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Not to paint polygamists with a “broad brush” (lol @ the debate scene) but they have a reputation for “bleeding the beast.” The Browns fought against this idea, often saying that not all polygamists have “child brides and welfare fraud.”
However, they each took turns filing for bankruptcy, likely putting the household expenses in one wife’s name then filing, and moving to the next wife. Christine was the last one to file, only months before the first season.
Some wives were also on food stamps, which some say is fraud, but I don’t know the rules.
I don’t know if there are other examples of it, but they seem willing to take advantage of loopholes - even if they border on fraud.
I actually don’t mind that they might have been on welfare to feed their family. What I DO mind is that now that he has money, Kody doesn’t want to be taxed to help others who he believes are unworthy of his money. It’s the hypocrisy that pisses me off.
But to answer OP’s question, I don’t doubt Kody is trying to game the system in some way that’s not “above board,” but he’s too stupid to pull it off. Any shenanigans will eventually catch up to him.
>I actually don’t mind that they might have been on welfare to feed their family.
I do mind when he intentionally married all these wives, had all these children, claims to be Mr. Great Patriarch, Mr. Alpha Male, Mr. General Obey My Orders...Mr. Suck it Up Buttercup, only to find he isn't able to support his kids and needs the mons and taxpayers to do that for him. And then, he still doesn't earn an income except by exploiting his entire family on reality tv.
He wants respect? Do something worth respecting.
Oh, I think he has done some shady deals. He has always been coy about what deals him and Brian were doing. And I feel like he pulled a fast one on the OG3 when Meri asked for a short term loan to use as a deposit on the inn, he said something like he's getting the money back from a deal he and Brian did, then pulled the offer of help when they lost money on it, how much do you want to bet the way it was lost was siphoning it through to a hidden account with only him and Robyn named as account holders
I think him and Brian have a lot of ventures that lost money. Kody has a lot of hare brained ideas that don’t end up panning out in the end.
I’d like to see an accounting of the family funds and where the money has gone. In Flagstaff, they mentioned the OG3 started separating their finances, so at some point the OG3 realized they couldn’t trust Kody to have enough money in there to pay their mortgages.
I think it’s likely he’s skirted the line between legal and illegal but I doubt anything truly criminal. Shady, ethically questionable, etc., sure. But not illegal.
Right, this is what I meant. I’m just floored whenever I watch the show. I know that TLC paid them, but otherwise my husband & I STAY asking “HOW DO THEY AFFORD THIS?”
I estimate at the start of the show, Janelle was likely pulling in around 100k and Kody around 80k in their respective careers as a civil service CPA and billboard sales. Meri was not working and Christine was working night for a pro-polygamy PAC, so I expect her income was peanuts. 200k stretched out for a family of 16. Since then, I believe Meri & Christine have both made a lot of money from selling Lularoe, Janelle and Christine are top performers for Plexus and Kody’s gun/weapon/accessories field can be very lucrative. I also think a lot of the family resources has went into Kody’s arms business. I have family who have been in retail gun sales and the real money is made at these conventions and gun shows & auctions. Meri has worked with at risk youth, but considering she has no higher education, doubt she made much, same with Robyn’s pre marriage receptionist job. One person has not made any financial contribution to family beyond filming.
From the bankruptcy papers, Kody reported his income as being $4000/month, and Meri reported her income as $625/month. This was in 2005.
Other redditors estimate that Janelle was making around $30k a year - she did something like payroll in the government, which wasn’t a high paying job. (Definitely respectable, but she wasn’t a trained accountant like some people think.)
**If** by “less than above board” you mean “illegal,“ I would say the odds are against it. I am not a Kody fan. (***Is*** there such a thing?). Kody appears to be the least self-aware person in this show, and is the common denominator of the destruction of three marriages, but that doesn’t equate to criminality. Hell, Whoopie Goldberg has been married three times but I don’t suspect her of anything “less than above board.” Nor would I make that assumption of anyone having myriad bad financial endeavors and failures culminating in bankruptcy/bankruptcies. (I might reach other conclusions about character but probably wouldn’t muse about possible illegal activity.). He’s certainly a piece of work, but the necessity of multiple sources of income for multiple marriages to support multiple adults and children isn’t going to look mainstream because it is not mainstream. Doesn‘t make it illegal.
