‘Sister Wives’ star Kody Brown opens up about regrets, family, finale of 'Special Forces'
Gearing up for the finale of 'Special Forces'
TV personality Kody Brown talks season finale of "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test."
NEW YORK - Kody Brown isn’t holding back.
The "Sister Wives" star opened up in an interview with Good Day New York on Tuesday about Fox’s "Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test" as the reality competition nears its season 4 finale—confronting his divorces, strained family ties, and what the grueling series pulled out of him.
LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 10: Television personalities Kody Brown (C) and his wives, (L-R) Janelle Brown, Christine Brown, Meri Brown and Robyn Brown, attend Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas at Hard Rock Hotel's 25th anniversary celebration on October 10, 2015
"I had 18 kids with four wives," Brown said. "There’s been three divorces, and I would never do it again. I’d never marry again." The splits, he admitted, left "bad blood" in the family: "In some cases with my children, communication has ceased."
What he said::
"I had 18 kids with four wives," Brown said. "There’s been three divorces, and I would never do it again. I’d never marry again." The splits, he admitted, left "bad blood" in the family: "In some cases with my children, communication has ceased."
From polygamy to prime time
SPECIAL FORCES: WORLD'S TOUGHEST TEST: Kody Brown in the "Behind Enemy Lines" season premiere episode of SPECIAL FORCES: WORLD'S TOUGHEST TEST airing Thursday, Sept. 25 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)
Brown first rose to fame on TLC’s Sister Wives, which premiered in 2010 and followed his life as a polygamist husband juggling four wives—Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn—and their 18 children.
The series chronicled both the practical and emotional challenges of plural marriage as the family relocated from Utah to Nevada and later Arizona.
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 09: Kody Brown and Robyn Brown are seen on September 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by HIGHFIVE/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Over time, the relationships fractured.
Christine was the first to leave in 2021, followed by Janelle and Meri.
As of 2025, Brown remains married only to Robyn.
The once tight-knit clan has splintered publicly, with family drama and Brown’s perceived favoritism fueling years of fan debate.
‘They’re going to find you in every weakness’
LAS VEGAS, NV - APRIL 14: (L-R) Robyn Brown, Meri Brown, Kody Brown, Christine Brown and Janelle Brown from "Sister Wives" arrive at the grand opening of Mike Tyson's one-man show "Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth - Live on Stage" at the Hollywood Theatr
On "Special Forces," Brown said the competition tested him in unexpected ways.
"They’re going to find you in every weakness," he said, joking that he was "surprised they didn’t pull me out because of that hair."
He came in expecting "more physical" tests—then promptly got them. "I tore my hamstring on day three… a big fist-sized bruise [on the] back of my knee," he recalled, crediting teammate and soccer legend Christie Rampone for keeping him in the fight: "She kept me in the game and I kept going."
While the physical pain was real, Brown said the mental toll hit harder.
"It was way more mentally taxing," he admitted. "I started to fade into day five, six… I was fit and optimistic, but I was irritating my peers."
Children and divorce
PLYMOUTH, MA - SEPTEMBER 10: Kody Brown of Sister Wives visits Plymouth Beach on September 10, 2011 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. (Photo by Stephen J. Cohen/Getty Images)
In one emotional moment, Brown reflected on his past.
"My failures were because I didn’t know about being your dad and husband… I did it wrong in so many ways, and I hated being blamed for it."
He added, "All my children had a great relationship with me until the divorces… The children were the victims… it was just a natural movement that they moved away from me. And that hurt me."
Brown said Special Forces pushed him to confront those emotions. "If you’re partly culpable, you’re fully culpable," he said of his "military" mindset. "I went into it going, yeah, I was the problem… But in all reality, it’s to be shared with ex-wives."
Fans call the interview a backtrack
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 18: Kody Brown is seen during a segment of "Good Day New York" on November 18, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Simon/Getty Images)
Many Sister Wives viewers weren’t convinced.
Fans on Reddit accused Brown of walking back his earlier admissions of fault, arguing that the interview felt like another attempt to shift blame to his exes.
Several commenters described his "ownership" narrative as "performative," saying it contradicted his past remarks about the divorces.
Brown's look draws mixed reactions
Brown’s updated appearance also sparked online chatter.
After joking on air that producers wouldn’t "let me win with that hairdo," fans took to Reddit to critique the transformation—some calling it "weird," others saying he simply "looked different."
Addressing the NDA claim—and what’s next
Responding to reports that he asked one ex-wife to sign an NDA, Brown called the claim "so crazy," saying it stemmed from a lawyer during a "business transaction," not from the show.
As for reconnecting with his kids, he said he’s trying, even if it’s not easy. "When you start to heal a relationship that’s gone bad for years… it’s not pretty… but it’s progress."
The "Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test" season 4 finale airs Thursday on Fox.
The Source: This report is based on information from an interview with Kody Brown.