Previously on Sister Wives...
I gotta get back in the sun.
I don't wanna get chilled.
Not with coronavirus going free.
Something's brewing.
-It's the respiratory droplets that we're scared about. -Yeah, just hold your breath.
Coronavirus is literally rolling through society.
We'll have to decide what we really want.
Do you want to have a relationship
with your sister wife?
Maybe, and this would be heartbreaking,
there are some of us who are like, "Look, I don't want it anymore."
Yeah, I'm sure everybody hates me all the time.
Uh, I don't know why Christine is saying this.
Like, that's, that's scary.
I was out of turn
because I was angry because I felt like I was giving,
like I was giving you what you wanted, and then you didn't want it,
and I gave you what you wanted, and you didn't want it.
-That's, that's how I perceived it. That's weird.
-Okay. -And I apologize.
Thank you.
Whatever.
I'm just acquiescing here. This is ridiculous.
So, a few months ago, there was this emerging virus
called coronavirus, COVID-19.
And it got into the United States
and became what they're calling pandemic.
Public health became concerned about this coronavirus enough
to start closing some businesses.
They've closed some college campuses.
Even Aspyn's mall was closed, where she was working.
Last week, the five adults, we were in Utah
looking at wedding venues with Audrey and Mariah.
Now almost everybody is home.
The family needs to sort of connect.
So we're gonna do a call, basically, where we'll be able
to see each other on our screens.
Hello! Hey, guys.
Hey, you're sideways.
-You're sideways. -You're sideways.
No, you're sideways.
You're sideways.
Can I fix that at all?
I'm afraid to touch anything 'cause I'm new to this.
I don't know.
Okay? So, yeah. No, this is, like, my first teleconference on my phone.
So I don't exactly know what I'm doing here.
And apparently, I'm... I think we'll leave it like that.
Unlock your phone. Maybe try unlocking your phone.
No, I did unlock it. I unlocked it already.
After the wedding venue tour, um, I got home
and then Gwendlyn, Ysabel,
and Truely and I went to North Carolina
to visit Maddie and Caleb and Axel and Evie K.
What if I just turn my phone the other way?
There. Is that better?
Am I still sideways?
I called Maddie first to make sure she was good with it,
but it wasn't, like, it wasn't as alarming.
Covid wasn't as alarming at that point.
After we got North Carolina,
that's when Covid became more of a scare.
It's supposed to be spring break.
Yeah, no. Craziest spring break ever. How's Flagstaff?
Quiet.
Christine won't be home physically in Flagstaff for another few days.
This stuff is all unfolding really fast.
I think we just need to touch base and see where everybody's at
and try to make a game plan with this really,
this quickly changing landscape.
I am not kidding when I tell you I have sleepless nights.
I wake up several times in the night
worrying that I'm not gonna be able to make it back home.
You might be stuck, Christine,
because what I'm hearing is that it's...
The big... The big worry is that it's being
transported via airplanes because people are traveling.
We're concerned about 'em closing the airports.
That'd make it really hard for people to travel.
Like, Christine to get home with the kids from North Carolina.
What if all of our flights got cancelled because airlines stopped flying?
I didn't know what was gonna happen.
No one knows. No one knows what's happening.
This whole thing is stressing me out so bad
that the kids and I are self-quarantining at home right now.
Oh, wow.
I've had pneumonia before and Sol has had...
Sol had RSV when he was little,
and I've talked to our family doctor on the phone,
and she basically said
those two things right there
are, like, high-risk situations.
RSV is a virus
that you basically can suffocate to death.
Somehow Sol all had got RSV.
I took him in to my pediatrician,
and they, within minutes,
they almost admitted him to the hospital,
but it basically weakened his lungs.
You know, I mean, at my house, it doesn't seem like very much has changed.
We're still kind of in the spring break mentality.
So we're just kicking around home,
but nothing seems that different.
I... We're still kind of in this mentality of like,
"Oh, it's a long spring break."
Based on what I'm seeing online
and all of the research I've been doing,
We, we might be here longer than just a couple of weeks.
I guess I'm optimistic.
I don't think it's gonna be over in two weeks,
but I'm hoping that, like, by three or four,
they have it under control
'cause we have this small town.
We have no exposures yet.
I'm crossing my fingers that you're right.
