Getty Kody Brown and his family.
Since Sister Wives premiered on TLC in 2010, fans have been invested in the saga of the Brown family. Kody Brown and his wives Meri, Christine, Robyn & Janelle have 18 children overall, which may cause fans to wonder just how much the patriarch of the Brown family makes on an annual basis.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Kody Brown has an estimated net worth of $800K. Find out what he likes to spend on, as well as the various financial troubles he’s encountered over the years, by reading on below.
1. He Had an Ad Sales Job Before Landing the ‘Sister Wives’ TV Series
Before Sister Wives premiered in 2010, Kody worked at an ad salesman. According to Radar Online, he earned $4K a month from the position. He quite working as a salesman shortly after the series aired, however, and has since dedicated his time and effort to profiting from his celebrity status. The Cheat Sheet reports that the bulk of his income is from his Sister Wives salary.
On average, reality TV families earn about 10 percent of a show’s per-episode budget, and TLC spends an estimated $250K to $400K per episode. That means Kody and the rest of the family make an estimated $375K annually. On the official Brown family website, Kody states explains their TV show and what they wish to convey to viewers.
“We have chosen to live in a plural family for many different reasons, above all we have a testimony that this is what God wants us to do and it will make us better people,” he wrote. “Our faith is very important to us and it is intertwined into our daily lives.
We value family above all else. We try to spend as much time together as possible. As our children get older we respect that they will make different choices for their lives.”
“Regardless of those choices we will always love them and include them in our family,” he added. “We honor, respect and love everyone in our family. Our children should respect and be obedient to all the mothers in our family. The mothers should treat all the children fairly. The children are all brothers and sisters and should treat each other as such.”
2. Each of His Wives Have Varying Incomes & Net Worths of Their Own
In addition to his own net worth, Kody’s various wives have incomes and careers of their own. Meri Brown has become a spokeswoman for LuLaRoe products over the past few years. In a 2016 Facebook post when she was first hired, she wrote: “Training is fabulous. I am blessed and so happy to be on this #LuLaRoe journey with @lularoemaile and so many other fabulous women who only want to bless and build others up.”
In 2017, Meri opened Lizzie’s Heritage Inn, a bed and breakfast located in Parowan, Utah. She has an estimated net worth of $400K. “It has been a long time dream of mine to get the home back into the family and after a lot of work,” she wrote on Instagram to commemorate the B&B opening. “And when I say a lot, a mean a LOT, it is back in my family where it belongs!”
Janelle Brown has a real estate business, and like Meri, has an estimated net worth of $400K. In 2012, Starcasm reported that Janelle and her fellow sister wives would be partnering with LIV International, and opening up a gym and health website with Las Vegas personal trainer Bill Suesz. The website was to be called Fundamental Fitness, but the link is no longer operational.
3. He & Ex-Wife Meri Filed Joint Bankruptcy In 2005 When They Claimed They Only Had $15 to Their Name
Despite the success the Brown family has seen since they’ve starred on Sister Wives, Kody has dealt with financial woes in the past. Radar Online reports that Kody and his first wife Meri filed joint bankruptcy in 2005. The couple claimed they only had $15 to their name and $229,873 in debt from various mortgages and credit card bills.
This included owing $229,873.49 to creditors, an estimated $137K in mortgages on their home in Powell, Wyoming, roughly $7,300 in car loans, and an estimated $40K in credit card debt. In addition to these debts, Kody and Meri owed $2,800 at Sears department stores, $1,300 at Best Buy, and a whopping $8K at Home Depot.
The case was closed on December 7, 2007, and Kody and Meri was ordered to pay $187,885.74 to their creditors and attorneys. This is not the only time the Brown family has filed for bankruptcy. Janelle also filled in 1997, and third wife Christine did likewise in 2010.
4. He Faced Six-Figure Debt In 2016 After Paying Hospital Bills for Robyn’s Son Dayton
Kody once again found himself in legal trouble in 2016 when Robyn’s son Dayton was involved in a serious ATV accident. “Dayton had a horrific ATV accident and had to go through extensive surgery to repair his face,” said family friend Kendra Pollard, who suggested that the cost of the surgeries affected the family’s overall financial state.
Due to the high volume of unpaid hospital bills, Pollard told Life & Style Magazine that a lien was placed on Robyn’s home in Las Vegas. Pollard goes on to claim that Kody is keenly aware of these issues, and has gone about adding different elements to the Sister Wives series to boost ratings. “He’s been under so much pressure because his entire livelihood depends on Sister Wives,” she explained.
5. He Previously Ran a Detox Business & Is a Published Author
In addition to being a TV star, Kody briefly ran a detox business. According to Bustle, the detox line was open to the public in 2014 and marketed with a slogan that read: “Detox the world one family at a time.” The link to the official LiveOnline website no longer works. Cheat Sheet also reports that Kody owned a computer programming company called Bricksoft, which is now defunct. In 2012, Kody wrote the book Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage along with Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn.
Amazon describes the book as follows: “With the candor and frankness that have drawn millions to their show, they reveal exactly how their special relationship works—the love and faith that drew them together, the pluses and pitfalls of having sister wives, and the practical and emotional complications of a lifestyle viewed by many with distrust, prejudice, even fear.”