Cody Brown, the antagonist of Sister Wives, is notorious for mistreating his wives, especially his first wife, Mary Brown. Before season 19 of the show, Mary, at the age of 19, married Cody, who was 21 at the time. Their religion encouraged polygamy, so they decided to marry multiple people. Cody soon married Janelle Brown, Christine Brown, and later Robyn Brown, who became his fourth wife.
For years, Cody treated Mary with cold indifference. He stopped giving her attention and refused to work on their relationship issues. Mary was left to watch as Cody flourished in his relationships with the other wives, particularly Robyn, while her marriage with him deteriorated. Eventually, Christine, Janelle, and Mary all left Cody, leaving him in a monogamous marriage with Robyn.
Mary and Cody’s marriage was strained by her infertility. She was the first to marry Cody but had to endure the pain of seeing Janelle and Christine conceive children before her. Mary eventually gave birth to their only child, Leon Brown. Although Mary considered expanding their family, Cody later expressed that he had no desire to have more children with her, despite his enthusiasm to have more children with Robyn. This revealed how little their marriage meant to him.
One pivotal moment for the Brown family came when Mary made the painful decision to legally divorce Cody so he could marry Robyn and adopt her children. Although Mary’s act of sacrifice was significant, she did not receive the respect she deserved. Cody and Robyn had a modest, secret wedding, distancing themselves from the rest of the family, which only further alienated the other wives.
Another turning point came when Mary got involved in an online catfishing incident. She formed an emotional bond over the internet, seeking the attention she wasn’t receiving from Cody. However, it was later revealed that the person she was talking to was not who they claimed to be. Despite initially showing little interest, Cody used the incident as a pretext to further push Mary away, holding her accountable for the affair and refusing to mend their relationship.
After years of trying to salvage the marriage, Mary ultimately decided to leave Cody. While Cody expressed regret over their 30-year relationship, his actions suggested that he didn’t value their time together. In season 19 of Sister Wives, Mary is set to reclaim her independence, finally breaking free from Cody’s control and mistreatment to pursue her own happiness.
