their financial challenges. During Sister Wives season 19, Kody pinned their financial troubles on his former second wife, Janelle Brown, who handled the bookkeeping.

The Browns Always Struggled Financially

There Was Never Enough Money Coming In

The Brown family faced persistent financial difficulties despite their reality TV income from appearing on Sister Wives. Janelle accused Kody of mismanaging family funds, alleging he and Robyn prioritized lavish spending (on luxury cars and a $1.6 million home, for example) over collective goals. Kody often talked about having to pay for a full fleet of cars.

High mortgage payments on multiple properties, coupled with legal fees from their polygamy advocacy, made everything worse. The family’s financial instability persisted, with public records and family statements revealing ongoing struggles to balance their ambitious lifestyle with limited resources. They often tried starting new businesses, like a jewelry store, but didn’t really succeed with any of their many ventures.

Kody and Janelle’s daughter, Maddie Brush, was interviewed on the Authentic Society podcast on YouTube, where she opened up about her family’s financial situation while growing up.

“Before the show, we were very poor,” Maddie said. “I think my dad made decent money, but we had 15 kids.“

Finances would get even harder after the Sister Wives stars added three more children to the mix.

Kody Blames Janelle Brown For Their Financial Problems

She Insists She Was Just Keeping The Books

During a recent episode of Sister Wives season 19 Tell All special, Kody blamed much of their financial troubles on Janelle. Janelle, who left Kody in 2022 after 29 years of marriage, used to do the family’s bookkeeping.

According to the rest of the sister wives, Kody led them all to believe Janelle was the one making the family’s financial decisions. Janelle insists that she was just doing the accounting.

The Sale Of The Coyote Pass Property Came Just In Time

The BrownsTurned A Tidy Profit

The recent sale of their land at Coyote Pass finally gave the Browns financial relief. According to The Sun, the Browns paid $820,000 for the property in 2018 and sold it to a new buyer for $1.5 million. Kody will split the profits with Robyn, Janelle, and Meri. Christine won’t get any of the money. The Sister Wives season 19 star sold her rights to Kody when she left the marriage in 2021.