On the Sister Wives episode “Risking Arrest,” polygamist Kody Brown and three of his four wives return to Utah. They’re not there for a family reunion but to protest. The Browns left the state of Utah in 2010 for Nevada because in Utah polygamy is a third-degree felony which could land someone like Kody in prison for five years. But Kody risks arrest by going to the protest with his first three wives – Meri, Janelle, and Christine. His fourth wife Robyn stays behind with the kids. Kody is the father of 18 children, including Robyn’s three children from a previous marriage, who Kody adopted.
Knowing the risk, wife #3 Christine drew up all the paperwork that would give Robyn legal guardianship of the children. The rally which took place in February 2017 was held near the Latter-Day Saints Office Building in Salt Lake City. The legislation that the Browns protested – which amended the definition of bigamy in Utah and increased the maximum penalty to 15 years in prison — passed. Sister Wives airs Sundays at 8pm on TLC.
