What Happened To Sister Wives Star Robyn Brown's Ex-Husband?

This article includes mentions of abuse.

While the fallout from Christine's decision to divorce Kody Brown played out for audiences to see on TLC's "Sister Wives," the patriarch's fourth wife, Robyn Brown, reminded everyone that she has also been through a divorce. Which makes us wonder: whatever happened to Robyn's ex-husband, David Jessop? Robyn rarely discusses her first marriage or the reason for the divorce, but from what little she has said, it's clear that it wasn't an easy decision — which is part of the reason she's said she's taken Christine's leaving so hard.

After Christine and Kody announced their split to the other wives on the show, Robyn said in a confessional (via Us Weekly), "I'm looking at Christine going, 'Are you sure? Do you know what this means?' Because I do. That was absolute hell and it was for years. It still is hard for my kids. It's still hard." In an April 2021 episode (via InTouch Weekly), Robyn said, "I was married before, and in that marriage, there was a lot of fighting and there was a lot of pain." So, what happened to David Jessop?

While Robyn Brown has spoken occasionally of the fighting that went on in her first marriage to David Jessop, which officially ended in 2007, according to Us Weekly, she has only once mentioned the word "abuse." In 2011, the youngest of Kody's four wives tweeted (via E! News), "Just to clarify, I do not tolerate my kids getting bullied. I ended my first marriage because of abuse. My kids come first ALWAYS."

One thing that's been made clear since "Sister Wives" first debuted is that Robyn's ex-husband is no longer in her life or their kids' lives. According to The U.S. Sun, Jessop is alleged to have stopped speaking to his three kids when Robyn married Kody, and he hasn't had any contact with them since Kody legally adopted them. The kids — David, Aurora, and Breanna — have also changed their last name to Brown to match their adoptive father's.

Since Robyn first began appearing on television and Jessop's existence became known to the public at all, there has only been about one real update on his whereabouts. 

In 2019, Radar Online reported that David Jessop had been arrested in 2018. According to the court papers, Robyn Brown's ex-husband was arrested for "partner or family member assault, causing bodily injury," and was released four days later. The outlet reported that Jessop pleaded not guilty and the charge was later reduced to disorderly conduct, although he had to pay a fine. However, the details of the case are unknown, and Robyn herself has never made any concrete allegations of physical assault or abuse.

Other information available on Jessop appears to be sketchy at best. The gossip site Ashley's Reality Roundup has claimed that Jessop is Christine Brown's first cousin and Kody Brown's third cousin, and that he is no longer a part of the church the Wives all belong to. However, these details are unconfirmed and simply the conclusion of online fans' sleuthing.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.