'Sister Wives' First Look: In​side Christine's Explosive Decision to Leave Plural Marriage

The series makes a dramatic return to TLC on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Sister Wives is back with an explosive new season, going inside Christine Brown's dramatic decision to leave Kody Brown and their plural marriage. In a trailer released on Monday, Christine gets candid about her reasons for leaving, Kody loses his temper, and the remaining sister wives get tearful over the fallout. 

"I feel like to Kody, Robyn's more important," Christine admits in a new clip, calling it "heartbreaking being [Kody's] wife for years." The two ended their 25-year spiritual marriage in November, as fans witnessed their union beginning to crumble on the show.

Now, Sister Wives picks right back up where it left off with a dramatic new season debuting on TLC on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. 

"You never tried to have a really good relationship with these other people!" Kody screams at one point. "And that's the reason I'm pissed off. Man! Just a knife in the kidney after all these years. The sacrifices that I made to love you!" 

Christine became Kody's third wife in 1994 and she shares six kids with him. But in November 2021, Christine announced her decision to divorce her ex after a difficult few years. 

At the time, Christine said in a statement, "Kody and I have grown apart and I have made the difficult decision to leave," noting that they will "continue to be a strong presence in each other's lives as we parent our beautiful children and support our wonderful family."

Kody also released a statement, saying, "Christine's decision to leave comes with a great deal of sadness. We enjoyed many years together and I have a large amount of respect and admiration for her. Although we are moving forward on different paths, we will always remain committed parents."

Christine had been shown becoming increasingly independent in recent seasons, distancing herself from Kody and his other wives, Meri BrownJanelle Brown and Robyn Brown

"I really like living separate. I like my own space," Christine told ET in February 2021, prior to the divorce news. "I like my own autonomy. I feel like I like me better now. And I just feel like I've been able to really raise my kids how I want to... I feel like as a person, I do better with a little more distance."

As for the moment that ended things between her and Kody, Christine recalled a conversation with her own father. 

"He said, 'At what point are you going to start saying no? You're always saying yes to everything. At what point are you going to start saying no?'" she recalled.

Noting that Kody didn't know how to handle this sudden change in his wife, Christine said, "I think that he heard but he had no idea what to do because I'd changed so much in a blink. Everything changed and Kody withdrew and I withdrew, and we just withdrew."

Kody was much less willing to discuss the split on camera, saying, "We can sit and say the 'he said, she said' until the cows come home. She's told you things that I fundamentally disagree with and all I'm doing now is defending myself."

He later added, "Now, I just look forward to [the] healing process, managing it and coming to a place where we're friends again. We had this experience and that's over and [now she can] have a good life."

The drama will all unfold on screen this season when Sister Wives returns. In addition to Christine kicking Kody out of her home, fans will see her breaking the news to the rest of the family as she is determined to move to Utah to be with her older children. Meanwhile, COVID continues to put a strain on all the family dynamics; Christine's daughter, Mykelti, gives birth; and Janelle buys a RV without telling Kody and moves onto their undeveloped Coyote Pass property. 

Sister Wives airs Sunday, Sept. 11 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on TLC. 

For more on the Browns, watch below. 

RELATED CONTENT: