On last week’s episode of Sister Wives, Janelle and Kody shared an awkward reunion after their explosive fight. During the exchange, Janelle informed Kody that, while they had separated a few times in the past, she wanted to “stay separated” from him.
In a sneak peek at the new episode, a meet-up between Christine and Janelle appears to reveal that Janelle has seemingly lost all hope of reconciliation with her former husband. Janelle admitted it was hard to call it final, but when asked if they were truly separated, she responded “Yeah. Oh, for sure. FOR. SURE!”
During their exchange, both came to a shared conclusion that he had changed drastically in comparison to the man they married in the early 1990s. “Kody used to be so dynamic and so bold,” Janelle recalled, while Christine stated that “everyone always wanted to be around him,” and that “he was his own person.”
Now, “Kody wants a wife who’s all partnering with him and not independent, and I’m like, ‘that will never be me,'” Janelle stated in the confessional. “He’s really advocating patriarchy, and I’m not that person.”
Still, Christine, a year into her separation from Kody, thought that her former sister wife wasn’t quite ready to make the leap yet. Speaking in a confessional, she said “I don’t think [Janelle] is done yet. She still has affection for him. And she’s just separated, very separated.”
Kody and Janelle’s relationship timeline
Janelle and Kody Brown met in 1989, and wed as part of a non-legally binding, “spiritual” union in 1993, recognized in their shared Mormon faith. Janelle and Kody could not formally marry, as Kody had already legally married Meri Brown in 1990. Later, Kody divorced Meri – in legal terms only – so he could marry new wife Robyn in 2010, in order to adopt Robyn’s children.
Together, Janelle and Kody share six children – Logan (born 1994), Maddie (born 1995), Hunter (born 1997), Garrison (born 1998), Gabriel (born 2001), and Savanah (born 2004). The former couple share three grandchildren through their daughter Maddie.
As part of the polygamist sect, the family their early lives in the Mormon town of Lehi, Utah. In 2011, the Browns moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, as a protest against the state of Utah’s tightening laws against polygamy, something the family claims got them into serious legal trouble in their final years in the state, known for its high Mormon population.
However, Janelle, who was raised in the Mormon faith from birth, was the last to move to Vegas, after some initial hesitance on her part. Later, in an interview with People, Janelle considered this a sort of brief separation, after “butting heads” over removing their children from their home state. In 2018, the family relocated to Flagstaff, Arizona, away from the temptations of Sin City.
Three decades into their relationship, Kody and Janelle’s marriage came under strain during the pandemic, when social distancing rules set by Kody meant that they lived apart, and he did not regularly visit her. By 2021, Janelle later opted to temporarily move into an RV, spending more time outside of the shared land the family had purchased. That same year, Kody faced his first split, with his third wife Christine unexpectedly breaking up with him in November.
Janelle later cited the pandemic as the breaking point for their relationship, as the couple spent more and more time apart. When they were together, she claims, they would have increasingly explosive arguments, to the point that she felt emotionally relieved whenever he left her. After one stressful episode and Kody’s subsequent exit, Janelle recalled, “I thought ‘wow, okay, I guess this is what we’re gonna do, we’re gonna be apart.'”
Janelle cited Christine’s support as a major factor in her decision to split from Kody, as Christine frequently spoke with her and gave advice over their marriage and children, long after Christine had vacated Flagstaff. During the 2022 holidays, Kody had major rows with all four wives – past and present – about getting together for the holidays while avoiding the spread of COVID. As a result, Janelle and Christine spent Thanksgiving together.
In December 2022, Janelle and Kody formally announced they had separated, just over a year after he had split from Christine. One month later, Meri announced she was also divorcing Kody.