‘Sister Wives’ Star Christine Brown Reveals $450,000 Medical Debt From Daughter’s 2014 Hospitalization; Fans Slam Kody Brown For Not Having Insurance

“It’s fine. I’m fine. Everything is fine.”

Sister Wives patriarch Kody Brown isn’t exactly known for making great financial decisions; however, it appears his bad judgement goes beyond making bad real estate deals. 

According to The Sun, Kody’s third wife Christine Brown revealed this week that a 2014 hospital visit for her daughter Truely left her with $450,000 in medical bills due to Kody not having health insurance for her at the time. 

And in other news: the sky is blue…

Christine shared the story behind her massive medical debt this week on Facebook Live, explaining that she took her then three-year-old daughter to the hospital in 2014 for what she thought was the flu; however, Truely was ultimately diagnosed with acute kidney failure and dehydration and had to be hospitalized for 11 days. (The incident was shown on an episode of ‘Sister Wives.’) 

Because Christine and Kody reportedly did not have health insurance at the time, the hospitalization resulted in a $450,000 medical bill – one for which Christine still receives debt collection calls to this day. 

Fans criticized Kody for saddling Christine with such a large amount of debt, with some pointing out that Kody married his fourth wife, Robyn, in 2010 – four years before Truely was hospitalized – in order to add her three children from a previous relationship to his insurance plan. 

“Well this is awkward… “

The news of Christine’s long-standing medical debt comes just two months after she told fans she needed to raise $50,000 for a down payment on her daughter’s surgery. At the time, Christine did not disclose which child would be having surgery, but it is likely that she was referring to her teenage daughter Ysabel, who suffers from scoliosis. 

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you feel like sunshine- i really like that <3

A post shared by Ysabel Brown (@ysabelpaigebrown) on

Christine said the money earned from her online clothing store would go toward the down payment for the surgery and she thanked those who had made purchases for “making it happen.” 

“$50,000 for a down [payment] was so daunting, so I decided to just work hard,” she said at the time. “Just work really, really, really hard and we’re like halfway there…I can’t thank you enough for all your purchases and you helping my family and my daughter … .“ 

While Christine was busy hawking legging purchases online, fans questioned (as they did again this week) why Kody didn’t appear to be pitching in any funds to help his daughter. 

RELATED STORY: ‘Sister Wives’ Star Gwendlyn Brown Reveals She’s Bisexual; Says She Hates “Cult-y” Christians 

(Photos: TLC; Instagram) 

41 Comments

  1. What a scumbag scammer Kody is!! He has all these kids he can’t afford. Jesus and God must have come to him in his dreams already and said Kody ENOUGH kids!! You can’t afford the ones you have, make the appointment for a vasectomy we won’t be mad,Promise!!
    Why he thinks his genes needs to be passed on this much is utter insanity and narcissistic!!
    Call the doctor ASAP for the vasectomy!! If you need help paying your wives will surely pay for it.


  2. how about they sell that ridiculous plot of land, sell their respective huge homes, buy practical family homes and live within their means. i wonder how much he paid a pro for that mock up of the dream house to show his wives. that must’ve cost a fortune.


  3. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (expired) *]
    I agree the houses are way too much. If rhey are so poor their credit ratings have to be low. Who lends them all the money for houses and cars.And yes I too would like to know what Kody does for a job….


  4. Contact Shriners hospital and thy will assist with the bill. My granddaughter ha scoliosis surgery in steel rods put in her back it was done at Shriners Hospital we never received a bill. Not understanding why she’s not utilizing this thank you


  5. If you need cash for your daughter to get medical care then her father still has not stepped up to put your kids on his insurance.


  6. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (expired) *]
    Kody Brown better get another job.


  7. This is less a story about “irresponsibility” and more a story of how little freedom we have here in the US being bound to working for corporations in order to just have semi affordable healthcare (which pays less and less each year, btw).

    450,000 of debt. All other 1st world counties are shocked and appalled at the idea of losing a home, going bankrupt because of a medical trauma.

    The Browns have found a pretty cool way to earn a living. They are punished though because they are essentially independent contractors. No company benefits from TLC, it appears. That is almost really okay either, is it?. Browns likely cannot afford the extremely expensive premiums all on their own despit tv salary. This is not their fault. This is what millions upon millions of tax paying citizens face every day in this country and it is criminal.


