Kody Brown Reflects on Janelle Marriage Status

Kody Brown expressed some mixed feelings about his relationship with Janelle Brown during the latest episode of Sister Wives.

“I asked Janelle once, ‘What is it? Why can’t we reconcile? Let’s try and reconcile. Why can’t we?’” he said in a confessional on Sunday, November 5, after visiting Janelle’s new apartment. “[She says], ‘Well, I don’t know what your relationship with Robyn and Meri are, but I’m just not interested in being involved with those people.’ And that’s sad. Because that’s the deal we made about plural marriage.”

Tensions have been high between Kody and Janelle, both 54, throughout season 18 after the pair had a blowout argument. They accused each other of “gaslighting” during their screaming match, which aired in September, and their status has remained up in the air on camera.

Kody confessed on Sunday that “it’s sad” to see how his marriage to Janelle has “unwound” over time. “I can’t get the puzzle pieces back together,” he said. “But I’m gonna ask her again next week if we might be able to reconcile. And it’s painful every time. Maybe I should get more serious about it, but every time, it’s like, ‘Nope.’”

Related: ‘Sister Wives’ Family Guide: Get to Know Kody Brown’s Spouses and Kids

Sister Wives star Kody Brown has his hands full with wife Robyn Brown and his three former partners, Meri Brown, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown. Kody’s family — which includes 18 total children— was thrust into the spotlight in September 2010 when Sister Wives premiered. At the time, Kody was courting his fourth wife, Robyn, […]

In an interview of her own, Janelle admitted she wasn’t that interested in trying to “nurture a relationship” with fellow sister wives Meri Brown and Robyn Brown. (Kody’s third wife, Christine Brown, left the family in late 2021.)

“It feels like something he’s trying to use to excuse his behavior,” Janelle said of Kody expecting her to get along with Meri, 52, and Robyn, 45. “‘Why would I want to get back together with you? It’s your fault. You’ll be a bad sister wife. I have to protect Robyn.’ Because he doesn’t have a relationship with Meri.”

According to Janelle, Kody hadn’t made it clear that he wanted to repair their marriage. “He’s never come to me and said, ‘Hey, I love you. I miss you. I wanna get back together,’” she claimed. “It’s always about, ‘Don’t you want to get the family back together,’ so that his life can run smoothly again? And I’m done with that, I really am.”

Janelle joined Kody’s plural family in 1993, three years after he tied the knot with Meri. Christine entered a spiritual relationship with Kody in 1994, and Robyn followed in 2010. Kody shook up the family’s dynamic in 2014 when he chose to legally divorce Meri and become Robyn’s lawful husband in order to adopt her children from a prior marriage. (Kody is the father of 18 kids between his four spouses.)

Related: Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown and Kody Brown’s Relationship Timeline

Sister Wives‘ Janelle Brown and Kody Brown’s plural marriage was anything but conventional ahead of their 2022 split. Janelle and Kody’s lives were intertwined well before they spiritually tied the knot in 1993. Janelle’s late mom, Sheryl Brown, and Kody’s dad, William Winn Brown, were married for years before William’s death in 2013, making the eventual […]

While Kody and Meri initially stayed in a spiritual union, they confirmed earlier this year that they called it quits. Janelle, for her part, revealed in December 2022 that she and Kody had been “separated for months.”

Kody opened up about his fractured family in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly last month, sharing an update on where he stands with Janelle post-split.

“I can talk to Janelle all the time and say, ‘Hey, what are we going to do? Are we going to reconcile this?’ And she doesn’t sound like she’s interested in reconciliation,” Kody told Us. “I mean, time changes things, and if you move forward with grace and forgiveness, maybe you’ll find love in the end … even if not staying in the marriage.”

Sister Wives airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.