Kody Brown's daughter Madison Brush says family was 'very poor' prior to Sister Wives

Kody Brown's daughter Madison Brush gave an insight into the polygamist family's finances before they became famous on the hit TLC series Sister Wives.

Madison, 29, who Kody shares with ex-wife Janelle Brown, said the family was 'very poor' before starring on the series, as she appeared on the Authentic Society podcast on Monday.

She also shared that her father often invested in 'get-rich-quick schemes.'

'My dad always chose the get-rich-quick scheme, almost always,' she said. 

'And that was something, that was such a foreign thought to Caleb,' Madison stated, in reference to her husband Caleb Brush, adding, 'And I remember explaining some ideas to him and he was like, "No, no."'

'Before the show, we were very poor. I think my dad made decent money but we had 15 kids,' she said. 

'My dad was a sign salesman, but he was always doing something. Even after the show started. They did a lot of investments with people and stuff like that,' she shared about the father of 18.

She went on to add that all of the wives, including Meri, Christine, and Robyn, prioritized spending over saving.

'When we got our tax returns when we were younger, my parents immediately spent it on something,' she said, adding, 'and Caleb’s family were both educated and they did not. They saved it. They saved every penny they could.'

However, she added that her mom 'is relatively good with money.'

Madison and her mom recently started the Taeda Farms property and flower farm business together.

While acknowledging her parents' financial shortcomings, Madison, who is currently pregnant with her fourth child, said it has 'made me the parent I am today.' 

Sister Wives debuted on TLC in 2010, introducing viewers to Kody and his polygamous family.

The show chronicled the addition of Robyn Brown to the family and the subsequent departures of his other three wives, Janelle, Christine, and Meri.

Madison has been vocal about her estrangement from her father. The family drama has been a storyline on the latest season of Sister Wives. 

On Sunday's episode of Sister Wives, Janelle and Madison had touched down in Utah for Christine Brown's wedding dress fitting, during which Brown was reminded of her own nuptials to Kody.

She revealed that leading up to her big day, some of her family had shunned her for practicing polygamy.

'I actually didn't have a wedding dress,' Janelle said during her confessional.

Adding that 'when Kody and I got married, my family was very upset with my decision to join the faith, so most of my family was not talking to me or associating with me.' 'I had a green dress I wore. That was it,' she said.

However, things took an unexpected turn when her own mother married her husband-to-be's father.

She explained, 'My mom was at the wedding because she came to save me from the polygamist and ended up marrying Kody's dad three months before we got married.

'So my mom was obviously OK with it, but the rest of my family was really not OK with it. So they didn't, they didn't come.'

Janelle and the Brown family patriarch were husband and wife from 1993 up until they called it quits in 2022.

Kody was also previously wed to Christine and Meri but his only remaining marriage is to Robyn.

The stars of Sister Wives are members of the Apostolic United Brethren — a branch of the Mormon faith that practices polygamy.

Back in September, Kody revealed that he is no longer in touch with Janelle — whom he shares six children with.

They co-parent Madison, Logan, 29; Hunter, 27; Gabriel, 22; and Savanah, 19. Their son Garrison tragically died of suicide aged 25 on March 5 earlier this year.

Sister Wives airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.