“Sister Wives”’ Kody Believes Christine Has to ‘Destroy My Character for David’s Sake’: ‘I’m Not a Bad Guy’

Kody Brown still has some strong opinions about Christine Brown, especially where her new relationship with David Woolley is concerned.

In PEOPLE’s exclusive sneak peek at Sunday’s next Sister Wives: One on One special episode, the Brown family patriarch shares his belief on how his ex-wife was able to move on with her new man.

“Here’s the thing. For David’s sake, David Woolley’s sake, Christine has to destroy my character or David doesn’t feel like he can marry her, ’cause she left a good man,” he suggests. “I’m not a bad guy. Christine and I were just not in a good marriage.”

But host Sukanya Krishnan begged to differ, saying she doesn’t believe David “feels that way at all” based on her conversation with him.

“He just kind of feels like, ‘You know what? A marriage didn’t work out,'” she explains. “‘Yeah, there’s a divorce that took place, and now I’m meeting this woman where she is right now.'”

Kody, however, notes that he “vetted” his fourth wife Robyn Brown “differently than that.”

“I vetted Robyn hard because I had to know that she didn’t leave a good man before I was going to marry her and take a chance with that,” he says.

Sukanya counters that Kody, 54, is “still a good man even though Christine left.” And with that in mind, the father of 18 says, “She needs to stop telling my children I’m not then. I’m not going to let that go, ever, until those kids come to me.”

As Sukanya points out that David “doesn’t think ill” of him, Kody says that is “good” and “awesome” to hear.

“I don’t even know David. I hope Christine is choosing well,” he adds. “I’m hoping she’s chosen well. I hope that she’s very happy. I’m not judging him, but my life has been public for years.”

Christine, 52, announced the end of her plural marriage with Kody in November 2021 after 25 years. She later confirmed her relationship with David in February. The pair got engaged in April and tied the knot in October.

As for Kody, both his second wife Janelle Brown and his first wife Meri Brown left the plural marriage within 14 months of Christine’s departure. He is now only married to Robyn, 45.

In PEOPLE’s clip from Sunday’s episode, David shares his first initial impression of Kody: “He wears his emotions on his sleeve a lot.”

“But that’s him and that’s who he is. I can’t say anything differently,” David continues. “Would I be like that? No. You know, it’s just, he wants you to hear him.”

Asked whether he has “empathy” for Kody amid his struggles in managing his large family, David says he “can to a certain point, because it can get overwhelming with a lot of people.”