Janelle Brown sat down for an interview with Christina Garibaldi of Us Weekly, ahead of this week’s new Sister Wives episode and talked about complaining to her sister wives about Kody, what divorce might look like if she left, and some parallels she shares with Christine.
Janelle admitted she sometimes calls Christine to say ‘I don’t like your husband today’
She had some interesting answers about complaining to her sister wives about Kody. Christina was curious if the wives ever call each other to complain about their shared husband.
Janelle laughed as she explained, “Oh no, sometimes I call and I’m saying ‘I don’t like your husband today.’ You know, I’ll say that to Christine or something.”
The wives are careful about what they share with each other
Janelle noted that she needs to be really careful with what she shares with her sister wives, because “you can really circle the drain,” implying that things can rapidly turn disastrous if they aren’t careful about what they say. Janelle, being the logical, level-headed wife that she is, said that she tries not to go down that path because it’s not healthy mentally.
Janelle brought up their visit with their friends, the Dargers in Utah, and how one of Joe Darger’s wives said, “Your head is a bad neighborhood.” Just like sister wife Christine, who has admitted she makes things up in her own mind, Janelle is careful not to do the same.
It’s understandable that with one husband and four wives, things can be misconstrued or taken out of context, so it’s important that they keep the lines of communication open.
Janelle described her marriage with Kody as ‘fine’
Janelle talked about her and Kody’s personal marriage and told the reporter that she and Kody “are fine,” but they definitely “feel the ripples” when Kody is struggling in a marriage with another wife.
She was proud to say that they were able to work through being separated due to the coronavirus pandemic. Viewers saw Janelle struggle with having Kody come to her house last spring. She told him she didn’t want him near her house for fear of exposure to COVID-19.
Kody carries around a ‘heavy burden’ from his struggles in his other marriages
Janelle noted that Kody is always carrying a “heavy burden” from his struggles with other wives, adding that she doesn’t always know the details of what’s going on with other wives, but she can sense it. Janelle admitted that it brings a “heaviness” when he’s at her house.
Christina asked Janelle if she thought a separation would be a good idea for Meri and Kody amid their estranged marriage. Janelle was tight-lipped, saying, “Yeah, I don’t know. Like, I can’t really comment on that.”
She did, however, say that she’s rooting for Kody and Meri to work it out, especially because they all have such a long history together. Janelle joined the family after Kody and Meri had been married for three years and has been part of the plural marriage for nearly three decades.
Christina talked about what would happen if one of the wives ever divorced Kody. She implied that it would mean they would divorce the family, too.
If a wife divorces Kody, they divorce the family, too
Janelle wholeheartedly agreed and talked about her “bonus children” she shares with the other moms. She brought up the fact that if she ever left the family, she would have “no legal right” to see the other wives’ children.
She did think, however, that the Brown family would be accommodating about visitation if a wife ever did divorce Kody. She “couldn’t even fathom” leaving not just Kody, but Meri, Christine and Robyn and her 12 bonus kids noting that they have so many interwoven and complicated relationships within the large family.
Janelle and Meri have improved their relationship
Janelle talked about her personal relationship with Meri, who she has publicly struggled with on the show over the years. She described their current status by saying, “it’s very cordial, it’s very fun” and said they have put in a lot of work on their relationship.
Janelle is known to be the most level-headed of Kody’s four wives and often is a fan favorite for her laidback and reasonable approach to things. Janelle is a licensed real estate broker and runs a Strive wellness business. She and Kody share six biological children together: Logan, Madison, Hunter, Garrison, Gabriel and Savanah.
Sister Wives airs on Sundays at 10/9c on TLC.