I just don't know. We live only two hours away
from one of the biggest cities in the United States.
So I'm a little nervous about it.
Because everybody else is being careful,
I'm gonna be careful.
I mean, yes, you don't want to get it yourself.
That's the truth. But at the same time, the big thing,
the reason why they're having everybody social distance and stay at home
is so that it doesn't spread to everybody else.
So it's... The issue is, is that in the hospitals,
they don't have the equipment
to take care of people who are sick.
When I come back to North Carolina,
are we gonna need to be quarantined?
So, as long as we all stay away from other people
and our kids stay away from other people,
then we're probably gonna be fine.
We just need to keep us and our children,
um, unexposed.
Here's the thing. We are a big family,
but we don't see each other every day.
Like, if we're just kind of keeping our distance
from town and everybody else,
like, I'm not too concerned about it.
If we're all being careful...
I mean, we're not going anywhere
except for the grocery store that's needed or whatever.
...couldn't we all just hang together?
So that's where I'm at.
You guys don't think... You guys think it's okay and safe
for us to kinda spend time together?
I mean, I guess that's my thought process.
I envision us, like, just hanging out
with all this spare time, and, like--
You think that's safe for us to be, like, spending time
with each other and stuff like that?
Yeah, 'cause I think we're all being careful.
I mean, to me, this seems, like, a kind of a bonus thing.
Like, I've been wanting the family
to be more close together and spend more time.
And now we're gonna have to almost do it out of necessity.
Can't go anywhere, can't do anything,
can't buy anything, can't eat out.
But, you know, we can all hang out together at home.
Under the circumstances I'm, I'm a little nervous.
I'm cautious. I feel a little bit stressed out by it.
I don't think this is going away.
For me right now I have Garrison and Gabriel
who are in the prime of their social life.
So I'm asking 'em to be really careful
about going out and staying socially distanced.
And they're starting to feel a little bit, like,
"Are you sure we're not overreacting?"
'Cause it's really kind of changed their culture.
It's, it's hard. It's hard on these older kids
who are used to being out about with their friends.
And I'm starting to see little...
I'm starting to see little pieces of that at my house.
I don't know what to think. It's kind of surreal.
So I see that...
On one hand I feel like, "Wow, this is fun.
The kids are home an extra week.
We're gonna have so much fun."
But it's so crazy 'cause of what I see on the news media
versus what I see in my local community is not...
They don't match.
I don't see anybody sick in Flagstaff, I don't see...
And so I'm like, wow, what is going on here?
Is this, like, a big city thing?
Is this, like, a weird thing? Are they trying to make me afraid?
You know, I don't really know what to think right now
as far as us being together as a family.
I don't want to be isolated from our family,
but at the same time, I don't really know what to think,
what is smart to be doing.
We just... I just don't know right now.
But I wanna make sure that we're, you know,
sticking together as a family.
You know, we've had conversations recently,
somewhat recently about, you know,
making more of an effort within the family
to be closer, to work through issues,
to, you know, figure things out with us.
If we start talking about social distancing from each other
because different parts of us
may not be social distancing from everybody else...
...then it's...
It's like, "What are what are we doing?
I don't even know.
Like, how can we work our relationships
if we can't even see each other to talk to you?
If the family stays away from anybody that's non-family,
then we'll be able to hang out all summer.
So is that a hard sacrifice for us?
It's just a temporary thing.
I mean, we'll be okay, right?
I think that it's easy for us
to just sort of take, uh...
...steps that are cautious.
Let's just... Let's just be careful as a family.
It won't hurt the kids
to avoid being around friends for a, a little while.
Let's just be careful.
Hi.
As a mom, I do not want Mariah and Audrey
to be stuck in Chicago
if it's gonna be hit really hard.
So I guess things are getting kinda crazy
in, like, some other states
that are more densely populated.
The National Guard has been called in.
Wow.
So, I think, realistically, I could survive on four,
but five is gonna be appropriate, probably.
Whatever it takes to get the job done
without your fingers pushing through
-the toilet paper. -Oh, gosh!
-I already know and it's disgusting! -You fold it in half.
Oh, gosh. What the heck?
Kody's log.
Earth date 03.22.2020.
The whole country has sort of been told
that we need to start doing, um...
...social distancing.
That's not an easy thing for our family.
I got a big family.
