‘Sister Wives’ Star Robyn Brown’s Dad, Paul Sullivan, Also Lived Polygamy

In recent seasons of Sister Wives, the Brown family, which includes Kody Brown, his three ex-wives, Meri, Janelle, and Christine Brown, and his only remaining wife, Robyn Brown, have had to adjust to their new life away from polygamy. As those watching Season 19 have probably clocked, no one has had a more difficult time with their new reality than Robyn.

Though Robyn is often criticized on Sister Wives, she has always maintained her love for her plural family and how she still wishes they could be on a united front again

Her yearning for a solid polygamist family likely stems from her own upbringing, as she grew up around polygamy via her mom. When Robyn was young, her mother, Alice, became the second wife to her stepfather, Paul Sullivan.

Throughout Robyn's time on Sister Wives, she has shared fond sentiments of how Paul raised her as his own, so much so that she took his last name as her maiden name.

Unfortunately, the TLC star experienced a tragedy regarding her father that affected both her, Kody, and their five children.

Robyn's father, Paul, became her stepfather after her mother divorced her biological father, Robert Marck. At the time, he was married to Robyn's mother's friend, who later became Robyn's second mom. According to The U.S. Sun, Paul was also the father to Robyn's former nanny, Mindy Jessop.

Paul often appeared in Sister Wives episodes and had a special bond with both Robyn and Kody. Sadly, in February 2022, The Sun and other outlets confirmed that Paul died at the age of 80. Robyn didn't address her father's death publicly when it initially happened, though she reportedly posted about it on Instagram. However, the post isn't currently on her account and was deleted on Reddit.

Robyn's relationship with Paul was something she often cherished. Her stepfather came into her life after she had been estranged from her biological father, Robert. Robyn has shared on Sister Wives how she and Robert were unable to have a relationship due to him being absent from her life growing up. In Season 19 of the TLC show, she revealed that Kody's strained relationships with many of his older children triggered her due to her issues with her dad.

"When I was little, my parents got a divorce," Robyn explained on the show. "He lived with one wife in another city, and then my mom lived alone. I remember confronting my biological father saying, 'What happened? Why?' All he really did was just make a bunch of lame excuses as to why he wasn't there for me when I was young and it just sucked."

Robyn later revealed she and Robert have tried to remain in contact over the years. However, she said their relationship hasn't improved much and that he isn't close with any of her children like Paul was.

"My dad, my biological father ... was very absent, did not fight for the relationship, did not care to have one, still doesn't really care to have one," she shares in the same episode. "I'll see him now and then he'll tell me how much he loves me, but he's very absent."

While Robyn's dad with her biological father remains a work in progress, it's good to know she has memories of having a present father like Paul!

New episodes of Sister Wives air on TLC at 10 p.m. EST.