Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Says He “Might” Still Love Ex Janelle Brown

by

As Kody Brown once famously said, his love was meant to be multiplied, not divided. 

I’ve been following Kody for a while now, and while he says he’s fully committed to monogamy with Robyn, it’s hard to shake the feeling that he still struggles with his past. It seems old patterns are tough for him to break, even when he promises they are.

While Kody Brown is no longer with his first wife, Meri Brown, and his third wife, Christine Brown (who is now married to David Woolley), he may still have feelings for his second wife, Janelle Brown.

Kody said Janelle tried to pressure him into selling the family’s 14-acre property in Arizona, Coyote Pass, even though Meri hadn’t agreed to the sale.

He admitted to host Sukanya Krishnan on the TLC series’ January 11th special that Janelle often takes advantage of his feelings for her – feelings that may still exist – because he craves her approval. This is why he almost went along with a plan that would have excluded Meri. He acknowledged his error, saying, “Yeah, that’s my mistake. My bad.”

There’s something about Janelle—who revealed they were ending their almost 30-year marriage in 2022—that makes him incredibly warm and eager to please.

The dad of 18 told Sukanya that he has very different reactions to calls from his wives. He said when Janelle calls, he feels like he has to do whatever she asks. But when Meri calls, he gets anxious and worries about how she’ll act. He explained it’s simply a difference in their relationships and how he feels about each of them.

Honestly, it sounds like Janelle almost talked him into going through with the $1.5 million sale without even including Meri in the decision. It’s just shocking to me how close they came to doing that!

Kody admitted he was becoming increasingly frustrated because his first wife wasn’t signing the necessary documents. He said he was even considering selling the property and dividing the money whenever he wanted. He believed Janelle was encouraging this idea because she wanted to get her share of the money back.

Robyn then intervened and told him she was unhappy with his behavior during the dealings, specifically that she had to convince him to do what was right and ethical.

He admitted the situation led to an argument with Robyn, but it’s caused much bigger problems in his relationship with Janelle.

Kody accused me of secretly making a deal behind his back,” Janelle explained on the January 11th episode. She clarified that she had only shared a suggestion from her lawyer, and thought they should still work with Meri. Because Kody “twisted the story,” Janelle said she now has to explain her perspective.

“I truly didn’t do anything wrong,” she said firmly. “All I can do now is explain what happened as I saw it and protect myself.”

And while she’s sharing her take on things, that’s a firm no on any reconciliation. 

During a recent conversation with Kody, where he apologized, Janelle admitted she briefly wondered if they could reconcile. ‘It’s just a natural thought you have when talking to someone you used to be with,’ she explained on the December 14th episode.

But just as quickly as it arrived, she noted, the thought left her head. 

Janelle explained that he constantly talks about how much he loves Robyn, calling her his ‘true love’ and so on. She said she just responds by saying, ‘That’s nice, you two can be together.’

That’s just one of the many things she and her former sister wives have recently revealed. Here’s a look at all their latest admissions.

Now that her divorce from Kody Brown is final, Janelle Brown shared on the season 20 premiere of Sister Wives that she’s taking a similar approach to Meri Brown.

Though they were married for 29 years, Christine was never legally married to Kody. She explained on the show’s premiere that she’d considered a ‘spiritual divorce’ a long time ago, but didn’t know it was possible. When Meri legally ended their spiritual marriage, Christine asked her who she needed to contact to do the same.

Janelle’s former sister wife—who had previously been released from their church due to feeling abandoned—gladly offered some information. Janelle explained, ‘She’s been really helpful in connecting me with everyone.’

Madison Brush is still dealing with the fallout from her father’s actions. Despite being estranged from Kody, Madison – one of his six children with Janelle – shared on the September 28th episode that she continues to struggle with their separation.

Speaking candidly, the mother of four admitted she hopes her husband’s father will be present. She also expressed a desire for them to mend their relationship, acknowledging her own role in the situation and admitting she’s still working on managing her disappointment.

She’s finding it difficult to accept him as he is. She explained that she’s working on understanding that he may not have known how to be there for her, and that he could be going through his own pain.

He also might not be willing to cede too much ground. 

