There are some new families featured in the third season of Seeking Sister Wives, including Jarod Clark and his two wives Vanessa and Kaleh, who were introduced to viewers in the first episode.
Jarod Clark is a special education/behavioral teacher and personal trainer who lives in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina with his two wives and four children. Jarod has been legally married to his first wife, Vanessa for 10 years.
The couple shares four kids: son LePrince, daughter Alexis, son Alejandro and daughter Analise. The two met in California while Jarod was in the military.
They practice polygamy, “specifically polygyny,” and as Jarod explained, polygamy is the “umbrella term” for a multi-person relationship, and polygyny is “geared more towards the male having separate wives.”
The Clarks don’t practice polygamy for religious reasons
During his confessional, Jarod explained that his polygamous lifestyle “doesn’t necessarily correlate to any religious beliefs,” but rather something that interested him. Similarly, the Snowdens and the Jones also practice polygamy, but not for religious reasons.
He had been researching how tribes and kingdoms were built when polygamy piqued his interest. He was intrigued by kings having multiple queens, with each queen playing a different role in the marriage.
Six and a half years into his marriage with Vanessa, Jarod brought up the prospect of polygamy to his first wife. As Jarod put it, her response initially was a “flat, pure, unadulterated ‘no’.”
Vanessa confessed that she thought polygamy was more for Jarod than it would be to benefit her, and had to research its history before she came to understand what she considers benefits of the lifestyle.
It took Jarod’s first wife Vanessa a few months to consider a plural marriage
Vanessa saw value in having someone who would “have her back” regarding her husband, her kids and her house. Three and a half months after suggesting plural marriage, Jarod and Vanessa welcomed Kaleh into their family.
Jarod was providing security at a lounge when he met Kaleh, who “ran the money box.” Kaleh listed the benefits she sees in plural marriage, stating that she’s never alone, will always have someone to share life with and will always be surrounded by love.
She is a self-admitted “free spirit” so polygamy was nothing she considered “taboo.”
Although Vanessa had qualms about sharing a younger, attractive woman with her husband, after meeting Kaleh and hitting it off, she was on board with the decision to move her in with their family after only a couple of weeks. Vanessa confessed that she would never go back to monogamy again.
Jarod cleared the air about the sleeping situation between him and his wives
Jarod was upfront when he confessed that the first question people ask about polygamy is whether the three of them sleep together.
He told cameras, “We are not swingers. The women, they don’t sleep together.”
Amazingly, the three of them don’t have a schedule for Jarod to split his time — they keep it “completely fluid.” Many other famous polygamous families rotate time between their wives.
Jarod expects to be treated as a king and his wives as queens
Jarod confessed that in his home, he presents himself as “a king” and expects to be treated as such. He said the same rings true for Vanessa and Kaleh, who present themselves as “queens.”
Kaleh revealed that things are “a little complicated” in the relationship right now and Jarod showed concern that Kaleh wasn’t being the “queen” she could be.
Vanessa added that there are ups and downs in their relationship, and right now they’re experiencing a down that needs to be dealt with in order to keep their family together.
Viewers will have to tune in to see how things turn out, as the Clarks left them guessing about the state of their marriage last week.
Seeking Sister Wives airs on Mondays at 8/7c on TLC.