Is ‘Sister Wives’ Fake or Scripted? The Brown Family Weighs In Amid Speculation

Is Sister Wives fake? Since it premiered on TLC in 2010, it’s been one of the network’s most controversial shows. The reality series, which follows the polygamous Brown family, has been on TV for more than a decade now and fans still wonder if it’s scripted.

Many viewers of the show mostly just watch it for all of the drama involving Kody Brown, his wife, Robyn Brown, and his ex-wives Meri Brown, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown. Their family drama became especially intriguing when Christine announced her split from Kody after 27 years of marriage of marriage in November 2021. Just over one year later, both Janelle and Meri revealed they ended their marriages to the patriarch in December 2022.

But how real are all the tears, theatrics and catfishing? And could it be true that the show is fake? Typical of most reality shows, Sister Wives has its fair share of seemingly manufactured moments.

What Has the ‘Sister Wives’ Cast Said About the Show Being Fake?

Interestingly, Janelle all but squashed rumors that the series is fake in a tweet posted in March 2020. “We often forget the cameras are there,” the mom of six wrote amid season 14. “We have never scripted our show and occasionally things happen that get out of control fast. This was one of those times.”

Just a few months later, Christine’s daughter Mykelti Padron (née Brown) agreed Kody’s marital struggles with Meri are “real but blown up” for TV.

“But I don’t know their personal life,” Mykelti said in July 2020. “Between any of the siblings, individual siblings, individual parents or whatever, we really don’t know a lot of what goes on. We know what’s between us.”

According to Robyn’s former close friend Kendra Pollard-Parra, Kody and the sister wives previously had more problems behind the scenes. “Kody thinks of Janelle as more of a friend — she’s his buddy,” Kendra alleged to In Touch Weekly in April 2016. “Christine is a problem to him. And Meri, Kody can’t stand her.”

How Many Seasons of ‘Sister Wives’ Are There?

Season 18 of Sister Wives premiered in August 2023. While season 17 documented the end of Kody and Christine’s spiritual marriage, the most recent episodes are giving fans an inside look into the final months of Kody’s marriages to Janelle and Meri.