I mean, if one of us gets sick
with this Covid thing going on,
then it's literally quarantining the family.
The kids are like, "Why can't we see each other?"
Well, because every person
that interacts with another person in the family
mathematically increases
the potential exposure to this virus.
Because I've got family in three, four different home,
I'm gonna spread this out.
I just barely got back, um, from North Carolina
and everything's closed.
Flagstaff is dead. Like, it's dead.
The gyms are closed, everything's closed.
It's so weird.
I was hoping to have the family over for breakfast to discuss,
you know, the next steps and stuff.
So, why aren't we
having a family gathering this morning?
And no one's coming.
Yeah, I have a bit of a cold, too.
And...
So, I woke up and I just felt achy.
Like, I had some congestion
and I was achy, and my throat was a little sore.
And I thought, "Oh, my word."
Like, I don't know. If I get normal sick now...
If it's, if it's... If I'm normal sick
or if I have the coronavirus, I have no idea. Like...
It may not be anything.
Likely, it's not anything. Hopefully, it's not anything.
You know, we just don't wanna take any risks.
It appears that coronavirus
is going to change our lifestyle somewhat.
Um, family's not getting together.
I don't know how often we're gonna get together honestly.
No one really wants corona.
You could have let me put on make-up first.
-Gosh. Whoo!
Oops.
So, I just found out today
that Flagstaff now has a case of coronavirus.
And now I feel... And, like, I felt like...
...because we were so far away from everything,
because we're kind of, you know, in this little town
up on the mountain, that we were okay,
and now, um...
I don't know. I feel... I feel scared.
New York has been hit really hard with this.
Washington state and California...
They're all being hit really hard,
and they're saying that Chicago
is the next big city to be hit.
Hi.
-Hello. -Hi.
As a mom, I do not want Mariah and Audrey
to be stuck in Chicago
if it's gonna be hit really hard.
So I guess things are getting kinda crazy
in, like, some other states
that are more densely populated.
The National Guard has been called in.
Wow.
I've been hearing that they're talking about closing borders
between the states just to help,
like, this whole social distance thing
so that people are not traveling all over the place.
Like, when, when are these border gonna be shut down?
Like, I don't even know.
So... So I think we should, like, go now.
-Yeah. -You guys want to leave?
Yeah. -Like, now?
Pretty much my jaw was dropping.
I'll come help you guys.
-I'll come do what I need to do to help you. -Thank you.
But, like, what are you thinking?
I mean, like, as soon as possible.
They're already planning on moving to Utah.
Like, let's just get you out of Chicago
and just come here
and just land and breathe for a second, and we'll figure it out.
I mean, I can jump on the plane tonight or tomorrow and come out.
Oh, my gosh. Are you guys ready for that?
-No. -No, actually.
We literally were just talking about how I'm, like,
I'm not ready to go like this.
-No. -Kinda feels...
-It feels weird. -Makes you feel sick.
This is the first time through all of this
that I have really felt a sense of, like, urgency.
My kids are in a place and I need to get to them,
and I need to help them get out.
I feel like I'm in a dream. I am not even kidding.
It is the weirdest emotion right now.
I can't imagine what you guys are thinking.
-My heart is soft. -It feels like, really...
-I don't even know. -Ominous.
-Yeah, yeah. Ominous is a great... Yeah. -Yeah.
That's a great way to put it.
I've heard there's a lot of cases
of Covid-19 in Chicago.
Maybe they should just leave, but it's not my place to say that to them.
Seriously, they need to leave.
Oh, gosh. Before it closes down, right?
I don't even know if I would be functioning in this situation.
I'm such a slow, methodical thinker.
I don't do well in these situations.
Thank goodness Meri does.
And Mariah's pretty matter of fact. I think Audrey is too.
But wow.
Let me talk to Dad
and see if he has any thoughts on it.
-Thank you. Thank you. -Talk to you soon.
-This is crazy. Okay. All right. -This is nuts.
I love you guys. I'll talk to you soon.
You, too. I love you, too.
All right, bye.
I... I'm feeling the stress.
And I'm feeling like I just need to fix it,
I need to do something.
And, like, when my girls are in danger...
And this is how I feel right now.
They're in danger and I need to get 'em out
Okay, Kody.
Are you doing the thing that Grandpa Bill did?