Kody expressed wanting to repair his relationships with Meri, Janelle, Christine Brown, and their kids, but feels it can only happen if they decide to forgive and move forward. He believes they’ve reached a standstill because the process of healing has to be led by them.

Robyn Brown, Kody’s last remaining wife, says she always desired a family, not just a relationship with Kody himself. In the September 28th episode, she shared that she had received marriage proposals before – not grand gestures, but several men had told her they’d marry her quickly if she’d have them.

She consistently stated her intention to enter a plural marriage. She added that if Kody hadn’t already been married with three wives, she would have given him the same answer.

Kody explained that, despite not planning to be exclusive, he and his partner had become a couple, saying, ‘It’s just you and me now.’

Though he admittedly had one concern. 

Kody hinted to Robyn that he desired a more fulfilling intimate life. He later explained in a private interview that he believed polygamy allowed him to have everything he wanted, while monogamy left him feeling unfulfilled.

Okay, so I’ve been following Meri’s journey, and honestly, she knows what she wants! She’s really putting herself out there, and she’s made it SO clear: tall is a must, obviously! But seriously, the biggest thing for her is finding someone who loves to travel as much as she does – she’s a total road trip fanatic! And… this is a big one… absolutely NO cats allowed! It’s gotta be a dog person all the way. I mean, she said it herself, and it’s perfect! It’s like she’s describing my soulmate, honestly!

And she definitely needs someone who won’t scare easily. 

She described a difficult dating experience, explaining that a man she was talking to ended the conversation when he learned she practiced polygamy. He told her he wasn’t interested in continuing because of her lifestyle, which she found very hurtful. She felt rejected simply for being polyamorous and it left her feeling upset that he wouldn’t even consider a relationship with her.

Meri explained that it was the first time she truly understood that some people wouldn’t even want to speak with her because of who she was.

Janelle believes she was the only one in her large family who really wanted to settle on Coyote Pass.

On the October 3rd episode of the show, Janelle revealed she never really envisioned the entire family living on the 14-acre Coyote Pass property they bought before moving to Flagstaff, Arizona in 2018. She admitted she wasn’t sure it was ever truly her dream.

Although Kody’s second wife thought living there could work—she said it was a nice property and wondered why not—she believed Kody and his other wives were only briefly interested in the idea.

She explained that no one was eager to live in that area, especially not Christine. Meri would have agreed to move if others had been willing to do the same.

Janelle observed that Kody and Robyn’s former property, a two-acre home with five bedrooms that they recently sold for $1.7 million, felt unfinished despite being mostly built.

Janelle explained that despite all the arguing about dividing the land into four pieces, she quickly realized after moving to Flagstaff that it wouldn’t work out.

Kody believes he knows why his relationships with most of his adult children – excluding Robyn’s oldest kids, Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna – aren’t very good.

He admitted on October 5th that he feels distant from his adult children. He explained the relationships are difficult because of hurtful comments and subtle jabs, which have created problems with trust and loyalty for everyone involved.

And these days, not many of his grown kids are on Team Kody. 

Even though Mykelti Padron, one of Christine’s six children, had seemed the most publicly supportive of her father, she shared her thoughts on the family split several months after she, her husband Tony Padron, and their three children moved to North Carolina.

She believes that if he simply took responsibility for his actions, at least some of his children might try to reconnect with him. She explained in an October 2024 fan Q&A on Instagram (@withoutacrystalball) that instead of blaming his kids, his other wife, their parents, or rumors, a simple apology and willingness to discuss what he did wrong would make a huge difference. She feels that saying, ‘I understand I messed up. I’m sorry. Can we talk?’ would be a significant step forward.

When Coyote Pass was sold in April 2025, Janelle and Meri finalized their separation from Kody and received a financial benefit. Christine had previously transferred her share of the land to them in return for keeping the money from selling her house in Arizona.

On the October 5th episode, Janelle playfully told Meri it felt like saying, “Goodbye, and I don’t expect to see you again.”

But she certainly wouldn’t have waved off an even nicer present. 

She stated that if she had been legally married to Kody, she would have rightfully claimed half of his possessions, as they would have been considered jointly owned.

