For several months now, we've been documenting how miserable most of the Sister Wives appear to be on one of TLC's most successful reality shows.
Meri Brown posts omininous memes and messages all the time, for example, and Christine Brown flat-out left spiritual husband Kody last month.
But at least they're full-grown adults. At least they sort of signed up for this arrangement when entered into a plural marriage.
The same cannot be said for Ysabel Brown, however.
On Sunday night, the teenager was faced withh the prospect not only of having to fly across the country to get back surgery...
... but to fly across the country to get back surgery without the company and comfort of her dad by her side.
As a refresher, Ysabel and her mother, Christine, touched down in New Jersey way back in September 2020 (yes, this episode was filmed THAT long ago )and the forrmer underwent a successful procedure for her ongoing scolosis.
Kody did not attend.
At one point on the latest Sister Wives episode, Ysabel talks to her father about his planned absence, which he blames on COVID-19 and his need to remain healthy for the sake of the family.
Ysabel is obviousy all for taking medical precautions, but says on the installment that Kody's priorities sure seem "screwed up."
After telling his daughter that he’s not going with her, he awkwardly asks if she’s going “to become a bitter old housewife because your Daddy didn’t do this for you?”
What a weird and sexist thing to say, wouldn't you agree?
“I won’t be bitter,” Ysabel replies. “I won’t hold it against you.”
However, in a subsequent confessional, the poor young woman grows emotional, raising major questions about her dad.
“I need him to be there, but why isn’t he coming?” Ysabel cries on air.
“I don’t know, why wouldn’t he be there? Why wouldn’t he just drop everything for me? I think his priorities are a little screwed up.”
Kody tried to explain that if he went to the surgey, well... then he'd have to quarantine... and then he'd be away from his many kids and spouses for weeks.
“The amount of time, because of COVID and quarantining and stuff like that I would have to be away from the rest of the family, and because of the risk of exposure to COVID-19,” he said on the episode.
“What we’ve been trying to do is make it so I can see the entire family this entire time.
To her credit, Ysabel tries to be understanding.
“He has a lot of kids to think about. I know I’m not the only kid he has to make sure is safe during this pandemic. It sucks that he can’t be there," she said.
Ysabel later tells the cameras that she thinks Kody’s fear of catching COVID-19 is taking over his life.
“He’s letting fear control him,” she said.
“How long are you going to stop your life for? How long are you just going to put everything on hold?”
As you might also recall, it appeared last year that Kody couldn't afford to pay for his daughter's surgery, either.
In June 2020, Christine Brown posted on her LuLaroe Facebook page that she needed to raise a lot of cash in order to make a down payment on her daughter’s procedure.
“I can’t go into tons of information, but one of my daughters needs a surgery and I need $50,000 for a down payment for the surgery, and you guys are making it happen,” Christine wrote at the time.
She added back then:
“$50,000 for a down [payment] was so daunting, so I decided to just work hard. Just work really, really, really hard and we’re like halfway there…
"I can’t thank you enough for all your purchases and you helping my family, and my daughter. I can’t say [which one] is getting the surgery!”
Now we know, of course.
And now we know something else as well: Her dad totally sucks.