After nearly two decades of drama, heartbreak, and shifting alliances, TLC’s Sister Wives is gearing up for its landmark 20th season—and if the trailer is any indication, the Browns’ story is far from over. The new season premieres September 28, and it promises a mix of raw emotions, surprising encounters, and some very familiar conflicts.
Kody Brown Reconsiders His Stance on Plural Marriage
At the end of last season’s tell-all, Kody Brown declared with conviction that he would “never try plural marriage again.” But the latest trailer suggests he hasn’t completely shut the door. Sitting down with Robyn—his only remaining wife—he admits, “I got another one of those emails from some woman, asking sort of, like, to get to know us for the purpose of joining the family.” Robyn, who has been vocal about mourning the collapse of her husband’s marriages to Meri, Janelle, and Christine, doesn’t look thrilled by the prospect. “I had a different plan for my life,” she reflected in the tell-all. “I was going to live a plural marriage. I was going to be a part of a big picture, a big family. That’s been taken away from me.” Still, she insists her loyalty hasn’t wavered: “I always choose Kody. However it is, it’s with Kody.”
Kody himself seemed emphatic—at least for the cameras—that he won’t be marrying again: “Hell no. And I’ll tell you why: Because we already failed.” But fans know the family patriarch has a habit of contradicting himself.
Ex-Wives Move On—But Old Grievances Linger
While Kody and Robyn wrestle with the idea of family expansion, his former wives are busy reclaiming their independence. Meri is cautiously stepping into the dating scene, even attending a speed-dating event with the encouragement of her best friend Jenn. The two share giggles like teenagers, with Jenn teasing her to make a snorting noise to impress potential suitors. Christine, meanwhile, seems blissfully settled with her husband David Woolley. Over lunch, she jokes that he and Kody could hang out. David’s quick “Nah!” and headshake is met with Christine’s laughter—though in an unexpected twist, the trailer later shows the two men spending time at a racetrack.
As for Janelle, she appears ready for transformation. “I think I need to get out,” she confesses to a friend, who suggests a new hairstyle to signal a fresh chapter. Soon after, she’s seen letting loose in New Orleans, tossing beads from a balcony. Later, in a video call with Meri, Janelle announces she’s prepared to pursue a spiritual divorce. Meri, surprisingly supportive, responds, “I love that you’re doing this, Janelle.”
Coyote Pass Showdown
Of course, no season of Sister Wives would be complete without a family standoff—and this time, it centers on the long-debated property at Coyote Pass. “This is bulls–t,” Robyn declares in frustration. “I’m not selling this land until everything is perfectly fair and we do this the right way. Sorry.” But fairness seems impossible to agree on. Christine flatly tells David, “I don’t want to talk to Kody ever again.”
Janelle admits to her daughter Madison, “I really want to tell him that we’ll never be friends.” And Meri drives the point home with a Taylor Swift-inspired mic drop: “We are never, ever, ever getting back together.”
For Kody, it’s yet another bitter reminder of what’s been lost. As he admits in a confessional, “Listen, I have this wife. Her name is Robyn. And she would never let me do anything naughty as bad as I want to do it,” before letting out a mischievous laugh.
TLC teases that the family will be “more emotionally raw than ever.” After 19 seasons, the Browns might be more fractured than united—but that’s exactly why fans will be tuning in. Sister Wives returns Sunday, September 28 at 10/9c on TLC.