No. It's a different one. -Do you wanna sit down
-and join us?
This is a real conversation.
We have to ration toilet paper.
Well, no, it's not just that.
I plunged a toilet that looked like the whole roll
had been used to wipe somebody's behind.
I'm not blaming anybody for using,
but when I have to plunge a toilet
because a half, a half, half a roll
is in the toilet...
Now, I had to... I've caught other little kids.
I mean, it's normal for little kids to go like this.
This is a bad idea.
Don't do this. This is not how you wipe your bottom.
Okay? You don't just--
You're wasting all of that.
-That's a humongous waste. -Believe me, I'll use it.
Now I realize that keeps your fingers
from pushing through,
but that's a humongous waste, all right?
'Cause you get one good wipe, and that's all.
Yeah, I've been to the store a couple of times,
and the toilet paper
and paper towel aisles are empty.
Empty.
Now one, one square is way too little, okay?
That's, that's the miserly,
and we're not gonna be miserly.
That's just disgusting.
I don't know what their toilet paper situation is.
I think... Goodness, am I one of those people
who has, like, a big shipment delivered every three months
because I hate going to the grocery store?
So I'm good because I'm a toilet paper hog.
I am. I use lots of toilet paper.
So I would be a very guilty party in this conversation.
So one, one piece is too little.
So I think, realistically, I can survive on four.
But five is gonna be appropriate, probably.
And you fold it and then you fold it.
I'm actually really, um, a huge culprit
when it comes to using too much toilet paper.
And then once you've done one swipe...
I'm sorry this is disgusting,
but this is what you have to talk about with your kids.
Later on we'll have a birds and the bees
so Truely knows how babies are made.
-I already know and it's disgusting! -You fold it in half...
You know, bathroom experiences are private.
They're embarrassing.
And here we are talking about it.
It's awesome.
If you're really good and skilled,
you might be able to get three wipes
out of this by folding it in half...
Whatever it takes to get the job done without your fingers
-pushing through the toilet paper. -Oh, gosh!
What about... About when you have...
When you, you... When you just...
When it's messy?
When you poop? -Yeah.
Well, just-- -And you need a lot of toilet paper.
All right. Once again--
No, wait. I have an answer. No.
You put a little bit of lotion on your toilet paper.
You put a little bit of lotion on your toilet paper
and it'll pick things up a lot easier.
-God, why are we-- -No, that's Brazil.
That is from Brazil.
Take this seriously, ladies.
I just plunged a toilet.
And when I'm not here, you have to plunge it, lady.
You have to plunge it when I'm not here.
-Dude, I plunge the toilets when you're not here. -No, no.
-You realize that? -Every house that I'm at, I plunge the toilet.
And I have to plunge them often.
Dad, thank you for this lesson.
-I will remember it for the rest of my life. Grandpa Bill!
-Grandpa Bill! Do you remember that?
Yeah, Grandpa Bill lesson.
And, Dad, I already know how babies are made. -All right, stop.
-The Grandpa Bill lesson... -It was traumatizing.
Grandpa Bill is Meri's dad.
The Grandpa Bill lesson... Just listen.
It only takes one square.
One square.
Yeah, that's, that's... That's my dad.
Grab it in a corner.
No! No!
-Wipe!
Wipe.
Oh, gosh.
Oh! Ugh! This is kinda starting to turn my stomach a little bit.
Wipe.
-Clean out your fingernails.
No!
It is absolutely disgusting!
But this is the humor of my dad!
It was a joke. We never did it that way.
No, that's disgusting! You're not--
That was amazing. Thank you, Dad.
Take a bow! Take a bow!
Wait. 'Cause that was beautiful!
Yeah. -This is just the two of them. I can't in good conscience,
like, leave just the two of them to do this.
-That's my problem. -I know but I--
-You-- -But I--
-You getting on a plane is exposure. -It's stupid. I know.
Um, this is my daughter, and I'm gonna go help them.
-This is so hard for me. -What?
Meri thinks about Meri and Mariah and Audrey
I'm required to consider the entire family.
Hey, everybody, it's still March 23rd.
Meri called me and said she had emergency.
She... Well, I guess it's emergency.
She's gotta talk to me about something going on
and wanted me to come over and talk to her.
So I'm headed over to Meri sounds right now.
Yeah, I'm really stressed out, actually.
