Christine Brown Reveals the Breaking Point in Her Marriage With Kody

Season 16 of TLC's Sister Wives ended on a cliffhanger in February 2022, with a huge announcement from Christine. Evidently it was time for her to move on from the family of 23, because sometimes you just have to focus on yourself. Heck, maybe you just want to focus on less than 10 people. Why did Kody and Christine Brown divorce? We have to assume personal space is involved in some way.

In November 2021, a full three months before the Season 16 finale aired, Christine announced via Instagram that she was leaving Kody.

"After more than 25 years together, Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave," she revealed. "We will continue to be a strong presence in each other's lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family. At this time, we ask for your grace and kindness as we navigate through this stage within our family."

The message was posted as text over an image of a setting sun that is just a tad too on the nose. The caption below simply stated, "Thanks for your understanding and compassion."

In his own Instagram statement, Kody responded with this text and no caption: "Christine's decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness. We enjoyed many years together and I have a large amount of respect and admiration for her. Although we are moving forward on different paths, we will always remain committed parents."

In an exclusive interview with People, Christine opened up about the breaking point in her and Kody's marriage. And the Sister Wives star pinpointed it to September 2020 when their daughter Ysabel had surgery for her scoliosis. Kody opted not to join Christine and Ysabel in New Jersey for the procedure because of the risk for COVID-19 exposure.

"I really find it hard to stay with a guy who I don't respect," Christine told People in August 2022. "I understood COVID, and why he couldn't come, but she didn't. And she still has a really hard time with it."

The mom of six went on to explain that medical professionals also found it odd that her husband wasn't there for Ysabel's major surgery. They even asked her if it was difficult not having Kody there with them. "And I'm like, 'No, it's hard for her.' It's hard for Ysabel, but it's not hard for me,'" Christine explained.

She continued: "It was a good wake-up call. In the end I would've preferred to have him there, of course, because it's what Ysabel needed. But I didn't need him anymore."

She also cited a lack of intimacy in their home. "It's over. The intimate part of our marriage is over," she shared.

Tune in to the Season 17 premiere of Sister Wives at 10 p.m. EST on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, on TLC, or on the Discovery Plus app.