McKelty and Tony’s Big Move and Family Distance
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McKelty Brown and her husband, Tony Padron, have moved from the West Coast to North Carolina for Tony to pursue a career as a professional chess player and instructor. This move creates a significant distance between them and the rest of the family, particularly Janelle and Maddie, whom they will now only see rarely. McKelty is working full-time and largely carrying the financial burden while Tony chases his dream, limiting their time and resources for travel. The last time McKelty saw Kody and Robyn was at the funeral for Garrison in March 2024, and her relationship with Kody and Robyn has since been severed. She admitted on her Patreon that she is now “fully in the I hate Kody club” due to his conditional and often critical behavior.
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Aspen Quits the Show and the “Parentification” Burnout
Aspyn Brown has reportedly quit Sister Wives entirely and will never appear on the show again, according to McKelty. This decision was made because Aspyn did not want her pregnancy or the life of her new child to be featured on a reality show. This choice highlights a long-standing issue for the older Duggar daughters: parentification. The children, especially the older girls like Aspen and McKelty, were often forced to act as “second moms” to their younger siblings because Kody was absent. The pressure to mediate their parents’ drama—specifically between Christine and Kody—caused immense burnout. McKelty herself cited being tired of acting as the “go-between” for her parents regarding Truly as a reason for her own move.
The Future of Sister Wives is in Doubt
With adult children prioritizing their careers, own families, and privacy, the future of the show is uncertain. None of the adult children have contracts with TLC and are simply tired of being pulled into their parents’ conflict. Aspyn is done, McKelty will rarely appear, and other siblings like Logan and Gwendlyn have also quit the show, leaving Christine wondering how the series can continue.
