Christine Brown’s mom, Ruthanne “Annie” Stevens, has solely been featured a number of occasions on Sister Wives all through the 17 seasons. Annie was an advocate for survivors of polygamy after leaving her polygamist marriage. Sister Wives followers unearthed some footage of Christine’s mom, Annie, in a 1998 documentary talking about the “dark side” and risks of plural marriage.
Christine’s mom, Annie, left her plural marriage
In a single episode of Sister Wives Season 8, Annie defined why she left her plural marriage to Christine’s father, Rex Allred, after round 25 years of marriage. Annie determined to grow to be a sister spouse as a member of Apostolic United Brethren AUB, an offshoot of fundamentalist Mormonism, which teaches plural marriage as a mandatory step to having access to heaven.
“I had a defining moment where I knew I was going to leave. And It was one of the most terrifying moments I’ve had in my life, ’cause you just don’t leave. People don’t leave. And I would go in my room and pray a lot because here I was doing life by the book, and I hated my life,” she mentioned in the episode.
After leaving her marriage in 1992, Annie teamed up together with her sister, Kristyn Decker, who had additionally escaped polygamy. She began a help group for girls traumatized by abusive plural marriages. Being half of this group prompted then-polygamist Christine to chop her mom out of her life for over six months. Christine feared being related together with her mom and aunt would put her household in hazard.
Annie reveals the ‘dark side’ of polygamy
In 1998, simply two years after Annie left her husband, she was on a documentary discussing abuse discovered inside polygamous communities. A Sister Wives fan posted a clip of it on TikTok.
@content_noggin #sisterwives #christinebrown #polygamy ♬ American Beauty – Thomas Newman
“Ruthanne Stevens had six children with her polygamist husband,” The British narrator says about Annie, who legally goes by Ruthanne.
“It’s very fear-based. People are afraid to go there. They don’t talk about abuse,” Annie mentioned. “They don’t talk about the dark side of it because they want everyone to believe that this is the picture of perfection,” Christine’s mom revealed.
“That there’s the law of God that there’s no fault here. And so it’s like if you cover it up, it perpetuates,” Annie mentioned about the faith she was raised in.
Christine’s mom’s determination to depart
Christine comes from a protracted line of polygamists, and Kody even joked that she’s a “blue blood polygamist.” Christine’s great-grandfather was Byron Allred. Her grandfather is Rulon C. Allred, who was the founder of the AUB. And Rex Allred, the eldest of Rulon’s sons, is Christine’s father, primarily making her AUB royalty.
Annie and Rex have been married for 11 years earlier than he took on a second spouse. Annie tried her greatest to be a very good sister-wife for nearly 14 years. She mentioned that she struggled together with her religion throughout that point and felt very ashamed of wanting out.
“You can’t imagine, you can’t imagine a high degree of secrecy. People are so afraid to talk about anything that goes on. The shame that is brought upon you for thinking or feelings these things. But it was just this whole concept that you can’t live from your heart and soul,” Annie mentioned in the clip.
“But I remember when I knew that I was going to be leaving, and it just terrified me because I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to hell. I’m choosing to go to hell. But my life is hell,’” she concluded.
Christine has adopted in her mother’s footsteps and left her unhealthy plural marriage and the religion. She is even dwelling close to her in Utah. Maybe Annie will make a cameo on Sister Wives Season 18.