Sister Wives concluded its 18th — and possibly final — season late last year, ending what has been the most dramatic season of the long-running reality series so far.
Season 17 ended with Kody facing a life-changing break-up, when his wife of 27 years, Christine, decided to leave him and their polygamist sect behind, moving from Arizona to their original home state of Utah, with their youngest daughter in tow. Over the course of season 18, Kody Brown failed to win back his ex-partner, and lost two more wives — Janelle and Meri, respectively — leaving him with just one wife, Robyn, by the season finale.
So, can Sister Wives survive now that the show no longer features the life of polygamy that the family revolves around? Can the series continue if its title is no longer accurate, or is it the end of the road for the Brown family’s time on television? Here’s what we know about a potential series 19 so far.
Will there be a Sister Wives season 19?
Season 18 of Sister Wives was not advertised as the final season of the show, and the show is typically filmed several months in advance. Even when the finale aired this week, the episode was not marketed as the last-ever episode.
However, as stated above, there is an issue over what the future of the series could possibly look like. With three separations and only one wife remaining, there are no so-called sister wives remaining. However, season 18 did offer a small clue on how this could work.
On season 18, Christine continued to appear on several issues of the series, despite splitting from Kody and leaving their Flagstaff home in the previous season finale. Christine met with Kody to discuss family plans and future get-togethers, and even recorded several confessional scenes offering her perspective on what was going on in Arizona, from her new home in Utah. She even showed off the at-home set for her followers on TikTok. Talk about working from home.
In theory, season 19 could take this approach. All three of Kody’s former wives could contribute to filming from their own respective homes, and get together to interact with one another in person with relatively little effort. Kody’s most recent ex-wife, Meri, has recently moved back to Utah, and Janelle, who seemingly still lives in Arizona, has met up with Christine back in their home state. The ex-wives appear to be very good friends, with Janelle recently revealing that she kept in contact with Christine constantly after she left their home, with the two revealing to People (filmed prior to Meri’s exit on the show) that they still consider one another sister wives, even without Kody.
With this in mind, it seems more likely that a nineteenth season could happen. While perhaps personal interaction may be slightly lower than usual, the sister wives share eighteen kids and six grandchildren between them, meaning they have good reason to keep in contact with one another. Additionally, the wives also generally lived separately on their Flagstaff family land during their time on the show, but they still found a way to interact frequently, so this isn’t too radical a change.
As of March 2024, the TLC network has not put out any kind of public statement about a new season. However, cast member Christine Brown, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight last November, discussed plans for the “next season”, explaining that they will film in their new, separate homes, but “there’s a few times where we’re in the same room together for the sake of the kids.”
Christine also had her own special on the TLC network in January of this year, showcasing her wedding to her new husband, David Woolley. If Christine’s own word wasn’t enough on its own, it seems that the network is visibly keen to continue producing stories of the Brown family, even after the polygamy element has been removed.
In March 2024, In Touch Weekly reported that Sister Wives had not suspended filming after the death of Garrison Brown, the son of Janelle and Kody Brown, which occurred earlier that month. What will happen to the footage surrounding this tragic event is yet to be determined, but hopefully, the Brown family will be given the privacy and respect that they deserve at this time.
An update from a member of the Brown family may be the confirmation Sister Wives fans were looking for
Ben Brown, a nephew of Kody Brown, shared an update with fans on TikTok, involving a date for Sister Wives’ return to TLC. Brown is a content creator and podcaster who details his upbringing in polygamy in his work, as his father is the brother of Kody, the series’ patriarch, and his family stayed in Kody’s original polygamist sect in Utah. In one video from June 15th, Ben states that he has been told that Sister Wives season 19 will premiere in August of this year.
In the video, Ben also admits that he does not watch the show, but is planning to start recapping episodes for his followers and adding his thoughts on its portrayal of polygamy. It should be noted that, as shown from what Ben states in the video, he does not have any direct ties to the production of Sister Wives, but his close proximity through his uncle and four aunts does make him a relatively credible source.