On a scale of 1 to 10, how much should we hate ourselves for wanting to watch Sister Wives, the new seven-part TLC series premiering Sept. 26 that follows Kody Brown, his three (soon to be four) wives, and their 13 (soon to be 16) children? Here’s an excerpt from the press release so you can give an accurate reading:
“Sister Wives introduces audiences to husband Kody — along with his three wives; Meri, Janelle, and Christine and their combined 13 children — showing how they attempt to navigate life as a ‘normal’ family in a society that shuns their lifestyle. From their unconventional family structure and living arrangements to financial challenges, each half hour episode exposes the inner workings of a polygamist household, revealing the unexpectedly tight-knit and loving relationships between Kody’s wives.
Sister Wives also captures the intense dynamics surrounding a man juggling three wives while attempting to keep it a secret from the outside world — but the general public is not the only challenge that the Brown family unit is facing. The series begins with Kody announcing plans to take on another wife and her three kids — and although expected, the news is met with mixed feelings. Meri, Janelle, and Christine were married before starting families so all of the children grew up as siblings. And for sixteen years, the Sister Wives have established their own role within the group and worked together to maintain a cohesive, loving unit. Bringing on a fourth wife could easily disrupt the balance, changing lives forever. The series chronicles the growing pains as Robyn and her kids assimilate into the family and the sister wives work through the insecurities and uncertainties that are inevitable to their chosen way of life.”
Yes, this show could be another sensationalized offering from the network that brought us the New Year’s Eve “Night of Sexual Taboo,” Or, it could be a riveting, unscripted look inside a polygamist household. I’m fascinated by how the fourth wife’s children will respond to their new family and how the first three wives might passive aggressively punish Kody. You?
This is really outrageous, to glamorize (by even filming) such a disgusting and ILLEGAL family. I grew-up in Utah and knew a polygamist family’s children at my high school and they hated their lives, and they were the MODERN polygamists that lived in separate households with their own mothers.
Polygamy is nothing but an excuse to sexually abuse women and young girls. It is illegal and TLC should be ashamed of themselves for filming it (and of course paying this family) and advertising it like a fun frolic with a different kind of family. This show should not be aired as people will get the wrong idea and start to think polygamist families are just loving huge families with tons of emotional support from your multiple mommies! These women are brainwashed and then they brainwash their children. No matter what they say on camera: “we love it!”, they don’t, they have no idea what a normal father or family unit is and they have no choice about leaving, no matter how much these people will act like they do. These parents should be arrested for participating in an ILLEGAL act, their children should be taken away and given a chance at a normal life, and TLC should be ashamed of filming it.
Its no more outrageous then Gay marriages! thats A LOT more icky then this! And FYI I am related to this family that TLC is filming about, Kody Brown is my uncle, I know of a FACT that he DID NOT just marry three women for sex and greed! I know for a FACT that he loves each and every one of them, and Loves all his kids. I also KNOW for a FACT that he would rather his kids have no religion in their lives at all then to live polygamy unwillingly. and I know for a FACT that if you watch the 7 episodes about this family with an OPEN MIND you too will see this.
No one in this family is “brainwashed” You’ll see that some of the older girls in this family are VERY much like any other teenage girl! that the two oldest boys are typical teenage jocks!
This family, although living differently then you do, have a very normal life. I KNOW that the kids love it. I KNOW this because I’ve known this family since they were all very young.
I agree that there are some polygamist families out there ARE “brainwashed” but this family is NOT one of them, neither is the family I was raised in, and neither are a GREAT DEAL MORE FAMILIES that I PERSONLY KNOW.
If you watch the show you will also see that they don’t always “love” it, there ar a lot of times you will see them having a hard time with the fact that Kody’s taking another wife.
It’s NOT easy to share you husband with 3 other women, but its what this family blieves is right. Just like the Amish believe its right to dress weird and live away from the world. America is supposed to be a free land, where people can believe and worship as they want. well, then, what gives you the right to change that?
