“Sister Wives” star Christine Brown was scared of potential backlash after announcing her split from husband Kody Brown on social media last year.
“When Mom first released the picture on Instagram, explaining that she had left, she was terrified. She was horrified,” the former couple’s 23-year-old son Paedon Brown said on the latest episode of the “Reality Life with Kate Casey” podcast.
“She didn’t look at her Instagram. She didn’t look at her messages. She put it down as she drove for several hours, because she did not want the negative [sic].”
Paedon went on to say that Christine, 49, was delightfully surprised when she discovered that the majority of fans were supportive of her decision to leave her polygamous marriage with Kody, 53.
“The second she opened her phone, she had blown up with, ‘Good for you, congratulations,’” Paedon continued. “Nothing but positivity. It meant so much to her. Every little positive thing, every big positive thing — it all meant so much to her.”
Christine — who also shares daughters Aspyn, 26, Mykelti, 25, Gwendlyn, 20, Ysabel, 18, and Truely, 11, with Kody — announced her departure from the relationship via Instagram in November 2021.
“Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave,” the TLC personality wrote at the time.
“We will continue to be a strong presence in each other’s lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family. At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family.”
Christine became Kody’s third partner when they were joined in a “spiritual union” in 1994. He’d already tied the knot to Meri, 50, and Janelle, 52, in 1990 and 1993, respectively. Years later, in 2010, the reality TV patriarch also spiritually unionized with Robyn, 43.
Though Paedon grew up in polygamy with 17 siblings and multiple maternal figures to lean on, he told host Kate Casey that he is not interested in creating a similar family dynamic for himself.
“We are all super grateful for it,” he said of his siblings’ shared outlook on their unique upbringing.
“We have brothers and sisters. My mom didn’t have any sons but me. I have brothers because of it. I’m so grateful for polygamy, but it’s not the life I want. I honestly don’t believe in it.”