Sister Wives‘ Janelle & Kody’s Stance on Reconciling Will Shock You
Another wife down. If you’ve been watching this season of Sister Wives, there’s no question that there’s still bad blood between Janelle and Kody. But when did Janelle leave Kody from Sister Wives and why did they end their near-20-year marriage? Her reason isn’t the same as the other sister wives.
Janelle and Kody Brown—two stars from TLC’s Sister Wives—married in 1993. Janelle is Kody’s second wife. Kody married his first wife, Meri, in 1990. He married third wife, Christine, in 1994, followed by his fourth wife, Robyn, in 2010. Kody and Janelle wed in a spiritual ceremony and were never legally married. Meri was the only wife legally married to Kody until 2014 when they divorced, so Kody could legally marry Robyn and adopt her three children from her previous marriage.
More from StyleCaster
Watch ‘Sister Wives’
$0+
Janelle and Kody share six children together: Logan, born in 1994; Madison, born in 1995; Hunter, born in 1997; Garrison, born in 1998; Gabriel, born in 2001; and Savannah, born in 2004. After almost 20 years together, Janelle and Kody announced their separation in Sister Wives Season 17. The split came a year after Kody’s breakup with Christine in November 2021. Meri announced her breakup with Kody in January 2023, a month after his split from Janelle became public. But where are Janelle and Kody and could they get back together? Read on for what we know about when Janelle left Kody from Sister Wives and why she ended their relationship after almost two decades together.
When Did Janelle Leave Kody From Sister Wives?
When did Janelle leave Kody from Sister Wives? Janelle and Kody announced their breakup in the Sister Wives: One on One special in December 2022. “I’m separated from Janelle and I’m divorced from Christine,” Kody told host Sukanya Krishnan at the time.
Janelle also confirmed the split in her own individual interview. “Kody and I have separated. We’ve been separated for several months.” Kody added in his interview, “Janelle has made it pretty clear to me that she’s enjoying her life without me. She’s like, ‘Haven’t missed you much.’” I think if we both really sat down, we’d look at each other and say ‘Really?’”
As for where she is now, Janelle told Krishnan during Sister Wives: One on One that she’s been “really happy” since she left Kody. “Kody and I have separated and I’m happy, really happy,” Janelle said, adding that she was “not waiting” for a reconciliation with Kody. “I don’t know, things just really became sort of indifferent, like I just didn’t care anymore.”
She continued, “I’ve kind of mourned that that part of our life is gone. I wasn’t heartbroken. It wasn’t heartbreaking for me like it was for Christine. It was just kind of like, I just mourned that that life was gone…. We had this great run.”
While she wasn’t waiting for a reconciliation, Janelle admitted that “it could be there” for her and Kody to get back together but that it “would require so much change on both of our parts that I don’t know.” Despite the end of her polygamist relationship, Janelle also told Krishnan that she still “deeply believes” in her religion, which “requires that you continue to make marriage work.” She continued, “I know I’m happy, I don’t want him to come back. But my faith requires that we are married eternally.”
She also explained that the “door” isn’t completely closed to the idea of reconciliation with Kody because “it has to be,” according to her religious beliefs. “I’m not interested in having anyone walk through that door,” Janelle said.
Kody, for his part, told Krishnan that he “absolutely” wanted to work on his relationship with Janelle, though he admitted that their reconciliation would be “a whole new negotiation.”
Why Did Janelle Leave Kody From Sister Wives?
Why did Janelle leave Kody from Sister Wives? In Sister Wives Season 17, Kody revealed that he and Janelle started having marriage issues after she moved into an RV and then an apartment that he felt didn’t have “enough space” for him. “I never thought that I would ever be in a place where I would be questioning my relationship, but the last few years, I began to wonder if we’re compatible anymore,” Janelle said in a confessional interview at the time “Maybe this doesn’t work anymore for me. I don’t know.”
In an interview with People in August 2023, Janelle described her separation from Kody as a “burden” that “came off” of her. She also explained that her fellow sister wife, Christine, leaving Kody in November 2021 also motivated her to do the same. “It was heartbreaking for me because all of a sudden, the family had this different identity,” Janelle said. “But I still felt like I should be loyal out of obligation.” She continued, “If [Christine] hadn’t left, I might’ve stayed.” She added, “This burden came off me, and I thought, ‘Wow. Okay, it’s over.’”
Janelle also confirmed to People that didn’t have any “regrets” about marrying Kody and remaining in a relationship with him for as long as she did. “I don’t have any regrets,” she said. “The experience is what gave us the life that we have now. I would do it all again.”
Kody, for his part, told People in August 2023 that he was still “very interested” in reconciling with Janelle. “I’m still looking for reconciliation with Janelle. I won’t say she’s been wishy-washy about the departure,” he said. “But I keep thinking, ‘This isn’t a reason for us to break up. We can work through this. We can find trust again and negotiate an agreement on that trust if we’ll just work on it.’”
He continued, “I have to find a new normal with Janelle because even if Janelle and I reconcile our marriage, it’s still going to be a new normal because it’s going to be different from where we’ve been before. Because how it was working for us didn’t seem like it was quite right. It wasn’t whole.”
Kody, who told People that he hoped he and Janelle “negotiate a reconciliation,” described his life after their breakup as “dark.” It’s been a dark time but I’m moving forward,” he said.
Kody also confirmed that he isn’t planning to look for another wife to replace Janelle, Christine, and Mary. “Any effort I would ever think in that direction would need to be put into my relationship with Janelle and certainly my relationship with Robyn to maintain that relationship as well,” he said.
Sister Wives is available to stream on Max. Here’s how to watch it for free.
Watch ‘Sister Wives’
$0+
Our mission at StyleCaster is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
Best of StyleCaster