All I ask is that you keep an open mind about this and don’t decide right off that its evil and wicked before you even know anything about it. Watch the show (its only 7 episodes) and then make your judgment.
My mind will open up when the wives can have a couple of extra husbands on the side. I know for a FACT that you’re a fool, particularly about gay marriage.
I don’t see how you can know that for a FACT, seeing as you don’t even know my name.
And gay marriage- i don’t even care.
“Just like the Amish believe its right to dress weird”…dress weird? “Outrageous” gay marriages? Puh-lease. Polygamy not only is ‘weird’ AND ‘outrageous,’ it simply highlights the fact that those people would rather choose to ignore the fact that they are evolved and live as animals. ONLY animals spread their seed with multiple partners knowlingly, willingly, and believing it to be ‘god’s will.’ You belittle homosexuals and amish people without turning the mirror and seeing just how pathetic your beliefs and values truly are. If you wanted people to be as ‘open-minded’ as you pleaded, then you should practice what you preach.
Just because more homosexuals and amish are more socially evolved and aware that there’s a bigger picture then simply spreading your seed does not mean they are ‘weird.’ You, C, are an idiot. I’d recommend growing up and trying to see the big picture, but inbreeding has clearly played a role in your life, so I’ll just sit back and let evolution destroy your genepool. Hopefully, at least.
K, Steph, You don’t need to be a B***H to me about it. I am not “inbread” -This I know for a “FACT”
I did not mean to “belittle” Gays and Amish, i ment to use them as excamples.
I have some very good gay’lez friends, hence i don’t care if they’re gay… And admit it- you probably wouldn’t go around dressed in 19th century clothes.
But that’s the way they believe.
Polygamist believe that they should have more then 1 wive.
The first people that came to America came so that they could worship how they wanted. That’s what Kody Brown’s family is trying to do- be allowed to live they way they believe.
And -Steph- thank you for pointing out the big picture- it doesn’t matter what you may think- I know who I am, and that my beliefs are odd to closed minded people such as yourfelf- but I don’t really care. I love my life- My illigal family- and my “inbreeding” which is very untrue in my case. So I’ll gladly let “evolution” (which I believe to be a stupid lie) ruin my genepool- since I’m healthy and will never mix my DNA with someone that shares it.
But you have a good life too- See you in heaven and then will decided who was right and who was close-minded.
Amen, Kami
“C.”, first of all the term is narrow minded. It’s basically impossible to be “close-minded” seeing as you would need to be almost one celled to be that way. And she’s not being a bitch or be narrow minded. You both have rights to your opinions and it’s not worth fighting over because it’s not going to get solved. Just accept that neither of you are entirely correct or entirely incorrect and move on.
Although I would like to point out that there is some very convincing evidence pointing to evolution’s existence. But, that’s just science speaking and we obviously don’t need science when we have such great belief systems in our country. And it is good that you yourself don’t practice incest; It’s just unhealthy. (my opinion)
I can’t wait for the show to start this weekend. You will get no bashing from me. I’m a married mother of one. I live in Utah. But I’m not LDS or a polygamist. I think people should be able to live their lives they way they want to, as long as they aren’t hurting anyone. These aren’t under aged girls being forced to marry and consummate the marriage, and pop out a baby before they even turn 16! They are adults, making adult decisions. I am pleased they are shining a light on more modern version of polygamy. I hope it brings forth some acceptance.
Mormon fundamentalism teaches that people of African descent were evil in the “pre-existence”
It also teaches that a woman must be a plural wife to enter heaven.
Mormon fundamentalism is at its core a racist and sexist religion.
These women do not enter plural marriage of their own free will, they enter plural marriage to achieve their salvation.
Thus their form of plural marriage is coercive and sexist.
well i think it is discusting that this cody thinks he is a raven beauty,since he can have all these extra wifes then why cant the women dates and have extra husbands, this portrays his as controlling and a dictator, and also i heard they all were being investgated for bigamy….