    1. J…I see what you are saying here, but I think the irresponsibility comes in when we see that they all had 4 houses they could afford in Las Vegas, and they up and moved and purchased multiple properties in the millions of dollars range. Kristine and Cody knew they had medical debt of $450,000, but still purchased a huge plot of land and a million dollar house. How is it fair that the taxpayers are now paying their medical debt while they enjoy their million dollar properties and then continue to ask the public to pay for a new surgery? The responsible thing to do would be to sell their properties and pay their debt. Maybe they all need to move into one house to make that happen. They did it at the start of their relationship, why can’t they do it now? It’s more convenient for them to just not pay their debt and that’s irresponsible. Does the insurance industry need an overhaul? Absolutely, but this goes beyond that when you have people who pick and choose what to spend their money on, and are choosing to live in 4 separate properties and make a mortgage on land that’s not being used instead of paying for the top notch care their first daughter received in the hospital and the pending surgery that their other daughter needs.


      1. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (expired) *]
        Very well put… I was struggling for the verbiage but you said it for me!
        I’m not criticizing their lifestyle, choice of religion, homebirthing v. hospital births… but WHY on Earth do these folks need crazy expensive houses? I know PLENTY of folks with larger families that live in 250-400k homes, and sorry to pick on Mary, but why does she need a 4 or 5 bedroom house with a dang waterfall? To keep up with the Jonenes (strike that) Browns’?
        I just don’t get it…


        1. Why was my comment marked as “trash”? I know I’ve not commented as of late, but what may I have said that’s been determined trashy?


    2. 100% agree! While it’s sh*tty that Kody did not have health insurance for his kids at that time (while others were on it) I know that health insurance is extremely expensive. This is especially true when you are buying as an individual. Only 1st world county where a family (even with health insurance) is one serious or hospitalization from bankruptcy.


    3. I really appreciate your mature response to this. It’s easy for people to type hate and place judgement on people especially on a gossip site. it’s refreshing to see someone looking at this in a common sense and compassionate way. I agree 100 percent with your reply. Thank you.


  8. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (expired) *]
    While Kody and Robyn purchase a huge expensive house together. Smh


    1. Well if you are looking for sympathy with the money you all make on your crazy show..not happening! Health insurance is a priority with a family!!! Living in homes , driving cars and motorcycles you can’t afford ..is not a priority! Quit having and adding kids you cant afford! Good grief


  9. [* Can’t fix stupid!! Kody needs to take responsibility of his daughter’s medical bills. Christine, it doesn’t matter if you live your policamy life legally your not married. Hold Kody for being responsible for some of your daughters medical bills. Get rid of him or make him take some financial responsibility for his children. You deserve better!!!


  10. Sounds like taxpayers paid that $450,000. Don’t we all believe that the non married wives have all been on Welfare during this period of time? I bet they have, so no insurance necessary, whatever state they lived in paid their health bills. Only since they made it in TV have they made enough money to not be eligible. I cannot be the only one that thinks that am I?


    1. Obviously not if they’re calling her for the debt to be paid. If taxpayers had paid that, then the deby would be paid and they wouldn’t be calling her.


    2. To start off “welfare” isnt just a monolith. And defaulting on hospital bills is VERY different than low income and disabled people being covered by Medicaid. Medicaid is insurance often through private companies uts just state run and what would be your monthly premium is paid for by the state, they get massive discounts for having so many customers. People who don’t have insurance aren’t covered by this they literally have the full cost of their services billed. Because they’re often not paid, hospitals raise their rates which raise everyone else’s premiums whether state, private or military. So in that way yes the tax payers pay for that increased rate but they also pay directly on top of taxes with increased private insurance premiums. ACA has made premiums far more accessible eliminating preexisting condition ineligibility, covering more people, etc. Many people who complain their rates went up are in states who refused to take the ACA money because of politics. Ofc some people in states that did approve the ACA have higher coverage it’s far from perfect of course.

      Christine, Meri and Janelle by not loving under the same roof qualify for more programs as single mothers. Well not Meri since her daughter left. It could be very likely why they all live in different houses. But then there’s reasons other than finances that Christine’s kids aren’t covered. As a single mom with no income in a household without another adult legally ALL her kids should be covered by CHIP+. I doubt Kody has his assets in the names of his wives. He probably refuses to let them register for that because the government is persecuting him and other bullshit. There is NO reason Christine’s minor children should not have free coverage under CHIP+ Nevada or Arizona residents doesnt matter.

