Sister Wives’ Madison Brown Says Family Was ‘Very Poor’ Before TLC Show Premiered

Sister Wives star Madison Brush (née Brown) revealed that her family struggled financially before their TLC show premiered.

“Before the show, we were very poor,” Maddie, 29, said during the Wednesday, December 9, episode of her “The Authentic Society” podcast. “My dad made decent money but we had 15 kids.”

Maddie went on to compare her current financial situation to what she experienced during her childhood. She shares three children – Axel, 7, Evie, 5, and Josephine, 22 months, with her husband, Caleb Brush, and they are currently expecting baby No. 4.

“My dad always chose the get-rich-quick scheme, almost always,” Maddie continued about her father, Kody Brown. “That was such a foreign thought to Caleb. And I remember explaining some ideas to him and he was like, ‘No, no.’”

Maddie went on to share that Kody, 55, previously worked as a “sign salesman” before he got his job as a TV personality, and he spent a lot of his money on “investments with people.”

“When we got our tax returns when we were younger, my parents immediately spent it on something,” Maddie, whose mother is Janelle Brown, said. “And Caleb’s family were both educated and they did not. They saved it. They saved every penny they could.”

The mother of three revealed her family’s stance on money two months after her estranged relationship with Kody was revealed.

During the October 6 episode, Kody accused Maddie of “[spreading] gossip about [him] to the rest of the family.” Janelle, 55, went on to defend their daughter by saying that Kody “is as big of a gossip” as Maddie.

More recently, Maddie confirmed she had “no contact” with her father after she detailed the “toxic” relationships in her life during the podcast.

“I’m a straight shooter. You ask me a question, I’m going to tell you what I think. And [my dad] would get very angry when I would be like, ‘I don’t know why you’re surprised here,’” she said during the November 11 episode. “So that was one of the reasons I went no contact. He didn’t like a mirror being held up.”

Maddie then shared an example of a conversation she previously had with Kody. “[I’d say], ‘In my opinion, there’s a lot of anger,’ and he’d be like, ‘That’s not true,’” she said. “I’m like, ‘It is true. I know this firsthand.’ And there’s other people that are the same. They’d ask for my opinion and I’d express my opinion and they’d get angry.”

She went on to clap back at people who say “blood is thicker than water” because “some people just don’t deserve to be in your life.”

“I always get messages from people who are like, ‘You should just forgive your dad and respect him.’ And I’m like … I don’t think you know what you’re talking about,” Maddie said. “Because your experience with your dad could be very different than my experience with my dad. He doesn’t have any respect for my boundaries. You have to play by his rules. And I just don’t care to do that.”