How ignorant are you trying to bring up the word GAY into this. @ least GAY ppl are in love with 1 person. And, is a disgrace you have the nerve to use the word OPENMINDED, when indeed your not even open minded about GAY PPL. how about you go teabag your uncle balls. FACT IS NOT ILLEGAL TO YOU AS HIS NIECE. gross!
This all seems very harsh, and I don’t want to argue about anything that has been said because I believe everyone has the right to their own opinion. But Kody is also my uncle, and I am a female who was raised in a polygamist home. I can tell you that I have not been “brainwashed” and have not been ostracized for not choosing this way of life. My very large family still loves and accepts me even though I do not believe the way they do.
I personally don’t find this show any more disgusting than the shows that allow people to shoot up or huff on television (a real illegal activity), or shows like Maury who exploit child abusers (and let them go) or the men who have children with multiple women without the commitment. Our world is full of “disgusting” things, but if we didn’t put it on television then there would be nothing to watch!
I personally believe that the reason I live in America is because of the great diversity and my ability to choose how I want to live. I applaud TLC for shining a positive light on polygamy because I know that not all polygamist groups are “bad, brainwashed, or molesting perverts.”
I love my family even though I might not agree with how they live. I consider all of Kody’s children my cousins and all of his wives my aunts. They are all amazing people!
And to “polygamy is not entertainment” – I remember life before my dad married another woman. I’ve experienced what you call “normal father and family unit” and I love my other mother. She has been involved in my life through high school and in college. She is just as much a part of my life as my biological mother. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Just to reiterate, I made the choice not to live this way, and my family still accepts me. So we do have the choice to leave if anyone of us so chooses. And I guarantee that these children have a almost perfectly normal life
But they all have the free agency to choose as they please.
I think that it’ll be interesting to see how America reacts to a good polygamist family being shown, and if you find it repulsive, then don’t watch it….no one is forcing you. But if you want to learn about something new and keep an open mind about others religious views and beliefs, then you might enjoy this show. I personally enjoy learning about others that live in this country, because it makes me a more knowledgeable, well-rounded person.
Bravo on your articulate statement and standing up for your family and their beliefs. I find the show fascinating and I believe that they are very brave for allowing their lives which are controversial to be shown on television for the nation to see, for the sake of steering away growing narrow minded opinions.
Mormon fundamentalist polygyny is sexist, in that it teaches a woman must be a plural wife to enter heaven.
These plural wives would not choose polygyny if it did not guarantee “their salvation” so they have not made a choice of their own free will.
As for Kody, he, like other male polygynists, is a narcissist.
His first and legal wife has stated that she would leave her marriage if not for her daughter.
Meri’s daughter has stated that she would never choose to be a plural wife when she gets married.
That alone tells me that all is not right in Kody’s marital life, contrary to the assertions of Kody’s “nieces” who post here.
whatever.
I don’t know where you get your info, but -first- it wasn’t Meri’s daughter that said that. And so what if “all is not right in Kody’s marital life” is anybodies marrage perfect? No.
I am in fact Kody’s niece and i have known the whole family my entire life, and yes, like every family, they’ve had rough spots, but they all love each other, and if you know the meaning of that word then you should be able to see it in plane sight by watching the show.
C. I really have to agree with you & your realitives this is America.If this is what they so choose and each and every child is not abused and loved so what that Dad AKA Kody chooses 3/4 wives. I personally would not want sister wives but it’s intresting how the Browns can make a go of it. I like the show and will be watching the second season on Sunday!!
i really wonder that how TLc allowed that such this program comes to TV.it`s the most disgusting thing that you can watch on Tv,especially for kids because as you know Tlc is a family channel and every ages may watch this program,so how can you explain to your kids that there is such a ugly family lives in US.
about that man, i think by law he has to spend his life in jail because his soul is nastier than a murderer.i have something for him to say : GO TO HELL
I have never read anything so dumb in my life.Lots of woman chose this life. It is a choice and we live in the USA and should be able to see God and know Him in anyway we chose
While we are on the subject of what is not allowed by law I live in a state where any kind of sex besides male-female with the man on top is by law not allowed but do you see people in homesexual relationships going to jail or losing thier kids no. Why if I loved a man who had a wife and married him would I go to jail bc it is aginst the law but if I loved a woman would I not?
