Sister Wives star Kody Brown didn’t just show up on the TV screen one day as a despised man with three, then four wives. No, it seemed that it took time to discover the patriarch’s behavior before the criticism came to light.

Sure, some viewers first tuned in with negative perceptions on polygamy. But others came to the show open-mindedly. Sister Wives viewers quickly formed their own ideas about what drives Kody Brown.

Sister Wives: Looks Like Kody Brown Earned the Friction?

At the start of the series, some people who tuned in didn’t care who Kody Brown was. Their preconceived notions of the man with multiple wives led them to believe he’s not likable. But other people needed to watch the show before their opinions were formed. Today the lambing continues for Kody Brown, patriarch of the Sister Wives tribe. After 13 seasons of the TLC show, most of the negative comments directed at Kody Brown seem to be about how he treats his four wives.

But at the beginning of the Sister Wives series, fans wondered how this man supported his wives and all those children. Some information emerged about how Kody Brown put food on the table. Some media outlets reported that Kody Brown reportedly milked the system for his hit show.

Reportedly, Kody’s spouses were on food stamps. Reports have them using this government advantage all the way through the first season of the show. Then headlines suggested that Kody Brown knows how to work the system.

Also, before the hit show, Kody’s work history is very vague. But he claims to have supported his family with his career in online sales.

Bankruptcy and Food Stamps Leave a Bad Taste for Viewers

A man who continued to father kids while supporting them with some government benefits stirred anger for the Sister Wives fans. They couldn’t believe that even though he couldn’t afford to feed the children here, he still had more.While Kody Brown is married to four women, legally speaking he has only one wife. Back at the beginning of Sister Wives, that was Meri Brown.

Today, that legal title is held by Robyn Brown, his fourth wife. Kody Brown, Meri Brown and Robyn Brown shifted the marriage laws because Kody adopted Robyn’s children a while back. So over the past decade, three of Kody’s wives have been legally considered single mothers with a range of children to feed. Fans saw this as Kody who knew how to use the system to his advantage.

Then, when viewers discovered Kody filed bankruptcy, the flood gates opened again. This happened long before Sister Wives‘ show came on the drawing board.

One bankruptcy dates back to 2005, which he filed with Meri Brown. He only had three wives back then. This is also long before Robyn Brown entered into the plural marriage. But Janelle Brown went bankrupt in 1997 and Christine did the same in 2010.

Some fans were furious to learn he planned to add more kids to the family. Especially after he had rejected debts of the multiple marriage through bankruptcy.

Sister Wives: Is Kody a Master Mind or Victim of Poor Panning?

Many Sister Wives viewers won’t judge Kody, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn for their polygamy lifestyle. What makes them happy is their business echoes in responses to social media.

But even the most non judgemental viewers were irked to learn Kody Brown looked to state assistance to pick up the financial slack. Many are adamant and don’t think Kody should look to taxpayers to support them.

Christine Brown once proudly explained how the family of food stamps went to a hit TLC show. Over the years, Kody negotiated with TLC to hold the Sister Wives show from cancellation.

He even took a cut-rate family salary to keep the show going. So, some fans see Kody as quite the wheeler and dealer. This left a very bad taste in the mouths of some Sister Wives enthusiasts and still lingers today.