'Sister Wives' Star Christine Brown Shares Final Straw That Made Her Leave Kody

Christine Brown ended her polygamous marriage with Kody Brown when he broke their daughter's heart.

There were various speculations about Christine and Kody's split, including their lack of intimacy, noticeable altercations over the years and lack of connection. However, for Christine, it was very simple — she decided to walk away when she realized Kody hurt their child's feelings.

In an interview with People, Christine, 50, opened up about her split from Kody after being together for 26 years. According to her, she couldn't bear it when he broke their teenage daughter's heart.

"He broke my little girl's heart," Christine told the magazine about the final straw that made her decide it was time to leave her husband.

In September 2020, their 19-year-old daughter Ysabel underwent major surgery to correct her scoliosis. The specialist was located out of state and required travel to New Jersey. Kody declined to join them due to the pandemic.

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

She continued, "I was there with Ysabel the whole time in New Jersey for the surgery. And I remember them pointing out, like, 'Are you here alone? Where's your husband?' I'm like, 'Oh, he's not here.' And they're like, 'Whoa, isn't that hard?' And I'm like, 'No, it's hard for her.' It's hard for Ysabel, but it's not hard for me.' 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."

Following their split, an insider told Us Weekly that it was not a shock since Kody and Christine "have grown apart." Sources close to them reportedly saw it coming, and one of the reasons was his being "completely devoted" to his fourth wife, Robyn Brown.

In "Sister Wives" Season 16, Christine didn't hide her unhappiness in her marriage. At one point she said, "Why would I wanna live on a property with a dysfunctional marriage while right over there he has a fully functional marriage. Who would ever want to live like that?" referring to Kody's happy family with Robyn.

"Sister Wives" fans were supportive of Christine when she decided to move on from Kody. Many said they were happy with her decision. Several even praised her for being a strong woman.

Christine told People they just made it work because "I believed in the team." She also admitted they just didn't lack the physical aspect of intimacy, they also didn't have that "layer of love, and commitment, and trust."

She realized she couldn't do things the way they were and had to figure out "to make the rest of my life how I want it." She also admitted that she thought for a while that she was being selfish but later realized she was not.

"'Is this selfish?' I realized, 'No, this is exactly what you should do. You should be in charge of your life.' It's scary, yes, because you don't know what it looks like, but it's a lot better than staying where you shouldn't be," she continued.

"Sister Wives" Season 17 premieres Sept. 11 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.