Ugh. Discovery or TLC did a special on a similar family in Texas a few years ago. There were 2 wives and the husband was trying to bring in a third. It did not go well and in the end he ended up without any of the three. He had been with the first 2 for over 15 years. He was pretty disgusting.
If they are trying to keep their arrangement a secret from the outside world, why are they going to be on TV? Won’t everyone know what they look like now?
This.
I was wondering the same thing. “Secret” and “reality show” don’t go very well together.
They’re trying to make people see that its not as evil and wicked as the people down in TX have been.
The gays have been able to be accepted in most parts of the Country, this family is taking a BIG risk trying to do the same thing. Even though a lot of other polygimst families are mad at them for it.
I don’t get it, how are they going to pull this off if polygamy is illegal? or is they’re living in secret? I’m confused. Can somebody explain?
According to a poster named “s-k-s” on another board; it’s only illegal if you try to register more than one marriage certificate or claim more than one spouse for government beefits (According to another poster named “Diggity” this includes welfare benefits).
Living and procreating and calling yourself “religiously married” to more than one woman is completely legal.
Kody is only Legally married to Meri (his first wife), the other three and only married in their polygamous church. There is no legal binding of any kind. However, they were recording at his newest marriage ceremony, so he may get in trouble for that one…
It’s likely that he’s only legally married to one of the women and they just accept the others. You don’t have to have a monogamous relationship if you’re married.
on a totaly unrelated side note mandi: can you please watch the burlesque trailer that was just released on imdb and TELL ME IT’S NOT THE MAKING OF SHOWGILRS THE SEQUEL (minus the boobs, equality of same poor acting skills…why tucci? why???)
yes!!
I haven’t seen anything about this until now, and, I’m sorry, but I think this would be fascinating. I don’t know anything about this way of life. It strikes me as a sad, and for the women, helpless life. How do they function? Where do they get the reinforcement for their delusions? How do they live in a world that treats them like third-class citizens and works them like donkeys? What are their daily lives like? If the show delves into issues, rather than who’s sleeping with whom, it would be instructive.
On a scale of 1 to 10? You get an 11. I know it’s an impossible dream, but I would love to see the reality TV machine stop being fed.
I’d rather see this unfolding on Big Love.
I dont see the big deal about Polygamy, afterall there is a huge push to legalize Gay marriage…And that is in no way a “traditional marriage”.Polygamy is no worse than Gay marriage is – providing that everyone involved are consenting adults. So lets stop with the double standards…Polygamy should be legalized if Gay marriage is
how about neither ??? Mk
!!!
In many states including Utah and Texas, you can be arrested for bigamy for merely “purporting” to marry more than 1 spouse. There have been some prosecutions in Utah and Wendell Neilsen-FLDS president is going on trial next month on bigamy charges even though his youngest bride was 48. However, it is only Mormons who are subject to prosecution.
Until recently, Gays were thought of as all being child molesters and a threat to marriage. Now it is the polygamists’ turn to be on the receiving end of hatred and persecution.
if you want a look at the polygamy life, fictionalized i guess, Big Love is on HBO. It is about a man Bill, with three wives. Great series
For the ones who think that polygamy is wrong you should consider being more open minded. As long as the women are consenting adults and the children are raised to know love and compassion then more power to them. There seems to be a lot of hate in these comments towards this family and their way of life. Several have compared gay marriage to this as a life style choice. My opinion of gay marriage is that it should be illegal since there is no way for them to procreate and it sends the wrong message to children about the proper foundation a family stands on. Someone mentioned polygamist families were like animals but gays, even in nature’s standards, are wrong and defective considering that the square peg does not fit the round hole. Don’t misinterpret my post as hating gays but if they can fight for the right to marry then why can’t a polygamist family have the right to show that their life style is not wrong. I think that a family with more wives is most likely a more stable one. I’m not sure how he handles this life though since I have my hands full with the one I have.