I just had this conversation with the girls.
If they end up leaving Chicago now
during all this Covid stuff,
it's gonna be it.
They won't be going back.
I need to figure out how to help them.
Janelle thought she had an allergy this morning.
So I called her and said,
"Well, why don't we do a dry run and get a test?
And she's like, you know what?
Their county doesn't have any money for tests.
You can't run and get a test.
That's gonna be a struggle, you know?
Hey, runny eyes and sore throat and sniffy nose.
That... That's the signs of Covid.
Wait. That's also everybody who has seasonal allergies.
So how are we gonna know without testing?
There's no testing.
I mean, how are we gonna know?
I think some of the family is actually worried about
how big our family is, how much we interact
and, and who takes
this seriously and who doesn't.
So, I'm the most dangerous person in the whole family
when it comes to Covid-19 because I'm going from house to house.
I could spread it from house to house.
You pick your side literally.
There's almost a divide, like, "Oh, we need to quarantine right now"
and others who are going, "You know what?
Why don't we spread it around so we can all, you know,
like, check and see if we're immune to the flu or if we're gonna get it?"
No, because that's too much finger pointing.
Hi.
How's going?
I just had...
...a phone call.
All right.
I don't know at this point
if I need to just get on a plane and fly out tonight.
I'm feeling the anxiety.
I can't imagine what Mariah and Audrey are feeling.
Listen, I don't wanna shut Meri down, but in the...
And so I'm being really careful
'cause Meri's in a bit of a panic mode.
"I've gotta go rescue my daughter.
I gotta go rescue my daughter.
I gotta go rescue my daughter."
And I'm... I don't wanna stop her because she'll fight me.
So I'd rather just sort of slowly work in
the common sense about...
We don't want a rescuing party being put at risk
'cause we're increasing our risk.
Hi.
-Hi. -Hello.
This is crazy.
How much stuff have you guys got?
I don't think it's that much, but Audrey thinks it's a lot.
No, I don't think it's a lot. I just think it's more than she thinks we have.
So, we have, like, a dining room table and chairs.
Then we have our king size bed.
For the price that it'll cost us to come out there and get you,
you could probably replace all that furniture.
You want us to just leave with what we can put in our car?
Here's the thing.
If I come out there, it's gonna take me
two or three days to get there with the trailer.
And you put me at risk with all the rest of family.
Honestly, it was kinda weird when we got on the call with them
and Kody just started talking to them like I didn't even exist.
"Meri, you're not going."
He never said that, but it was just like,
Let's talk about other options that didn't even include me.
And I'm like, um, this is my daughter and I'm gonna go help them.
Yeah. -This is just the two of them.
I can't, in good conscience,
like, leave just the two of them to do this.
-That's my problem. -I know but--
-You getting on a plane is exposure. -But I totally get...
It's stupid. I know.
Meri thinks about Meri and Mariah and Audrey.
I'm required to consider the entire family.
You guys should pack up and leave us fast as you can
if you're gonna do this.
Waiting for me or Mom to get there...
...is, is stalling you out.
I really do. I understand that there is a concern.
My thinking is if there's a risk to me.
I don't care because I'm gonna help my daughter.
I'll have to calm Meri down.
Meri's very anxious that she's not there rescuing them
'cause that's her purpose in life.
But she's still... That instinct to go rescue
is just overwhelming her, and I'm trying to go,
"Hey, it's okay. It's okay.
They'll be okay."
You guys could have, um,
I guess a rental truck.
-Just get this ten-foot truck. -They can't. They...
Just the two of them can't.
-We can definitely move everything out. -Yeah.
Listen, right now there is a lot of stress.
It's this urgency for them
to get out of Chicago.
I'm a mom and I want to help.
That's what I do.
This is so hard for me.
What?
-What, them coming here by themselves? -Yes.
-No, I know. -It doesn't make sense for you to...
It's just the mom in me that is doing this.
I don't like it when he makes sense
when I wanna do something.
You guys' combined age is 46, right?
Forty-seven?
You guys are almost my age, okay?
We are... All of us combined, we are almost as old as Dad.
Yeah, I could do this all by myself, okay?
So you guys could do it together.
I know they could do this without me.
I just wanna be there for 'em.
-Okay, that sounds good. -Gather the information.
Find out, okay? And then let us know.
