Madison Brush says her family struggled to get by before becoming TV stars on Sister Wives. On December 9, Kody Brown and ex-wife Janelle Brown’s daughter discussed her early life on her Authentic Society podcast.
“Before the show, we were very poor,” Madison said. “I think my dad made decent money but we had 15 kids.”
Madison says Kody Brown was attracted to the “get-rich-quick schemes”
In 2010, Sister Wives premiered on TLC, exposing the family as polygamists and thrusting them into the spotlight. At the time, Kody was legally married to Meri Brown, while “spiritually married” to Janelle and Christine Brown. Kody was also courting Robyn Brown and spiritually married her soon after the premiere.
Kody and his first three wives were already parents to a combined 13 children before his marriage to Robyn. His fourth bride had three children from a previous marriage, bringing the total to 16. Robyn subsequently gave birth to two more children, bringing the number of offspring to 18. Since that time, three of Kody’s four wives have left him, leaving Robyn as his only remaining wife.
Married to Caleb Brush and pregnant with their fourth child, Madison is open about the estrangement from her dad amid the family drama. She and Caleb live in North Carolina with their growing family, while Kody and Robyn remain in Flagstaff, AZ.
On her podcast, she disclosed her dad’s attitude about supporting his family when she was growing up. “My dad always chose the get-rich-quick scheme, almost always,” she explained. “That was such a foreign thought to Caleb. I remember explaining some ideas to him, and he was like, ‘No, no.’”
“My dad was a sign salesman,” she added. “But he was always doing something. Even after the show started. They did a lot of investments with people and stuff like that.”
Madison says Kody was a spender, while Caleb’s were savers
Madison noticed that all of her parents–including bonus moms Meri, Christine, and Robyn–tended to spend first rather than saving for a future need.
“When we got our tax returns when we were younger, my parents immediately spent it on something,” she remembers. “Caleb’s family were both educated, and they did not. They saved it. They saved every penny they could.”
Maddie’s biological mom Janelle worked in the finance industry, though it’s unclear if she ever got a degree. “My mom is relatively good with money,” she said. Janelle and Maddie recently started the Taeda Farms property and flower farm business together.
Despite the mistakes her parents made with money, Madison believes her upbringing “made me the parent I am today.”
Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10/9c on TLC.
TELL US – ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT MADDIE AND CALEB ARE ESTRANGED FROM THE FAMILY? DO YOU EVER SEE THEM RECONCILING?
