While other decisions they made as a family in recent months have caused the Brown family some major scorning from some longtime fans, the stars of TLC's Sister Wives re opening up about a time in their life that was significantly more painful than what they may be experiencing now.

Robyn Addresses Her Critics On Twitter

In a preview for an upcoming appearance on Oprah: Where Are They Now?, Kody and his wives-Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn-revealed how scary it was the first time they appeared on Oprah's show back in 2010-and the struggle they faced at the time due to their decision to go public with their lifestyle.

"When we were on The Oprah Show in 2010, it was an extremely painful time," Kody says now. "We were definitely afraid of going to jail."

The Browns Open Up On Their Ongoing Battle For Robyn's Kids

Fans of the show remember that the group initially hailed from Utah-but after going public on the show, the district attorney started an investigation into the family (polygamy was illegal in the state)-and they all lived in fear that they would be convicted of felony bigamy-ripping not only them, but their children apart.

They now admit they took precautions to be safe.

"We had actually all listed who our kids would go to in the event that we were taken away and put in jail," Meri says.

However, after deciding that living in fear wasn't a viable option for their family, they chose to take matters into their own hands, and chose to flee the state-relocating in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they knew they'd be safe from prosecution.

"We did not know how aggressive the district attorney would be, so we didn't what him finding out that we were leaving the state," Kody says now.

Find out more about the family's struggles during this time during their episode of Oprah: Where Are They Now?, airing Sunday, March 8 at 9 p.m. on OWN.


Tags: Sister Wives TLC Reality TV