-Okay. Sounds good. -Okay. All right.
-Thanks, guys. -All right. Okay.
-Love you. -Love you.
-Love you. Talk to you soon. -Good to see ya.
-Bye-bye. -Bye.
I just felt helpless sitting here and doing nothing.
Meri, uh, that's just part of being a grown-up.
You and I did crazier moves than that
when we were younger than them.
Okay? They can do this.
Hi, sweetheart.
Honey, I know that you were
planning on being here tonight.
I'm just gonna make the decision.
I want Kody to stay away from my home
until we can figure out how bad this is gonna get.
So, I've talked to Mariah a couple of times today.
They left three days ago.
They've taken three days to drive here,
and it was a little bit nerve-racking,
um, the whole situation.
I ended up not going to help them move,
which was really hard for me.
I wanna be there and help and I should
because that's what moms do.
But, it, uh... In light of the whole reason
that they're leaving Chicago,
which is Covid-19,
it doesn't make any sense.
It's foolish of me.
I think it's just that mom instinct.
When there is a danger or a threat,
you want your kid close to you.
-Hi. -How's it going?
Good. How are you guys?
-I don't know. -Aww.
The reason that I'm not actually there
when they come home and helping them unload
and everything is because, you know, they traveled from another state.
I need them to actually, like,
semi-quarantine or quarantine for a while
before I have any exposure to 'em.
Oh, my goodness! Oh, my goodness!
-Hi! Oh, my goodness.
I am glad that Mariah and Audrey are here.
We're just gonna quarantine together.
And it means we're not gonna see
the rest of the family for a couple of weeks.
-Hi! Hi! Oh, my goodness. Are you thirsty?
Are you excited?
Are you so excited to be in the snow?
Let's go inside and sleep.
Okay. I think the sleeping is good for you guys.
Hi, sweetheart.
Hey. Honey, I know
that you were planning on being here tonight,
but I've really been thinking,
and I'm, I'm, I'm concerned
that this household at least is a little bit of a risk point.
I have Garrison. He's still working.
The construction crews are all strong.
We shouldn't have you come for a little bit maybe.
So, I've been kinda watching the news,
and they're started to talk about everybody staying home.
But I have Garrison who works with construction crews and stuff here in town.
I've got Gabriel, who is being careful associating with his friends,
but I can't guarantee what that looks like yet.
So instead of sitting here and waiting to be told
or it's having something horrible happen that makes a decision,
I'm just gonna make the decision.
I want Kody to stay away from my home
until we can figure out how bad this is gonna get.
But, Kody, I have this because I have boys
that are working outside the house, Garrison.
-And this is nobody's fault. It's just circumstance. -Yeah.
And I'm trying to be... I'm trying to be
really brave and really smart and really logical.
'Cause I don't know what that's like to not to you for that long.
Yes, this is hard for me, but I'm trying to stay
in that clinical, logical place.
I present a risk. My household presents a risk.
You know, sometimes I just don't quite understand
everything going on in this family.
I don't know. I don't know why she's just calling me
and telling me, just like, "Hey, this is the way it's gonna be."
No, I would worry too much that there could be risk.
I mean, you and I will survive this.
You're gonna owe me big time, buddy man, when we're done here.
I wish you could have had a camera on me.
That's... That's a statement of pressure.
Like, "You gotta make up for this somehow."
What?
You're making these choices and you're telling the kids
to continue with what's normal in their lives,
and I'm supposed to pay for that?
I just have to get a dig in,
saying, "Look, I am making a big sacrifice here, man. You owe me."
I'm implying he owes me some sort of tropical vacation
or whatever, 'cause I feel like... Okay, it's a little bit childish.
But it's like I'm making such a big sacrifice, which I'm choosing to do.
But I still... I guess I sort of... I'm like,
"Give me some acknowledgement here
that I'm making this really hard sacrifice and that you understand it."
I know that the real reason isn't just Garrison's work.
It's that him and Gabriel both have a social life that they're not... That...
I don't even know if that's the reason.
What I do know is that they're of the age group
that tends to not take this seriously,
and they're the age group that they're saying isn't affected by it.
No, because I know everybody's gonna... No, look.
Robyn's gonna be like, "No, you have to see the kids"
'cause she's really adamant about that.
She is definitely resistant to the opinions of others right now.
