Sister Wives: What We Know About Janelle Brown’s Life Before The Show
A look at Janelle Brown's life before she debuted on Sister Wives, including her marriage to Adam Barber, her connection to Kody, and her past jobs.
- Janelle Brown was the second wife of Kody Brown in the polygamous family on Sister Wives. She recently split from Kody and is focused on herself and her well-being.
- Before her reality TV career, Janelle had multiple jobs and even had her own small food business. She was also the family’s main breadwinner alongside Kody’s first wife, Meri.
- Janelle was married to Adam Barber before Kody and was initially married to Meri’s brother. She was not raised in a polygamist family but chose the lifestyle because it was helpful in raising children. Her maiden name is Schriever, and she has several step-siblings.
There’s a lot to know about Janelle Brown’s past from before the time she debuted on Sister Wives. Janelle is the second wife of the polygamous family and is newly single after her split with Kody Brown. They spiritually tied the knot in 1993 when Kody was married to his first wife, Meri Brown, legally. After Janelle, Christine Brown joined the family in 1994. Kody expanded his family again in 2014 when he legally married Robyn Brown after legally ending his marriage to Meri. Janelle and Kody welcomed six children during their relationship: Logan, Madison, Hunter, Robert Garrison, Gabriel, and Savanah.
In December 2022, Janelle revealed she and Kody had been separated for several months. Kody admitted that Janelle made it pretty clear she was enjoying life without him. She became the second of Kody’s wives to leave him within two years. First, it was Christine who announced she and Kody had split in November 2021. Kody reportedly wanted Janelle to be in a throuple relationship with him and Robyn. However, Janelle is focused on herself and her well-being.
Janelle May Have Been A Government Employee
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Janelle had worked several jobs in the past before she began her reality TV journey. The move to Flagstaff, Arizona, was hard on the Brown family, with several seasons focusing on their financial difficulties. While they made questionable financial choices, they were used to making them in the past, as their multiple bankruptcies have revealed. Janelle was the first to file bankruptcy in 1997 after Kody and Meri reportedly filed for joint bankruptcy in 2005. They didn’t have glamorous careers before their Sister Wives debut. Kody mentioned he used to do online ad sales work for a living.
However, Janelle was the real breadwinner of the family, along with Meri. Janelle has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Phoenix. According to CheatSheet, Janelle ran a small food business called E Z Pantry. Bustle reported the business aimed to “provide, market, design, sell or trade in the food storage industry” within the Mormon community, but is now defunct. At some point in time, Janelle may have worked for the state of Utah. Public records show a clerk named Janelle Brown working for the state between 2009 and 2011; however, this cannot be verified.
Janelle Had A First Husband, Adam Barber
Janelle was married to Adam Barber before Kody (via trustme24 on Reddit) According to ET, Janelle had met Adam in high school and wasn’t Mormon. According to a report by In Touch, Janelle welcomed Adam to the LDS church. They began courting after he converted. Adam didn’t take an interest in his new faith or the “branch of fundamentalism” he was raised in. Interestingly, Adam also happens to be Meri’s brother. Janelle was going through a “horrible divorce
Back then, Kody and Meri were still dating. Meeting Kody in 1989 felt like “the strangest feeling” to Janelle. “I felt as if I had forgotten something and suddenly remembered it,” she confessed. Janelle felt a strange kind of “relief and recognition” upon seeing Kody for the first time. Janelle and Adam got married in 1988 but split within two years in 1990. Adam had moved out after just six months of marriage. Janelle happened to attend Kody and Meri’s wedding with her first husband, Adam. Of course, Adam was Kody’s brother-in-law at the time.
Janelle Wasn’t Raised In A Polygamist Family
When Janelle told her grandmother about Adam before she married him, she told Janelle that she had lived next to Adam’s family of polygamists once. Janelle was not raised in a polygamist family, as her mother, Sheryl Usher, was against the idea. She was scared of Janelle getting sucked into some sort of polygamous cult. However, Janelle’s mom felt differently after meeting Kody’s father, William Winn Brown. Sheryl became Winn’s third wife. By this association, Janelle’s stepfather was to become her father-in-law in the future when Janelle married Kody. Janelle and Kody were married two weeks after going on their first date.
Janelle and Meri tried to hide their family connection initially. She claimed to have known Meri’s family for years but always forgot to mention that she was once married to Meri’s brother. Janelle is the only member of the Brown family that wasn’t raised with polygamy. Janelle was brought up in the Mormon Church, which doesn’t promote the lifestyle. Yet, plural marriage appealed to Janelle, especially for the way it was helpful when it came to raising children.
Janelle’s Maiden Name Is Schriever