Kody and Robyn had to finalize the purchase of their new $2.1 million home before they could give up on their plans for Coyote Pass. Kody explained on the October 12th episode that selling Coyote Pass only became possible once they found a different house they truly wanted.

The father of 18 children is also looking forward to leaving behind the painful memories associated with their old house. He explained, “We’ve gone through a lot of difficult times here, and we’re hoping for a fresh start, a completely new chapter in our lives.”

Kody believed he could love multiple wives, but admitted his attention wasn’t always shared equally among them. As he explained on the October 19th episode of the show, he struggled to fully commit to each wife individually, and felt they didn’t always fully commit to him or to each other as a unified family.

Looking back, he realized one mistake was giving Robyn a luxurious life – a $1.65 million, five-bedroom house – while his other wives had more modest living arrangements. He admitted he didn’t understand why his marriages to Meri, Janelle, and Christine ended, but he believed the house created jealousy. He felt his wives were upset that he was so determined to provide a secure and comfortable home for Robyn.

Christine found it difficult to relax around Kody. As she explained on the October 26th episode, he was a very demanding husband with a lot of particular habits and needs, including specific diets and a strict grooming routine.

Bottom line, she noted, “It was a lot.” 

Janelle isn’t eager to start a new romantic relationship anytime soon, especially after her separation from Kody. She admitted to Christine and her husband, David Woolley, that being with Kody was exhausting, and she believes relationships in general require a lot of effort.

She’s strongly opposed to David’s suggestion that she join FarmersOnly, explaining to the cameras, “David just doesn’t understand that I’m not interested in dating right now. I keep telling him no!”

As a longtime viewer, I remember Christine talking about this on the show. She explained that Kody was usually really careful about remembering which wife he was talking to, and rarely messed up names. But she also pointed out those awful moments where you really don’t want to hear another woman’s name coming from the person you’re with – and she said that thankfully, it never happened to her. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot that he made the effort.

Though there were some close calls. 

I often found myself doing that,” Kody confessed. “I definitely have, and I used to initiate arguments, then quickly change the subject or direction of the conversation.

To hear Christine tell it, she felt quite stabbed in the kidney by her former sister wife. 

She told David on the November 2nd episode that she felt deeply hurt and betrayed by Robyn, explaining that she’d lost all trust in her. She shared that she used to tell Robyn private things, but then those secrets would get her into trouble with Kody, who would get angry. Because of this, she stopped sharing anything personal with Robyn.

But Robyn insisted she was just trying to play marriage counselor. 

Oh my gosh, Christine would tell me all her heartache, like, ‘If only Kody understood what I’m going through! He just doesn’t get it!’ She was really struggling, and honestly, being the hopeful person I am, I thought I could maybe help her make him see things. I was so naive! Looking back, I should have just let her handle it herself. I totally stuck my nose where it didn’t belong.

Meri used to be flattered by Kody treating her like his favorite ex-wife, but when he tried to chat about selling their house in Arizona, she wasn’t interested in being friendly.

He reflected on a conversation with Janelle, recalling that things used to be good with Meri – he specifically remembered helping her move to Parowan, Utah, and it being a positive experience. However, he noted that their relationship has become strained since then.

Meri maintained she was only interested in business matters, especially after hearing Kody’s past comments on camera.

I had to be firm and set clear limits with him,” she said. “It’s frustrating when he acts friendly on video calls and pretends everything is okay after saying hurtful things to me and my friends – I won’t tolerate that behavior.

Christine happily accepted her now-husband David’s proposal in 2023, but her ex-spouse believes he should have been consulted beforehand.

Kody explained that his youngest daughter, Truely, lives with David, and he feels he should get to know him better.

In fact, he mused, he “should have had the right, even, to discriminate David.”

Janelle was happy to get her investment back from Coyote Pass and wasn’t upset about the money she’d already given to Robyn and Kody for their house in Arizona.

She explained on the November 2nd episode that her children think she should try to recover the money she invested in Robyn’s house, but she anticipates it will be difficult.

She explained that trying to get money from Kody is difficult, because he always has a long list of excuses for why he doesn’t owe it.