I don't feel like this is a conversation that we have with them.
I mean, yes, after we've decided.
I don't know if they necessarily come into play here.
I feel like it would be better if the whole family was on the same page
instead of just Janelle making a decision
and Christine making a decision
and Meri making a decision and Robyn making a decision.
I'm feeling kind of powerless in this whole situation.
And so this is one way I can protect.
You know, it's just one of those times when maybe
I wish I just told my wives what we were gonna do.
But I'm so confused by this whole thing
that I don't even know what to do.
I don't want 'em be swayed...
...in their, in their decisions
because of my emotion.
All right.
So, you guys, I've had a conversation with Kody.
Because I have Garrison and everybody who are still working outside the home,
I think maybe I better, like,
not have Kody even come.
This is where I feel like maybe
what's best for the group is more important.
I don't know. I guess not everybody agrees with that.
So I guess this is what we're choosing.
It's freakin' heartbreaking.
So, Janelle called me earlier today
basically saying, "I don't want you to come over
'cause the, you know, you could get exposure.
We've gotta be careful." Okay, I get that.
I mean, like, if we're going to make the steps,
then we all sort of need to invest in this
so that we're justifying
the sacrifice others are making
by making those sacrifices all together
in order to keep ourselves all well and healthy.
Right now it's speaker phones, okay?
Yeah. I'm recording.
Okay, it's on speaker. I'm good.
So gotta figure out how to accommodate the virus
as well as our family lifestyle and interaction.
I'm in this place where I can't think about how long this might be
'cause it kinda makes me crazy
'cause I'm a little... I've got cabin fever.
You could always go hiking.
Nobody's... There's no restrictions on hiking.
As long as it's not snowing.
-Well, and that, that exercise and getting-- -I didn't hear any of you.
This conference call is very hard to actually get an edge in.
-It's easy. -Okay.
-About getting out-- -The forest service is closed--
-Ladies, let's establish-- -The forest service is closed down at the--
I'm halfway through a sentence.
I don't even finish it, and I'm getting cut off.
We're gonna establish some rules right now
because this conference call will just drive us all nuts.
We're gonna start with one person,
and they're gonna set up their thoughts,
and then they're going to pass the baton
to the next person, okay?
Finish a damn sentence before you...
You know, just let somebody finish the sentence.
Says the guy who interrupts us most of the time.
So, everybody will stop talking now.
And I'm going to tell Janelle
to give us her thoughts from our discussion today.
All right. So, you guys, I've had a conversation with Kody.
Because I have Garrison and everybody who are still working outside the home,
and you guys have pretty much naturally self-quarantined
'cause your kids are all home.
They're not in school. They're not working.
But I pose a risk point for exposure.
I think maybe I better,
like, not have Kody even come
because if for some reason we ended up infected,
he would then bring it to all of you guys.
I was talking to Kody about it, like, a couple days ago.
and I was just saying, "Hey, how would you feel
about going to, like, one house
and staying put there for a few days?
And then when you're done, you know, as long as
everyone's well and everything,
then move on to the next house for a couple of days.
But when you get to the next house,
just make sure you shower really well
and, you know, wash the clothes.
Like, take the clothes off immediately,
put them in the washer immediately.
So, my schedule is always a sensitive subject.
All my wives have a different opinion
of what my schedule should be.
But the issue is is it's a sensitive subject to me,
and I don't like them telling me
what my schedule is.
-You have to pass the baton now. -Janelle, how about--
No, no. Just wait. Just... If you're done, pass the baton.
I'm done. I'd like to know...
Janelle, I'd like to know your thoughts, and then Kody and then Robyn.
Can we do it like that? And then go on to Meri?
Can we do it in that order?
-'Cause I wanna know how everybody feels. -No, you gotta pass the baton
-to one person. -Fine, I'll pass it to Janelle.
Gosh, you're so cranky.
It's 'cause you guys are talking about my body.
I feel like I'm being passed around like a rag doll now.
Kody, all I did was offer up a suggestion
-when I was talking about a couple of days. -That's okay.
It doesn't mean that think you're a rag doll or a baton for goodness' sake.
Who's speaking now?
God.
Holy... I'm just trying to...
It's like he's acting like we've objectified him.
No, we are a family, and we're trying to work this out.
