Kody Brown: I Lied to Christine, Okay?!? She’s a Whack Job!

Give Kody Brown points for honesty.

And then take those same points away for the guy being a horribly insensitive spouse.

On Sunday night's new episode of Sister Wives, the father of 18 addressed Christine's very public desire to move back to her native state of Utah.

She made this clear on this past spring's Season 15 finale of Sister Wives, voicing her preference for where she wanted to reside -- and then growing very sad and angry after Kody appeared to have her back...

... only to then side with his other three spouses.

Following this rejection by Meri, Janelle and Robyn on the aforementioned finale, and following her husband agreeing with trio that he wanted to remain in Arizona, Christine took a walk with Meri and said:

"I can't do marriage with Kody anymore."

A few months later, Christine proved this wasn't some empty threat; she announced she really had left Kody.

head down kody

On Sunday's installment of the TLC series, which was filmed months ago, Kody sat with Meri for a discussion about Christine.

"I've got to admit. I've tried to be stoic with [Christine]," Kody confessed about how he initially handled the talk about moving away from Flagstaff.

"I was like, 'Yeah, I'll move. I'm game.' ... Oh yeah, I always have been [interested in returning]. That's where I thought I would retire, in St. George, Utah."

So... you lied and/or misled Christine about something that meant a lot to her, in other words? Well done, Kody.

Meri Brown Talks to Camera

Asked by Meri about whether he actually wanted to move, Kody replied:

"No, I really don't want to move. You can't beat Flagstaff, Arizona. You just can't."

Moreover, Kody didn't comprehend why moving to Utah is "a big deal now" for Christine.

He even suggested she's potentially experiencing a "mid-life crisis" because he's such a sympathetic and caring husband who tries quite hard to understand what his sister wives are going through.

Kody Brown on Season 16

"Thinking of moving to Utah, honestly, my gut instinct is, 'Oh, hell no. Not interested,'" Meri told Kody. "I never had the desire to move back."

Meri, at least, recognized here that she felt "bad" about this stance because she knows how important a move is to Christine.

"Honestly, I hate the fact that she might be feeling trapped," Meri said to Kody.

"I don't know if that's how she feels, but I wonder."

Sister Wives Season 16 Poster

In a confessional, meanwhile, Meri acknowledged some of the irony here.

For a long while, many Sister Wives fans assumed she would be the one who would walk away from Kody.

To this day, Meri posts memes and messages that most interpret as shots as her self-centered spouse.

On this new episode, she even spoke directly about speculation that she was ready to move on from a miserable relationship.

Meri Brown in Nature: A Photo

Admitted Meri on air:

"So a few months ago, Kody and I had our 30th anniversary. I've had a lot of people say to me, 'Why are you still there? He clearly doesn't love you.

"'You're just brainwashed. … You're just doing this because you think it's what's going to get you to heaven. Why do you stay?'"

"Well, because it's my family. Because I have a confirmation from God that this is where I am meant to be. This is a very conscious choice that I'm making."

For his part, Kody told the cameras the he and Meri now have an "amiable relationship" with "no desire or interest in a romantic relationship."

And while they're "in a much better relationship" now, Kody doesn't see it becoming romantic ever again, prompting us to wonder:

Meri, why would God want you to be in such a marriage?

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10/9c on TLC.