He believed he’d already fulfilled his obligation to Janelle. He explained that Janelle had helped him and his wife purchase their home, and he’d repaid her in January. He recalled her telling him, after that payment, that their debt was settled and he no longer owed her anything, stating it was more than a fair exchange.

Should Kody still be interested in having his love multiplied, there’s no shortage of options. 

I was really interested to hear Kody mention on the show – when he was talking with Robyn on November 2nd – that he’s still getting emails from women curious about plural marriage. It’s just… a reminder that people are still out there wondering about that part of their life.

He told Robyn that his former wife was upset with his decision to end polygamy. Then, surprisingly, she offered to become part of their family, essentially asking if she could join him and Robyn. He described it as her confronting him and then suggesting she’d like to get to know them with the intention of becoming another wife.

Robyn didn’t immediately reject the idea. She later confessed that for a moment, she wondered if it could actually be what she’d always dreamed of, and if it would be a good fit.

Ultimately, though, it was a no. 

Honestly, I was really bothered that they contacted Kody directly. It just feels…wrong. Like, you don’t just approach a man who’s already in a plural marriage! The respectful thing to do is always go through his wives first. It’s just common courtesy, and they completely skipped that step.

Even though Kody admits his strained relationship with his child is a major family issue, he needs to make significant changes to improve things.

On the November 9th episode of the show, Janelle revealed that Maddie didn’t tell her father, Kody, about her fourth pregnancy. Janelle explained that there was no need to inform him, as they hadn’t spoken in two to three years. She added, “He’ll find out.”

Janelle didn’t just want a relationship with Kody; she also wanted to be part of the existing family. Meri recalled that when Janelle married Kody three years into his marriage with Meri—and after a short marriage to Meri’s brother—Janelle seemed considerate of her feelings. As Meri explained on a recent episode, Janelle acted in a way that made Meri feel included and protected from hurt.

Meri admitted that she felt jealous and a mix of other emotions as they navigated the challenges of trying to make their plural marriage work. She also said it made her feel cherished that her wife was willing to put in the effort.

Meri doesn’t back down easily. However, things became complicated when the family agreed to sell Coyote Pass, the 14-acre property they bought after relocating to Arizona.

During the November 16th episode, Meri said the main problem seemed to be making sure the correct people were listed as owners on the properties. She didn’t understand why it was so difficult to simply get the paperwork signed.

She was also puzzled by another of Kody’s moves. 

She explained, clearly upset, that he was blaming her for the delays and claiming she was the reason things weren’t moving forward. She said this was because they wanted her to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which she refused to do. She questioned why they were trying to keep her quiet and wanted to know the reason behind the confidentiality request.

To hear Robyn tell it, though, their discussions were nothing to howl about. 

Meri and I have always been able to talk openly and honestly with each other,” she said. “I was simply trying to understand what she needed, and I always want what’s best for her.

Christine says having more money has actually made life easier. As a mother of six, she clearly remembers the stress of not having enough money for even basic groceries.

I totally get that awful feeling – you’re at the register, and suddenly you realize you’ve gone over budget. It’s so embarrassing! You might be able to try and cover it, but you just know it’s going to bounce, and you end up having to sheepishly put things back on the shelf. It’s happened to me more times than I’d like to admit!

Other times they had to walk back plans to pay for certain essentials. 

Meri explained that they used to have regular meetings – either weekly or monthly – to decide which bill was the most urgent to pay each time.

Robyn was determined to ensure everyone received a fair share when it came time to sell Coyote Pass. As she explained on the November 23rd episode, she insisted that she, Kody, Janelle, and Meri each get a quarter of the profits, and she wasn’t afraid to argue with Kody to make it happen. She admitted they had several heated discussions about it, but felt it was important to do what was right.

You know, when that property finally sold in April 2025, it really came down to making things as fair as possible. As Kody put it, we just focused on getting everyone their rightful share – 25 percent for each of us – and moving forward. It was about damage control and ensuring everyone felt reasonably compensated after everything was said and done.

Okay, so Janelle didn’t exactly say Kody had a mid-life crisis, but honestly, she totally implied it! She was talking on the show, and she said things just…changed after he turned a certain age. It was like a switch flipped, and he wasn’t the same man anymore. I knew it! It all makes so much sense now!

