Kody Brown admittedly doesn’t like being wrong, but he recently acknowledged that he’s made some mistakes as a parent. The Sister Wives star, who previously had four wives but now just has one, is dad to 18 children. During the Thursday, November 6 episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, Kody opened up about how “communication has ceased” with some of his kids. And it seems like he might possibly be ready to acknowledge how his behavior played a role in that.
Though Kody described the estrangement as “ceased” communication, one of his ex wives, Janelle Brown, offered a much harsher interpretation in December 2024. “Kody is alienated from 90 to 95 percent of his children,” she said at the time. “He is not really wanted at events. He is not coming regardless of who he brings or doesn’t bring with him.”
On Special Forces, Kody seemed to admit that he previously downplayed his role. Kody claimed that some of his kids turned against him, “rejected” him, and “offended” him. According to him, his kids “always got reciprocation.” He explained, “I felt like I gave all I had to my kids as long as they were engaging me.”
But when questioned about whether he’s actually taken responsibility, Kody got emotional and opened up more. He, at the very least, seemed to show some self-awareness. “I don’t want to admit that I’m wrong sometimes,” he said. “I don’t like being wrong.” He continued with, “There was a point in my life when I was concerned about everybody. I should have had a strong relationship with my children. I am in a place in my life now where I’m very willing to say that I’ve been wrong.”
Kody then went on to admit that he got fatherhood “wrong” in some ways. He said he thought he knew how to be a good father and husband, but he “didn’t know [expletive],” actually. And this made him defensive. “I really thought I did and I misunderstood that,” he admitted. “I did get it wrong in so many ways and I hated it. I hated being blamed for it — so it made me resistant to ownership.”
At this point, he would like to improve his relationships with his kids, he said. “I am sorry I have hurt or offended my children,” he said. “And that kind of humility I need back in my life.”
Though he did eventually seem to take some responsibility, he also blamed his complicated relationships with his own children on the fact that he had four wives. “I had four wives within the household,” he explained. “[That caused issues] within the family. There’s always the accusation that I was favoring one [child] over another… They were like, ‘I don’t need Dad or want Dad in my life.'”
