Seeking Sister Wife showcases families who turn to polygamous relationships for multiple reasons and one couple in particular seemingly has an interesting backstory. During season 5, fans met Becky and Justin Ryan as they looked to add a third member to their marriage. Becky revealed she was comfortable with the idea because she came from a family of polygamists. She is also believed to be the daughter of cult leader Tony Alamo.
Who Is Tony Alamo?
Tony Alamo is a well-known evangelist who founded Tony Alamo Christian Ministries and later died in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing underaged girls whom he considered his wives.
The church leader was convicted in 2009 for taking girls across state lines for sex, with his victims being as young as 9 years old, according to the New York Times.
At the height of his fame during the ’70s and ‘80s, his ministry had thousands of members nationwide and he lived in a 300-acre compound that included gas stations, a grocery store, restaurants and more, which funded his ministry.
Is Seeking Sister Wife’s Becky Ryan Related to Tony Alamo?
Becky married Justin while they were still in high school, which she said was “kind of normal” where she lived. The reality TV star explained that growing up she never saw polygamy as a “negative” because she always had someone to talk to, despite her biological father not having a lot of time for her.
“Our church believed in polygamy as an option. My dad was the pastor of the church. And he studied the bible a lot,” she explained in a private confessional during her debut on the March 18, 2024, episode of Seeking Sister Wife. “He got other wives as he was finding all the scriptures that prove that it is OK to do.”
While Becky hasn’t clarified who her father is, her mother, Sharon Kroopf, was believed to be the common-law wife of Alamo.
Sharon’s ex-husband David Kroopf spoke out in an article in the SouthWest Times Record, telling the publication that his wife’s affections were “alienated” by Alamo after she married him in 1989.
“There’s the man who has destroyed my life and taken my wife and daughter from me. Now he’s got my daughter sitting on his knee and has kept me from her for three years without a letter or a phone call,” David is quoted saying in the article, according to Starcasm. The outlet also reported that David and Sharon had one daughter named Rebecca, who was born in October 1981, which would make the cult leader Becky’s stepfather.
Sharon later changed her last name to Alamo and testified in his 2009 trial after he was accused of taking five young girls across state lines for sex after “marrying” them, according to CBS News.
Sharon said she never formally married Alamo but conducted business as his wife. As she spoke on trial, Alamo allegedly muttered to his lawyers, “They don’t understand it’s a spiritual marriage.”
Sharon acknowledged she had seen young women wearing wedding rings around her house but believed they were gifts from the ministry.
Witnesses from the prosecution later testified that the rings were given to underaged girls when Alamo “married” them.
Sharon was not charged in connection with the claims against Tony and available records only provide information regarding testimony to assist with the case.