Actually, there are MANY MANY instances of homosexuality in the animal kingdom. Look at penguins, elephants, and even apes. The idea that procreation should be the basis for marriage, implies that a post-menopausal woman or a man with testicular cancer who had to have his testes removed should not be able to get married, and I don’t see anyone lobbying for that. Furthermore, there are lots of ways to make a family. I think polygamists, gays, whatever should be able to marry as long as everyone has the ability to consent to the situation. This means no one underage, no animals, etc.
I just have a comment for “Polygamy is NOT Entertainment”—How do you know so much about what goes on in a polygamist family? Have you ever been raised in one? No, you simply “knew a polygamist family’s children…and they hated their lives…” Teenagers everywhere hate their lives, whether they’ve been raised in a polygamist setting or not. I grew up in the same church as Kody Brown and his family, and I chose not to believe that way; my parent’s do, and they let me choose what I wanted to believe; I was never brainwashed, and neither are Kody Brown’s wives! Everyone bases their opinion of polygamy off of Warren Jeffs and his group in Texas, but not all polygamist groups are the same. And I also want to point out to people, that women and children get sexually abused in EVERY RELIGION. And to Steph-polygamists aren’t animals. Sure they’re “spreading their seed”, but they are taking care of them, just like all parents.
Why aren’t these women allowed to have multiple husbands? Joseph smith married a woman who already had a husband. that would have made her a polyandrist. Why noT?
Joseph Smith also was involved in polygamy for 2 years before he even told his wife Emma, he lied to her the whole time which didnt even give her an option. He origionally denounced it, then he got around a little and suddenly changed the docterine. He also stole the entire mason ceremony and used it for the temple ceremony which is why the masons were after him….quite a con artist.
blah get over yourself, you obviously practice it, because I was brought up in it too, and I was ALWAYS disgusted by it, your way of downplaying what it is like isnt ever realistic. It was humiliating, I didnt let any friends come over, I didnt want anyone to know! It was and still is the same way for my siblings. I would trade normal teen problems in any day of the week then ever live through that again. Hell is a good word for it.
Just becuase you hated growing up in this life-style doesn’t mean it’s hell for all of us. But i know how you feel, my best friend has the same feelings about it, and everyone has different experences growing up like this. but, for me at least, i wouldn’t trade it for any other life in the world.
After Gay Mariage, why not?
Lets finish the job on destroying traditional mariage.
It is disheartening to see the hateful, vitriolic and generally ignorant comments on this site re: the religious observance of polygamy (polygyny). I have lived many years and well remember the angry attacks on gays because “of course” they were all lawbreakers and pedophiles. Most of you are advancing the same argument with regard to polygamy and I wonder, how many of you have worked closely with these families? Because of the nature of my work within the health care system, I have known many families from four different polygamous groups very closely and intimately and I have tremendous respect for them. The vast majority of the families I have known have been functional and happy. I am surprised and dismayed that this level of prejudice so limits the thinking of some posters that they forget how tortured many monogamous families are from issues of divorce, incest, and domestic violence. My work takes me everywhere, and for that I am grateful. Best keep your opinions to yourself until you have much more experience with the people who live polygamy. Some are terrible, but most are honest, hardworking and devoted to their families and their religious principles.
Thanks for this post. It is true! These mariages should be recognized! Who are we to judge them. Ignore the hate-mongering Polygamy-Phobics.
Next-Up: Beastiality!
(Who says the sheep don’t like it, The govnmnt. should stay out of the bedroom and the barnyard.)