Sister Wives Kody Brown Breaks Down on Special Forces Over ‘Failures’ as a Father

For years, Sister Wives viewers have seen Kody Brown juggle the complexities of a plural marriage and fatherhood.

But in a rare, vulnerable moment on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, the 57-year-old reality star stripped away the defenses and confronted something he’d long avoided—his failures as a father.

In PEOPLE’s exclusive preview of the November 6 episode, Kody breaks down during an intense conversation with former U.S. Marine Rudy Reyes, who doesn’t shy away from pressing questions. “Do you feel that you’re taking your proper responsibility in the fallout of your kids?” Reyes asks.

“I don’t want to admit I’m wrong sometimes,” Kody confesses, visibly emotional. “I don’t like being wrong.”

Confronting Harsh Truths on National TV

What follows is a tense but revealing exchange. As Kody insists there was once a time he cared deeply for everyone in his family, former SAS Operator Mark “Billy” Billingham interjects sharply: “You’re concerned about everybody as long as they sang to your tune. As long as they agree with everything you believe in. I don’t think you’re being honest with me.”

Caught off guard, Kody pauses before admitting, “I’m the discrepancy. I should have had a stronger relationship with my children.”

When the instructors urge him to take full ownership of his mistakes, the Sister Wives patriarch opens up further. “I’m at a place in my life now where I’m very willing to say that I’ve been wrong,” he says, breaking down in tears. “My failures were because I didn’t know about being a good dad and husband, and I thought I did. I really thought I did, and I misunderstood that. I did it wrong in so many ways, and I hated being blamed for it, and so it made me resistant to ownership.”

Reyes calls his mindset “very adolescent,” while Billingham doesn’t sugarcoat his advice either: “When you really f—— own that, you’ll do something about it. Dig deep and keep going.”

“Yes,” Kody responds quietly, acknowledging the truth of their words.

A Complicated Family Legacy

Kody’s emotional reckoning comes after years of family turmoil. The reality star shares 18 children with his four wives—three former and one current.

He has Leon with Meri; Logan, Madison, Hunter, Gabriel, Savanah, and the late Garrison (who tragically died by suicide in 2024) with Janelle; Aspyn, Mykelti, Paedon, Gwendlyn, Ysabel, and Truely with Christine; and Solomon and Ariella with Robyn.

Kody also adopted Robyn’s three children from her previous marriage—David, Aurora, and Breanna.

After Christine’s departure in 2021 and subsequent separations from Janelle and Meri in 2022, Kody’s once-large family dynamic fractured, leaving him emotionally isolated and searching for answers.

A Moment of Reckoning

His appearance on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test appears to be more than just a test of endurance—it’s a reckoning. The intense training and mental challenges have forced Kody to confront parts of himself that fame, pride, and polygamy may have buried.

The episode airs Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX, where viewers will see a side of Kody Brown that’s far more raw and human than the confident patriarch fans once knew.

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