'Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Reveals Extent Of Daughter's Estrangement With Kody
By Afouda Bamidele on November 10, 2025 at 7:45 PM EST

Janelle Brown is spilling the beans on her daughter's relationship with her ex-husband, Kody Brown.
The "Sister Wives" star disclosed how strained and nonexistent the father-daughter relationship between the pair is. His alleged lack of involvement in her life has pushed her to completely shut him out, thrive, and build her own family.
Over the years, Janelle Brown has been open about her feelings towards Kody Brown and his behavior, even after they split in 2022. The pair got married in 1993 and remained together for almost three decades.
Janelle Brown Reveals A Three-Year Silence Exists Between Father And Daughter

In the latest season of "Sister Wives," more updates on the discord between Kody Brown and his children come to light. Janelle did not hold back as she got candid before the cameras, confirming that their daughter Madison Brush, aka "Maddie", has been estranged from her father.
Adding to this, she disclosed that Maddie did not inform Kody of her latest pregnancy deliberately, casually uttering, "he'll find out." She confirms that the father and daughter have not spoken in two or three years, affirming that Maddie does not feel the need to keep him in the loop.
Janelle, according to Toofab, reveals that the lack of communication exists because Kody has shown disinterest in matters about Maddie and her children. During an episode of the show last season, she said, "Kody has not been out to see her kids since [her daughter] Evie was born, and Evie's 3."
She continued that Maddie is not moved to tell him about her recent pregnancy, since he shows no interest in bonding with her children.
Maddie Previously Opened Up About Her Rift With Her Father
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Maddie got frank last year on the reasons why she and her father do not see eye to eye. She alleges that Kody has a very controlling attitude and does not respect boundaries in their relationship.
She claims that not everyone deserves to be in her life, as he always wants them to play by his rules. "I just don't care to do that," Maddie added after revealing that she gets messages from people telling her just to forgive and respect her dad.
To this, she responds that everyone has a different father-child relationship, and her experience with her father is more than meets the eye.
Kody Brown's Narrative On The Strained Relationship With His Children

Kody is strongly of the opinion that the falling-out is not entirely his fault. He claims that Maddie shut him out on her own, initiating the no-contact boundary. He also affirms that he was not informed that she was pregnant or having a baby.
Furthermore, he alleges that his older children are going silent on him to punish him for a crime he did not commit. The crime is not falling madly in love with their mothers, as his divorces sprang some bad blood.
The Blast noted that Kody claims that every time he speaks to his daughter, Madison, she spreads gossip about him to the rest of the family. This makes him skeptical about rebuilding their relationship.
Janelle Called Her Ex-Husband Out On Strict Parenting

Janelle previously told Kody in plain words, "The kids are all feeling very estranged from you," when he asked about Maddie keeping the news of expanding her family a secret.
The Blast reported on how she criticized his parenting methods, claiming that it fueled the family's estrangement. Janelle claims that after he married his last wife, Robyn, in 2014, things changed, and thereafter division became apparent in the family.
She revealed that he slowly became absent from the lives of the older children after Robyn came into the picture and that he was really strict with things about her. Janelle cited that Kody would scold her children for minor stuff like opening Robyn's fridge.
Janelle Brown Says Polygamy Would End If It Were Legalized

Janelle was in a polygamous union with Kody and three other sister wives. She opened up on her view on making polygamy extinct. Her claims were that if it were made legal and wives were granted valid claims over their husbands' assets upon marriage, the arrangement would easily go away. In her words:
"Just make it about the financial. No one's going to give part of their estate to four or five wives. It's just not going to happen."
She maintained that rather than incarceration, this was a practical approach to curbing the issue of plural marriages. Janelle claims that she and her ex-husband grew apart as the years went on, although when they initially got married, she felt it was the right thing.
Will Janelle Brown and her daughter ever be open to repairing their broken relationship with Kody?