      A lot of fundie families whether Mormon derived or evangelical will get SNAP and child cash payments but choose insurance as their hill to die on or use whats like no insurance S(c)amaritan where you pay donations to this company of only Christians and then when someone has a medical need a request is sent out and you can choose to donate or pray. Its BS because whike for political BS it was forced to count as being insured under the ACA requirement when it comes to hospital billing it doesn’t count as real insurance so they’re essentially getting discounted prices as uninsured at the expense of people on real coverage and even Medicaid which again is real insurance. But they don’t like that Medicaid covers birth control. It hasn’t covered abortions in decades its against a stupid federal law the fundies pushed through.

      So 1) don’t lump low income people who enroll in Medicaid as the same boat as people who just refuse insurance but then depend on everyone else’s coverage to lower prices for them (for people who literally make just over the Medicaid limit but not enough for private coverage this does not apply to you in any way shape or form).

      But yeah this is just Kody refusing to let his not legal single mother separate household “wives” the coverage they are eligible for. Maybe not the wives but the kids are. I’m sure it was suggested for both Truely and Ysabel and they still turned it down because Kody is a moron and makes me question genetic selection and fitness.


  11. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (expired) *]
    Why doesn’t Kody man up and get a job?


  12. Kody makes the stupidest decisions, always. How frigging irresponsible to have that many kids with NO INSURANCE! Why then does Robyn get a McMansion worth 1 million, when they have that kind of debt?


  13. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (expired) *]
    I cannot fathom the not assuming healthcare responsibilities for the family, period! There are too many options. As a single mother who paid for healthcare for my son and I on my own, I find this totally irresponsible!!


  14. Can’t pay medical Bill’s but can buy land and new homes Wow tell Cody to get a job. I am sure Robin’s kids have insurance


  15. We all have medical debt! Stop crying and get on a payment plan like everyone else . If you can’t afford insurance them maybe rethink your lifestyle and stop competing who has the bigger better house.


  16. But, but buying health insurance doesn’t make for good TV! (Although, truthfully, it would be more entertaining than their “current” story lines!)


  17. I get that polygamy is a lifestyle, etc etc but REALISTICALLY, having alllllll these kids is just… irresponsible. As we see here, kids cost money especially when unexpected medical problems arise. It is just not feasible to have all these kids and not have a job or career path or anything, let alone MEDICAL INSURANCE. I panicked to find medical insurance for my daughter when I was between jobs but I knew it was an absolute necessity. Can’t these moms and the kids qualify for government insurance since they are legally single moms?


    1. They’ve admitted in the past to using state health insurance and food stamps. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that they aren’t allowed to file anymore. Between the show and online stores I can’t really see a state agency approving them for aid.

      Oh, and I agree with you. We went two weeks without insurance at the start of this pandemic because my husband was furloughed and everyone at his job lost insurance at first. We dipped into our savings quick to get the kids covered again. I was terrified of being without it.


      1. That’s what I’d do too! Just goes to show you are a great parent with your kids health and safety as top priority!


    2. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (expired) *]
      omg don’t even suggest that. they need to sell that land get cheaper cars. and pay therdamn bills. pretty nervey asking for money when so many people are struggling.


  18. [* Shield plugin marked this comment as “Trash”. Reason: Failed Bot Test (checkbox) *]
    The only thing I thought of blaming, is the American health care system. I don’t care whether Kody should have done this or that. The system is fucked


    1. We are the only first world country with for profit healthcare. I love how our tax money goes to drug research for drugs most people can’t afford to buy. That seems fair, right?


    2. Kody and Christine are to blame. Their child is their responsibility. Agreeing or disagreeing with our health care system is beside the point. For now at least, this is how it is and parents should have their children covered.


  19. This is so ridiculous! They could easily sell their “land” and all the multiple houses they purchased and pay for all that medical debt and her new surgery. Now the taxpayers are saddled with that debt for these people and their poor financial decisions. These wives continue to go along with his crazy schemes, and put themselves in more and more debt. Unbelievable!


  20. What the hell does Kody do to make money for this family? I’ve never seen him work a day as long as they have been on tv, yet all the wives seem to have side hustles at any given moment.


  21. If they stopped blowing the millions they make on buying a new house every episode they may would be able to pay for insurance and medical bills.

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