Sister Wives star Kody Brown has returned to Cameo, but the cost of his personalized video messages to fans is higher than it used to be, sparking concerns that he’s having trouble paying the bills. For years, there have been rumors that he and Robyn have money problems. All that chatter probably originated with Kody’s bankruptcy filing in 2005, which happened years before his 2014 wedding with Robyn.
Since then, a lot of details about the couple’s financial life have been revealed, and their lifestyle makes it easy to wonder if they live beyond their means.
At Cameo, it’s interesting that Sister Wives Kody Brown offers pep talks, birthday messages and more. Known for his bombastic rants onscreen, where his bitterness towards his exes, children and even his beloved Robyn always seeps out, he seems cheerier when he’s hawking messages. He must feel like the platform is a potential cash cow, as he’s jacked up the prices of his messages. Possibly, he tried to exude positive energy on Cameo, considering the bottom line.
Kody’s Charging More At Cameo
Is His Lavish Spending The Reason Why?
He used to charge $99 bucks for Cameos – now, fans must cough up $149 dollars a pop. To put it in perspective, a big star, Don Johnson, charges $500 a message, but some celebrities charge less. Kody’s prices for Cameos aren’t really that high – just higher than they used to be. For reality stars like Kody, Cameo is a side gig that can be lucrative. Since Kody and Robyn appear to be big spenders, maybe Kody’s charging more at Cameo in order to offset his expenses.
What does Kody spend money on? Well, the houses he and Robyn have bought are actually really expensive. They sold one residence for $1.775 million in late 2024, and purchased another soon after, paying $2.1 million for the new home.
While Kody and Robyn get paid for their reality TV appearances, and have for years, the income they earn may not be enough to pay for everything they buy. Robyn was in debt to the tune of about 30K when she was preparing to marry Kody. The other Browns had to pay off the debt in order to access mortgages in Las Vegas.
Kody Wears Expensive Jewelry
Robyn Splashes Out Cash On Dolls
It’s not just housing that Kody and Robyn splurge on. It’s also jewelry, such as the matching David Yurman signet rings that Kody and Robyn wear. See his ring in the clip above – Kody’s pricey bling features a horse motif. At the official David Yurman website, the ring is described as being made of
“sterling silver with 18K yellow gold.”
It measures 14.8mm and retails for $1250.00. Prices may vary, but it’s a fairly pricey design and Kody also wears a “Heart Of The Ocean” pendant by the same ritzy jeweler. The design features a lapis lazuli shield – it’s an amulet that may symbolize strength. A person uses a shield to defend themself, and Kody’s notably defensive about almost everything.
Usually, he’ll blame other people for his problems, but maybe he’s starting to develop a bit more self-awareness, as he recently increased his exes’ Janelle and Meri’s portion of the Coyote Pass land, right before selling it.
That gentlemanly act helped those two women. They each got $375,000 – that’s a lot of money. Before the patriarch spent ten dollars to change the ownership distribution, Kody owned a whopping 97 percent of Coyote Pass. The land sold for $1.5 million, and Kody and Robyn’s share of the proceeds was $750,000. By being honorable and acknowledging the fact that his exes helped to build the family just like he did, Kody reached a new plateau of maturity.
However, giving more money to his exes meant less cash in his own bank account. Kody has a wife with expensive tastes. Robyn was recently called out when her “creepy doll obsession” was revealed by an intrepid reporter, Katie Paulson, who writes for Without A Crystal Ball. As per that publication’s official Instagram account, Robyn blew an incredible amount of money on American Girl dolls, other types of dolls, and custom doll clothes. She reportedly spent 70K on these toys.
While buying all those toys must have been fun, it seems excessive, like Robyn’s trying to soothe herself by spending. She might also enjoy showing the toys off to friends and family. According to Investopedia, “conspicuous consumption” might be at play. That online resource defines conspicuous consumption as buying things in order to “display one’s wealth.” Maybe Kody wants to seem rich after years of hardship – it could be the same for Robyn, who used to struggle to pay for Victoria’s Secret clothes. There’s nothing wrong with wanting things, but possibly, they’ve bought too much.
Now, with the proceeds from their Coyote Pass home sale, as well as the money that Kody makes at Cameo, where he has a 4.86 rating based on 144 videos, he may feel more financially secure, but it’s just as likely that he always feels like the wolf is at the door. Financial insecurity is something that a lot of people live with, even celebrities. Hopefully, the Sister Wives stars Kody and Robyn have enough money to cover their needs.
Kody and Robyn live well, and how they spend their money is their own business. However, their penchant for pricey items gets noticed, especially since Janelle complained about having money problems after leaving Kody. She said he controlled the family’s money while she was in the relationship.
Sister Wives star Kody raised 18 children. Now, there are 17 kids, as Garrison Brown passed away. He will never be forgotten. In Kody’s life, there have been so many ups and downs, and some of those peaks and valleys were financial problems that took time to solve. However, there’s always hope, and it seems like Kody’s trying to get his financial house in order. While there’s no proof that they have financial problems, it’s always possible. If so, the steps that Kody’s been taking may release some pressure.
Sister Wives fans can stream the series on the Discovery+ platform.
Sources: Without A Crysal Ball/Instagram, Investopedia