He knew whatever the hell he wants to do his own body.
This is not what this is about.
I'm just trying to make... Whatever. God.
I actually... Look, I thought about that.
But honestly, what happens is you don't know if you've gotten it
into your respiratory system until two weeks.
And that's why Mariah and Audrey
are quarantining the way that they are.
That's why it's so important that we do stay,
you know, away from anybody and everybody.
And it kinda sucks that at this point,
maybe it includes family, too.
It's just such a kind of crazy shock
to think of Kody not going to Janelle's house.
You know, it's like, "No, this is not what you do, you know."
It's, like, your family. We're a family.
It's, it's really tough
to even consider that part of this whole thing
with this stupid disease
is the idea that we can't be a family.
If we lived in one house during all of this, I think it would be easier.
We'd have to come to an agreement,
and we would have to work it out together
because we were living in the same home.
We'd have to.
Sorry, Janelle, I get what you're saying, but...
Are you... I'm just worried about your kids and you and Kody and everything.
I'm just worried about you guys.
I don't know how this will work.
It's completely challenging our priorities
and what's important to us.
Like, how do we deal with this the right way?
For now, to me my gut feels like...
...to err on the side of extreme caution
makes the most sense.
Like, it just seems like it would be the most logical thing.
It's the least amount of sacrifice.
Okay, so if I'm gonna sacrifice
being able to see, um, the kids,
then everybody has to double down on this sacrifice
in such a way that it's like
you don't go to town and your kids don't go to town.
I love that idea, but, psychologically, I have to get out.
I will be bonkers if I don't have my...
I go to the grocery store and they sanitize the carts when you walk in.
And I mean, that's my only out, really, right now.
Because each wife sort of runs her household
and we're not agreeing
on how we're going to run each household the same,
we're literally getting to a place where it feels like we're every,
every house for themselves, every mother for themselves.
Honestly, I'm not out here to control what everybody else is gonna do.
And I don't think Kody should put some sort of moratorium, either.
I think everybody has to make their own decision.
Janelle's not gonna sacrifice anything but time with me.
But she's not gonna sacrifice her kids for that time with me.
And it's just one of those weird things.
It's like, if we don't get on the same page,
it's like, put it off on the next person.
Well, I feel like it's being put off onto me.
I'm the only one that ends up having any exposure
to any of the rest of the family.
So each family's basically quarantined to home
so to speak with the exception of getting the groceries,
getting gas, getting the essentials.
Um...
So... And then social distancing in that place.
You guys can do what you want and do what you feel,
but I don't feel like you're infringing on my decision
or penalizing me for this by being, doing those...
Like, going to town for your groceries and stuff.
There's this sort of thing that happens in our relationships
that I guess is only fair in plural marriage
is that the mom...
The household belongs to her.
It just feels odd to me.
"Okay, this what you're gonna do."
Well, wait a second.
Do I have a say in this?
It's hard for me to see that this is anything but overreacting.
However, on the backside of this...
...if we found out it was the right thing...
You never know what the right thing is until you've done it...
...and got the validation from the choice.
A lot has happened this last week.
There's so much moreinformation just being poured out.
Every single day is different.
It's not like anything is staying the same.
Every single day, there's new cases.
Every single day, there's new information, all conflicting, by the way.
All right, guys, I really gotta get going.
So, I... Just know I'm really good with this decision.
It makes a lot of sense to me. Kody, you used to always say,
"Choose the choice that allows you to choose again."
I feel like that applies here.
This isn't a made decision.
I've gotta think about this a bit.
This is where I feel like maybe,
what's best for the group is more important.
I don't know. I guess not everybody agrees with that.
So I guess this is what we're choosing.
It's freakin' heartbreaking that this is where we're at,
that this is what we've decided
and this is how we're gonna do this.
It's sad to me.
Next time on Sister Wives...
We have a pandemic breakout of Covid-19 in the United States.
There's a new stay-at-home order
from the governor for the whole state of Arizona.
A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.
We're going back to normal for a very long time.
The cases have grown, the fear has grown.
It just seems like this is, like, some sort of a thing that's hunting us almost.
We are changing our entire society for this.
We are changing our family for this.
Today I had contact with people
who had been in the same county
where the new case has been diagnosed.
If we're not gonna see Dad, why would I social distance? I mean, I'm not at risk.