'Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Breaks Silence On Family Feud After Marrying Kody Brown
By Afouda Bamidele on December 9, 2024 at 9:30 AM EST
Janelle Brown's relationship with Kody Brown had been plagued by troubles long before they walked down the aisle.
The "Sister Wives" star recalled how her family had been against her polygamous marriage on a recent episode of the TLC show. The scene was filmed in 2023, months before the entertainer's pal Christine Brown's remarriage to David Woolley on October 7, 2023, in Utah.
Kody Brown was married to wives Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn Brown for years, welcoming 18 children. However, Christine was the first to walk away in 2021, followed by Janelle in 2022 and Meri in early 2023. Since the breakups, the patriarch has suffered a strained relationship with some of his kids and their mothers.
Janelle Brown Reflects On Complicated Bond With Her Family
During the December 8 episode of the TLC series, Janelle traveled to Utah with her daughter, Maddie Brush, to support Christine's remarriage. The mother and daughter helped the latter pick out a wedding dress, a moment that had Janelle reflecting on her wedding to Kody.
Janelle recalled wearing a green dress for the ceremony because she did not have a wedding dress or her family's support. Even her mother had been against the union, but fate had other plans for the matriarch, with her daughter confessing:
"My mom was at the wedding because she came to save me from the polygamist and ended up marrying Kody's dad three months before we got married."
"So my mom was obviously OK with it, but the rest of my family was really not OK with it. So they didn't, they didn't come," Janelle added. She spiritually tied the knot to Kody in 1993 before ending their bond in 2022, per PEOPLE.
Janelle's Family Turned Their Backs On Her After The Wedding
During her emotional recollection, Janelle stressed that her family's anger skyrocketed after her spiritual wedding. "When Kody and I got married, my family was very upset with my decision to join the faith," she noted.
"So most of my family was not talking to me or associating with me," Janelle added. Despite how her union with Kody ended, the TV personality was open to tying the knot again. However, she planned on skipping the formalities for a simple ceremony, saying:
"If I get married again, I'm probably not going to have a dress. I'm not going to do the big white dress. I mean, I'm probably honestly going to just get married on a mountain in my jeans somewhere."
Meri Brown's Friends Hope She Can Get Over Kody
Janelle wasn't the only one reflecting on her past with Kody and a future without him in the new episode, as Meri did the same. The TLC star joined her friends for lunch, who called her out for "redeclaring" she would have stayed in her rocky marriage.
Meri's pals hoped she would learn to embrace a world with her ex-husband, with one telling her, "I'd love to see you get to the point where it's like, 'You know what? I loved my time with Kody, and I love where I am now.'"
"That's a good point," Meri agreed, adding, "OK, I will work on that. It was a good time with him. It was. And now we're done." She echoed similar sentiments in a confessional, saying:
"I feel so much like I'm moving forward. Eventually, I'm going to find a guy, and then who knows what after that, who knows what will happen."
Janelle And Meri Were In-Laws Before Kody
Last month, The Blast covered the unique relationship between Janelle and Meri. Before becoming Kody's second wife, Janelle had been married to Meri's brother, Adam Barber. She described their union as a classic "starter marriage," noting it was "very, very short-lived."
As for how she met her second husband, Janelle explained that crossing paths with Kody, who was already married to Meri, was not as awkward as it might sound. She claimed she met the patriarch on one of her rare visits to Meri's house, saying:
"When I met Kody just in passing, Meri introduced us. I go, 'Oh,' I had sort of a feeling. Like, 'Oh, there you are.'"
Janelle noted Meri and Kody were her "polygamist friends" at the time until she became more curious about their lifestyle. She even used to occasionally double-date with them before her interest in polygamy eventually led to her spiritual marriage.
Janelle Brown Did Not Invite Kody To Their Daughter's Graduation
The drama between Janelle and Kody intensified after their separation, with cameras capturing all the heat. The Blast shared that an episode earlier this month saw Janelle uninviting Kody from their daughter Savanah's graduation.
"Kody is alienated from 90 to 95 percent of his children. He is not really wanted at events. He is not coming regardless of who he brings or doesn't bring with him," Janelle explained.
Her words referenced Kody's belief that she and their kids did not welcome him because of his only remaining wife, Robyn. However, Janelle shut down that narrative, saying:
"Kody has this idea that somehow, if he leaves Robyn home, he's going to be able to come to these family gatherings. And that's so far from the truth."
Will the rifts within the Brown family continue to grow, or is there hope for a reconciliation?