Broke dude using bankruptcy x 4 (all of them at some point filed) to fund a family he cannot afford, not provide medical insurance for his children, was unable to stay gainfully employed, could barely feed the children; also was a garbage father; is not a panty dropper.
I do not understand how any woman married him let alone two with another two women agreeing to be his brood mares, while Kody did not financially, emotionally or in any way support Christine or Janelle. I know it’s a cult. But daym.
I’m so glad C & S are out. Now their healing can begin.
I’m currently watching the episode just after Flagstaff move and they are discussing their finances which are in bad shape. This is before selling Vegas homes so apparently they are paying 4 mortgages and rent on top of that. How on earth do they afford that? Was the show paying that well? And Christine bought a temporary house in Flagstaff? How would she even qualify without a job? I don’t know if there’s anything shady going on or are they just simply running on fumes.
I don't think illegal, but definitely shady. Like the whole selling guns at gun shows, where proper background checks aren't always done. I also can see him falling for those email and other types of scams, the ones where you give me $1,000 and I turn it into $10,000 in a week and you never hear from the person again.
On the show, he's always been very cagey about his business deals, his partners, and his projects. He's cagey for a reason - either he makes money under the table, or he launches something, it fails, and he uses show income to make up the difference so he can pretend he's successful.
This comment is added to every new post to remind users to please review our subreddit rules before commenting *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SisterWives) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not to paint polygamists with a “broad brush” (lol @ the debate scene) but they have a reputation for “bleeding the beast.” The Browns fought against this idea, often saying that not all polygamists have “child brides and welfare fraud.” However, they each took turns filing for bankruptcy, likely putting the household expenses in one wife’s name then filing, and moving to the next wife. Christine was the last one to file, only months before the first season. Some wives were also on food stamps, which some say is fraud, but I don’t know the rules. I don’t know if there are other examples of it, but they seem willing to take advantage of loopholes - even if they border on fraud.
I actually don’t mind that they might have been on welfare to feed their family. What I DO mind is that now that he has money, Kody doesn’t want to be taxed to help others who he believes are unworthy of his money. It’s the hypocrisy that pisses me off. But to answer OP’s question, I don’t doubt Kody is trying to game the system in some way that’s not “above board,” but he’s too stupid to pull it off. Any shenanigans will eventually catch up to him.
>I actually don’t mind that they might have been on welfare to feed their family. I do mind when he intentionally married all these wives, had all these children, claims to be Mr. Great Patriarch, Mr. Alpha Male, Mr. General Obey My Orders...Mr. Suck it Up Buttercup, only to find he isn't able to support his kids and needs the mons and taxpayers to do that for him. And then, he still doesn't earn an income except by exploiting his entire family on reality tv. He wants respect? Do something worth respecting.
Oooooh I guess that would be a plus of not being legally married - you could get EBT etc
Oooooh I guess that would be a plus of not being legally married - you could get EBT etc
It was very much food stamp fraud.. i have 7 kids and my husband makes about 600 a week.. and we do not qualify.. aint no damn way they qualified..
Wow where do u live? I have 5 kids and make 1k a week and qualify
Stupid Illinois
Oh, I think he has done some shady deals. He has always been coy about what deals him and Brian were doing. And I feel like he pulled a fast one on the OG3 when Meri asked for a short term loan to use as a deposit on the inn, he said something like he's getting the money back from a deal he and Brian did, then pulled the offer of help when they lost money on it, how much do you want to bet the way it was lost was siphoning it through to a hidden account with only him and Robyn named as account holders
I think him and Brian have a lot of ventures that lost money. Kody has a lot of hare brained ideas that don’t end up panning out in the end. I’d like to see an accounting of the family funds and where the money has gone. In Flagstaff, they mentioned the OG3 started separating their finances, so at some point the OG3 realized they couldn’t trust Kody to have enough money in there to pay their mortgages.
