As Kody Brown Accused 2 of His Sister Wives of ‘Colluding,’ a Surprise ‘Devil’s Advocate’ Came to Their Defense

Sunday’s episode of ‘Sister Wives’ saw Kody Brown venting his frustrations about Christine and Janelle — but one of his two other wives came to the ladies’ defense

Christine Brown, Meri Brown, Robyn Brown, Janelle Brown, Kody Brown Sister Wives - 2010
From left: Christine Brown, Meri Brown, Robyn Brown, Janelle Brown and Kody Brown of ‘Sister Wives’. Photo: Puddle Monkey Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock

Kody Brown thinks some of the sister wives are conspiring against him.

The Brown family patriarch met up with then-remaining wives Meri Brown and Robyn Brown in Sunday’s Sister Wives episode to discuss this year’s Christmas plan. At the gathering held at Meri’s home, Kody revealed that Janelle Brown will not be spending the holiday with them since she rented out a short-term rental with his ex-wife Christine Brown.

“I think they’re trying to shut me out because they’re mad at me,” Kody, 54, said.

Kody then vented to Meri, 52, and Robyn, 44, about his recent blowout argument with Janelle, 54, about who is to blame for the demise of their polygamous family.

He claimed to have “reached out to basically everybody,” including his estranged sons with Janelle. But he believes his adult sons with Janelle are “making up stories in their mind because they’re not talking to me.”

“Everybody’s got some story about how dad’s a bad guy, but we’re just having two groups at Christmas,” he said. “Listen, I was threatening to do this last Christmas.”

“What I gather from the things Janelle was throwing at me is that everybody is sort of making up a story about me and they’re talking to each other but they’re not talking to me about it,” he continued. “And now, they’re all mad at me.”

As Kody Brown Accused 2 of His Sister Wives of 'Colluding,' a Surprise 'Devil's Advocate' Came to Their Defense
Meri and Robyn Brown speaking with Kody Brown on ‘Sister Wives’. TLC

Meri then noted how Janelle originally “wasn’t going to be the in-between” for Christine, 51, and Kody. And while Kody wished Janelle wouldn’t do that, he said of his second wife: “She’s colluding with them.”

As Meri questioned whether Kody actually believed that Janelle and Christine were “colluding” against him, the family head said he “absolutely” felt this was the case. But Meri, despite calling Janelle and Christine’s recent behaviors “weird,” didn’t exactly agree with Kody’s take.

“Kody feels pretty angry and whenever you’re angry, you’re not gonna see any other perspective. You’ve got blinders on,” she told cameras. “But playing Devil’s advocate, maybe Janelle’s not colluding. I mean, when you use a word collude and when Kody uses it, like, it means everybody is batting up against him. And maybe she’s not doing that.”

From Kody’s perspective, “Christine and Janelle are doing everything they can to make it so that I’m not the head of the family, which is fine.”

Christine, however, told the cameras that she became the head of her household “out of necessity.”

As Kody Brown Accused 2 of His Sister Wives of 'Colluding,' a Surprise 'Devil's Advocate' Came to Their Defense
Kody Brown on ‘Sister Wives’. TLC

“I was the one that my kids would listen to and I was the one my kids talked to,” she continued. “And if they needed to feel love or security, acceptance, they got that from me.”

Kody, Meri and Robyn decided to spend Christmas Eve at Meri’s house and Christmas Day at Robyn’s home. Due to the tense state of the family, the trio agreed it’d be best to not invite Janelle and her children who were around.

This prompted Kody to declare he would “rather just be around people who really want to be around me,” saying he’s “not interested” in reaching out to Janelle, specifically right now, following their big fight.

The decision to leave family members out of this year’s Christmas celebrations was tough for Meri, who felt like she was being put in the “middle” by everyone.

As Kody Brown Accused 2 of His Sister Wives of 'Colluding,' a Surprise 'Devil's Advocate' Came to Their Defense
Meri Brown on ‘Sister Wives’. TLC

“I feel like I’m completely stuck in the middle, let’s be real,” she explained to Kody and Robyn. “I am in this place where, not saying this to be a jerk, I’m not saying anything. I’m just saying this is just is what it is. You’ve got Christine who left, you’ve got Janelle that you’re at odds with. I’m, like, the third whale because I’m just here. I don’t know what to do.”

Acknowledging her “awkward position” further, Meri told the cameras, “I’m not in the Kody and Robyn married club. I’m not in the Janelle and Christine friend club. If I had my way, the family would all get together and be together.”

Following Kody’s separation from Christine in November 2021, Janelle and Meri also ended their marriages with him. Robyn is now the only remaining wife.

The fallout amongst the family has been a focal point in Sister Wives‘ 18th season.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related articles

‘Sister Wives’: Robyn Worries Kody Has ‘Thoughts’ of Leaving Her as Family Drama Makes Him Want to ‘Disappear’

“It would absolutely devastate me if he tried to leave me,” Robyn Brown said of Kody Brown during Sunday’s ‘Sister Wives’ episode, later adding, “I know he…

Sister Wives’ Meri Brown on the Biggest Misconception About Her — and Why It Made Her Fight for Her Marriage (Exclusive)

“A lot of people look at it as because I waited so long, it means I have no confidence,” Meri said, before explaining why knowing her “value”…

Sister Wives’ Janelle Resists Kody’s Affection on a Birthday ‘Date’ When Cameras Went Dark

“I mean, all this effort to get to Mariposa and dress nice, specifically because I was looking for an edge into reconciliation,” Kody told cameras of his…

Sister Wives’ Kody Told Meri on Their Anniversary He Has ‘No Desire’ to Be with Her: ‘Never Going to Happen’

Sunday’s episode of ‘Sister Wives’ saw Meri and Kody reflecting on their rather awkward 32nd anniversary dinner — as well as their future together (L-R) Meri and…

Sister Wives’ Kody Told Meri on Their Anniversary He Has ‘No Desire’ to Be with Her: ‘Never Going to Happen’

Sunday’s episode of ‘Sister Wives’ saw Meri and Kody reflecting on their rather awkward 32nd anniversary dinner — as well as their future together (L-R) Meri and…

Sister Wives: Inside Kody Brown’s Agreement with Robyn to Release Her from Marriage If She’s Unhappy (Exclusive)

Despite having the agreement, Robyn Brown tells PEOPLE that she has “never thought” about leaving her marriage to Kody Robyn and Kody Brown. Robyn Brown is opening up…