Why 'Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Wants Polygamy Legalized After Leaving Ex-husband Kody

Janelle Brown has been embracing her single status again as she opens up about her decision to move to North Carolina following her divorce.

The "Sister Wives" star entered into a spiritual marriage with Kody Brown in 1993 and had six children: Logan, Maddie, Hunter, Garrison, Gabriel, and Savannah.The duo eventually ended their union in 2022.

Reflecting on her experience in a plural marriage, Janelle is confident that the rate of polygamy would experience a sharp decline if it were ever legalized.

During the Season 20 premiere, Brown discussed her decision to move to North Carolina, saying it wasn't an intentional decision, but she is actively growing to love it. 

"I love North Carolina. I never thought about it. It wasn't a state I ever thought about. … I have four seasons, all the things I need," Janelle shared, according to US Magazine.

She stated that she had been intentional about building bonds in the community, adding, "I've been trying to kind of put myself in situations where I can meet people, [like] some of the community events. … Just trying to get my bearings."

Janelle's change of scenery followed her split from her ex-husband, Kody, and she couldn't help but reflect on the past.

She revealed that at the beginning, she "really did feel a calling," but as it stands, she is no longer keen on the idea of a plural marriage. 

Since she and Kody had been joined spiritually, Janelle considered a spiritual divorce. "I had sort of thought about a spiritual divorce a long time ago and didn't even realize it was an option," she explained. 

However, that changed when her former co-wife, Meri Brown, had one. Janelle then reached out to her to discuss how to proceed with the process.  Now that she is single, the reality star believes that legalizing polygamy would have "so much benefit".

"I can bet you almost would make polygamy go away [that way] rather than chase it underground and put people in jail," she stated.

Jesting about what it would mean for a man with multiple wives if it were legalized, she quipped, "Just make it about the financial. No guy's gonna be giving part of his estate to four or five wives. It's just not going to happen." 

Janelle's split from Kody is not her first rodeo. The TV personality had been married and divorced before.

Per The Blast, the "Sister Wives" star's first marriage was in 1990 to Adam Barber. Barber is notably the brother of Meri Brown, a former sister wife. 

With two marriages behind her, Janelle has made it clear that she is not interested in walking down the aisle anytime soon, nor in entering another relationship following her divorce from Kody.

"So, I'm not even thinking about, like, 'Oh, what do I need to do?' Because I'm just like, I am over [it]," the mother of six clarified. 

Janelle's revelation about polygamy comes amid the clash between Kody and his now only wife, Robyn.

In Season 20, Kody brought up the idea of entertaining a new wife, telling Robyn that someone showed interest in being a sister wife.

The Brown patriarch seemed tempted by the idea, explaining to his wife that his decision to enter a plural marriage again would largely depend on the physical appearance of the prospect. 

As The Blast reported, Robyn was not convinced by this reason at all and did not mince words in relating her thoughts, calling  it "the very worst reason."

In a confessional, Robyn bluntly stated that Kody "is just kind of being a bit of a pig right now."

Robyn was not the only one who found the idea absurd. As earlier reported by The Blast, Christine also weighed in on the speculation, admitting she was baffled by it.

"I do not even know how to wrap my mind around what I have seen that they are even entertaining," she revealed. 

Christine even wondered if the addition might have just been for the show, as she expressed her confusion. 

She concluded by saying she hoped Kody was not getting a new wife because she felt it would be unfair to Robyn, who has been called his "soulmate."