Here's the Breakdown of the 'My Three Wives' Darger Family's Polygamy Setup

When most people think of famous families who practice polygamy, the Brown family might come to mind. Starring in Sister Wives, Kody Brown and his multiple (former) wives are certainly one of the most public faces of the polygamist lifestyle.

But they are far from the only ones.

TLC's My Three Wives focuses on the Darger family, headed by patriarch Joe Darger and his three wives: Alina, Vicki, and Valerie. Here's what we know about the family's setup, as well as what Joe has to say about his friend Kody and all the drama the Brown family has dealt with in recent years.

Like all polygamist families, the Dargers consist of one man with multiple wives. For the Dargers, it's Joe and his three wives. Joe married his first two wives, Alina and Vicki, on the same day.

Then, 10 years later, he tied the knot with Vicki's twin sister, Valerie, after she went through a divorce.

The Darger family seems to be much more harmonious than the Brown family, although the two families are friends and they vacationed together on the TLC series.

Joe is more of a rigid taskmaster than Kody, who seemed content to sit back and give his wives a little more free rein over their lives.

In fact, this has been a sore point in the past. During the My Three Wives episode where the Browns and Dargers got together for a family vacation, Kody's wives praised Joe's structure and the discipline with which he runs his home.

Joe has hit another sore point with Kody over the years as well: He blames his friend for the chaos that led to multiple wives leaving the family.

In January 2023, Joe took to X (formerly Twitter) to discuss why he thinks Kody let it all fall apart.

He wrote, "Polygamy is often associated with patriarchy. Both terms in western culture are viewed negatively. Understand wording trips us up about patriarchy. There are differing ways men and women conceptualize and w[i]eld power."

Joe went on to explain that, for his family, they use a very strong patriarchal structure, with him in charge, as he and his wives believe that men and women complement one another and have different roles.

Kody, Joe feels, has violated this structure.

A fan asked Joe, "This is an absolutely serious question, not a judgment of any kind. With that said, I have seen here, and with @realkodybrown comments about how love is 'multiplied' by polygamy. Does it not seem that it is actually divided if you are a wife and multiplied if you’re the husband?"

To which Joe replied, "In Kody's case it seems he has let it become divided."

While it may have been hard for Kody to feel that his friend insulted him, the proof may be in the pudding. After all, Kody is down to just one wife, while Joe and his three wives seem to still be going strong.