Despite sharing a great friendship, Kody Brown and Janelle from Sister Wives couldn’t save their marriage due to a pattern of mutual disrespect.
- Lack of connection and quality time ultimately led to Janelle and Kody’s split. Kody spent most of his time with his younger wife, Robyn, neglecting Janelle.
- Kody’s neglectful behavior extended to his relationship with his daughter Savanah, as he failed to attend important events and didn’t give her a Christmas gift.
- Christine, another sister wife, noticed the struggles between Janelle and Kody, as she had experienced a similar lack of concern from Kody herself. Her concerns foreshadowed the eventual breakup.
Janelle and Kody Brown from Sister Wives failed to keep their relationship together, but the signs of their split were evident all these years. The 54-year-old Salt Lake City native and the Brown family patriarch tied the knot in 1993. While things initially went well for the polygamous couple, their life changed after Kody married a younger wife, Robyn Brown. Over the years, the fourth wife caused many problems in Kody’s other relationships and kept him for herself. Janelle felt that Robyn purposely tried to keep the Brown family apart.
Kody and Janelle were together for decades. After becoming husband and wife in 1993, the pair focused on growing their family. Kody and Janelle welcomed six children in their 30 years together. They first had a son named Logan in 1994. Soon after, the two had Madison, Hunter, and Garrison. The couple took a little break from having kids for three years. However, they were again pregnant in 2001 and welcomed Gabriel. Kody and Janelle’s youngest child, Savanah, came into the world in 2004. She recently celebrated her graduation in May 2023.
7, Janelle & Kody Weren’t Connecting
Janelle and Kody’s sudden split may have shocked some fans, but their marriage was always destined to fail. One of the signs of their eventual breakup was the lack of connection. Kody and Janelle stopped spending quality time with each other a few years ago. Kody spent most of his time at Robyn’s house with her kids. He rarely visited Janelle, which made her feel neglected and jealous in the plural marriage. Things eventually blew over during the COVID-19 pandemic when Kody completely pulled away from interacting with Janelle and their kids.
6, Kody Would Never See Their Daughter Savanah
Kody has been an odd father to his kids. At times, he has proven himself to be an excellent patriarch, handling the financial situations and giving his children time. Other times, Kody has shown a complete lack of concern for his kids. However, patterns show that Kody has done much more for his family with Robyn than his other wives. A few years ago, he didn’t go to Ysabel’s surgery. Sometime later, he stopped showing love for his sons with Janelle. Most recently, he didn’t bring a Christmas gift for his youngest daughter, Savanah.
5, Christine Noticed Janelle & Kody Were Struggling In Their Relationship
Sister wife Christine Brown’s concern for Janelle’s relationship with Kody was also a major sign hinting at her friend’s divorce. Unlike other Sister Wives cast members, Kody’s former wife, Christine, first noticed that things weren’t going well between Janelle and Kody. Since Christine is very close to Janelle, she must have known about their eventual split. The single mom ended her relationship with Kody a few years ago. She was tired of her husband’s lack of concern for her family and wanted to live on her terms. Since Christine herself went through the same with Kody, her concerns made it evident things wouldn’t last between Kody and Janelle.
4, Janelle & Kody Needed More Than Just Friendship To Stay Married
Plural marriages aren’t as simple to handle. However, religious polygamous relationships are even more complicated. Kody was supposed to give all four of his wives equal time and commitment. His duty was to be their partner, lover, friend, and supporter. Unfortunately, the Sister Wives star forgot his role in the relationship soon after marrying Robyn. Not only did he begin spending the most time with his fourth wife, but he also changed his dynamic with his other partners. Kody became just a friend to Janelle, Christine, and Meri, which isn’t enough to stay married.
3, How Kody’s Actions Trigger Janelle
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Another clear sign of Kody and Janelle’s split was their lack of respect for each other. Most viewers know Kody isn’t the most peaceful man. However, he became increasingly agitated after losing Christine. Over the months, Kody has had numerous fights with Janelle that never resulted in a meaningful lesson. Instead, the duo became more distant and disrespectful toward each other over time. In TLC‘s Sister Wives season 18, the former pair had a blowout fight, leading Janelle to fly to Mexico to escape Kody’s negativity. She needed to decompress because her marriage didn’t make her feel better.
2, Kody Lost Respect In Janelle’s Eyes
Janelle lost respect for Kody due to his hypocritical behavior over the years. She began publicly dissing him, which showed that she no longer wanted to be with him. Janelle, Christine, and their daughters were heard talking smack about Kody at a public event a few months ago. Soon after, Janelle called Kody “dumb” in the Sister Wives season 18 trailer. She claimed his idea of plural marriage and “sacred Loneliness” didn’t make sense. She said, “I’ve always thought it was…so dumb, sorry.” When your partner publicly shames you, the signs depict the relationship is over.
1, Kody Doesn’t Support Janelle’s Passion
Similarly, Kody also stopped supporting Janelle years ago. Most husbands are supposed to validate and motivate their wives to achieve new goals. However, Kody didn’t cheer on any of his wives except the traditional one, Robyn. Kody loathed Janelle’s RV lifestyle and felt her choices were poor. He claimed that living with Janelle meant dealing with “major inconveniences.” The Brown Family patriarch thought he had no reason to suffer for Janelle’s choices when he could be at Robyn’s normal house with everything. He added, “oh, there’s hot water at Robyn’s house, why am I going to sit here with you.”
It is painful how things imploded between Kody and Janelle, especially because they seemed to have a great bond. The former couple were a great duo, had similar goals, and seemed like a great fit for each other. They also shared years of history. However, it seems the whole family just grew out of polygamy. Kody became tired of traveling around in four households. Similarly, Janelle became sick of sharing her husband with other women, especially Robyn. Our society mostly doesn’t prefer plural marriages, and the Sister Wives‘ failed relationships prove that.
Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.