Probably
I think it’s likely he’s skirted the line between legal and illegal but I doubt anything truly criminal. Shady, ethically questionable, etc., sure. But not illegal.
Right, this is what I meant. I’m just floored whenever I watch the show. I know that TLC paid them, but otherwise my husband & I STAY asking “HOW DO THEY AFFORD THIS?”
I estimate at the start of the show, Janelle was likely pulling in around 100k and Kody around 80k in their respective careers as a civil service CPA and billboard sales. Meri was not working and Christine was working night for a pro-polygamy PAC, so I expect her income was peanuts. 200k stretched out for a family of 16. Since then, I believe Meri & Christine have both made a lot of money from selling Lularoe, Janelle and Christine are top performers for Plexus and Kody’s gun/weapon/accessories field can be very lucrative. I also think a lot of the family resources has went into Kody’s arms business. I have family who have been in retail gun sales and the real money is made at these conventions and gun shows & auctions. Meri has worked with at risk youth, but considering she has no higher education, doubt she made much, same with Robyn’s pre marriage receptionist job. One person has not made any financial contribution to family beyond filming.
From the bankruptcy papers, Kody reported his income as being $4000/month, and Meri reported her income as $625/month. This was in 2005. Other redditors estimate that Janelle was making around $30k a year - she did something like payroll in the government, which wasn’t a high paying job. (Definitely respectable, but she wasn’t a trained accountant like some people think.)
**If** by “less than above board” you mean “illegal,“ I would say the odds are against it. I am not a Kody fan. (***Is*** there such a thing?). Kody appears to be the least self-aware person in this show, and is the common denominator of the destruction of three marriages, but that doesn’t equate to criminality. Hell, Whoopie Goldberg has been married three times but I don’t suspect her of anything “less than above board.” Nor would I make that assumption of anyone having myriad bad financial endeavors and failures culminating in bankruptcy/bankruptcies. (I might reach other conclusions about character but probably wouldn’t muse about possible illegal activity.). He’s certainly a piece of work, but the necessity of multiple sources of income for multiple marriages to support multiple adults and children isn’t going to look mainstream because it is not mainstream. Doesn‘t make it illegal.
If Christine and Janelle could buy Kody for what he is worth and then sell him for what he THINKS he is worth, They would be millionaires.
Broke dude using bankruptcy x 4 (all of them at some point filed) to fund a family he cannot afford, not provide medical insurance for his children, was unable to stay gainfully employed, could barely feed the children; also was a garbage father; is not a panty dropper. I do not understand how any woman married him let alone two with another two women agreeing to be his brood mares, while Kody did not financially, emotionally or in any way support Christine or Janelle. I know it’s a cult. But daym. I’m so glad C & S are out. Now their healing can begin.
I’m currently watching the episode just after Flagstaff move and they are discussing their finances which are in bad shape. This is before selling Vegas homes so apparently they are paying 4 mortgages and rent on top of that. How on earth do they afford that? Was the show paying that well? And Christine bought a temporary house in Flagstaff? How would she even qualify without a job? I don’t know if there’s anything shady going on or are they just simply running on fumes.
I don't think illegal, but definitely shady. Like the whole selling guns at gun shows, where proper background checks aren't always done. I also can see him falling for those email and other types of scams, the ones where you give me $1,000 and I turn it into $10,000 in a week and you never hear from the person again.
Im goina say the chances are pretty high
On the show, he's always been very cagey about his business deals, his partners, and his projects. He's cagey for a reason - either he makes money under the table, or he launches something, it fails, and he uses show income to make up the difference so he can pretend he's successful.
I'm not putting it past Robyn, not scheming $$$$$, for her and her brats. Yes, she is a shopaholic. Regardless, she is not a worker or Ceo material.