Janelle explained that around the time Kody turned 50, while married to his fourth wife, Robyn, he began to complain about the burden of supporting the entire family. She believes he saw Robyn as his true soulmate and felt overwhelmed by the effort of keeping up four marriages.

But Kody took issue with the idea that he didn’t put in the work. 

He firmly stated that he’d always fulfilled his obligations within the family. He believed he consistently went above and beyond, but didn’t feel he received the same level of commitment in return from other family members.

He joked that with three divorces looming, it felt like they were all going through menopause together. He explained that men can experience hormonal changes too, suggesting his testosterone levels dropped and he simply lost the motivation to keep trying.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve seen families navigate all sorts of unexpected paths, and Janelle Brown’s story is definitely one of them! She shared something fascinating on the show: her mom, Sheryl Usher, initially thought Janelle was getting involved with a dangerous cult when she learned about plural marriage. She actually tried to intervene, determined to ‘save’ her daughter. But here’s the twist – Sheryl ended up marrying Kody’s dad, Winn Brown! And get this, it happened before Janelle and Kody even said ‘I do’ – about three months before, actually. It’s a perfect example of how life can throw you curveballs and families sometimes end up on a completely different journey than they ever imagined.

Their marriage definitely made the family relationships more complex. Janelle admitted she initially worried about how to explain it, but she accepted it. It felt strange at first, but ultimately she was glad to have another person to share things with.

Ysabel Brown says she wishes she had spent more one-on-one time with her father, Kody. On a recent episode of the show, she explained that she and her dad aren’t very close.

Ysabel explained that her mom is amazing at being both a mother and a father, and her stepdad, David, is also wonderful.

Despite their difficulties, Ysabel didn’t want to say her relationship with Kody was broken. “He’s still my dad, and I love him,” she explained.

Though Janelle still feels the family had something special, that spark wasn’t apparent early on. 

Looking back, especially in the early days of our relationship, I really wished my partner had been more of an advocate for me. Too often, it felt like he automatically sided with others, and that was tough. Combine that with the jealousy and insecurity we were both navigating, and honestly, it created a really difficult dynamic. It just wasn’t a healthy place to be.

Janelle Brown became pregnant with her first child, Logan, less than a year after marrying Kody, and at a time when he was frequently away for work. She recalls that this led her to prioritize keeping things calm and, as a result, she felt she lost touch with who she was.

If Kody wants to have a good relationship with Meri after their split, he needs to get along with her friends. He explained that after they initially separated, he helped her move, hoping they could remain amicable. However, he was disappointed to find her friends were openly critical of him.

He explained that he confronted her aggressively over the phone, telling her to make her friends stop talking. He admitted to scolding her friends, and believes she was deeply hurt by it.

Kody explained that conversations with his ex-wife often quickly became heated arguments. He said they never learned to communicate effectively during their marriage, and if they want to have any kind of relationship going forward, they’ll need to find a way to manage those explosive interactions.

Although Christine and Kody are no longer married, they remain family through a surprising connection. As Christine revealed on a recent episode of their show, they are actually third cousins once removed, a legally recognized familial relationship.

Janelle explained that the distant family connection became a running joke. “It’s pretty absurd how distantly related they are,” she said. “This kind of thing seems to happen a lot in polygamous families.” They weren’t close – they wouldn’t have seen each other at family gatherings – but they always playfully referred to each other as cousins, likely because it’s a small, interconnected community.

Janelle and Meri had a sisterly bond long before they wore matching claddagh rings. Kody’s first wife, however, found it difficult when he married the woman who used to be her sister-in-law.

Meri explained that she was previously married to her brother-in-law, Adam Barber, and he even attended her wedding. That marriage ended in divorce after Meri married Kody.

Janelle considered her marriage to Adam very short-lived – less than a year, having met him while she was still in high school. As she put it, it didn’t feel significant. “It was just a brief moment in time,” she explained.

For Meri, the idea of Janelle joining the family was deeply difficult. “It was really hard when people started talking about Janelle becoming part of our family,” she admitted. “It was a lot to process, especially because she’d been married to my brother.”

Read More

2026-01-12 09:20