Sister WivesstarJanelle Brownecently announced she intended to detox her life, and there are multiple parts she could want to get rid of. The last few years have been especially difficult for 55-year-old Janelle. Things began to fall apart when she left Kody Brown, her polygamist husband of 29 years. Janelle was Kody’s second wife. By the time she came along, he’d already been married to Meri Brown, and he’d go on to take two additional wives: Christine Brown and Robyn Brown.
Kody had four wives and 18 children. When the unscripted series premiered in 2010, the Browns were one happy family. They lived in a giant house in Utah, where each wife ran her own wing with her biological children. Every night, Kody would live in a different wing of the house, with a different branch of his plural family tree. Though the arrangement was non-traditional,the Browns appeared to be a mostly happyfamily. Things started to change when Kody married his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, and moved his family out of Utah.
Christine was the first of Kody’s wives to leave the family, followed by Janelle. Janelle and Kody had six children together, and Kody was struggling to stay in their lives even before the divorce.Sister Wivesseason 19found the family hopelessly and irrevocably divided. Once Janelle ended the marriage, her connection was severed. After many very difficult years, Janelle is ready for a fresh start.
8Janelle & Christine Don’t Hang Out As Much
They’ll Always Be Sister Wives
Ironically,Janelle and Christine grew closerafter leaving Kody. This wasn’t lost on Kody, who said that very thing during an episode ofSister Wives season 19.While they were married to the same man, they led different lives. Janelle was one of the family breadwinners, so she went to work every day, while Christine did the lion’s share of the childcare. SinceChristine helped raise most of the children, she’s still extremely close to Janelle’s children, which is one of the ties that bind the two women.
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ThoughJanelle and Christine got closer after leavingKody, theSister Wivesseason 19 stars seem farther apart than usual these days. Their lives have just gone in very different directions. Christine quickly remarried and lived in Utah with her new husband, David Woolley, while Christine lived in North Carolina near her grandchildren. With so much distance between them, it can seem like the women have grown apart, but they will always share a unique bond.
7Janelle’s Focused On Self Improvement
Word Of The Year: DETOX
Janelleposted her New Year’s resolution to Instagram, and it was all about detoxing her life of whatever doesn’t serve her. TheSister Wivesstar announced her decision to focus on freeing herself of the toxic energy holding her back. She then laidout her detailed plan on how she wanted to achieve her detoxgoals, which included physical activity, diet, and spiritual connection. Janelle has always been a type-A person, so it’s not surprising that she would approach her detox with such a regimented approach.
“It’s about making space for greater peace and clarity by detoxing my life EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY, and SPIRITUALLY.”
Janelle lost her son,25-year-old Garrison Brown, in 2024 and is still reeling from it. Though she’ll never be able to move on from the loss of her beloved son, she can find some semblance of happiness in her life. TheSister Wivesseason 19 star has focused her energy on spending as much time with her remaining children and grandchildren as possible.
6Janelle Is Focused On Her Kids & Their Families
She Moved To Be Closer To Maddie
Before leaving Kody, Janelle lived in Arizona with the rest of the family. After the divorce, nothing was keeping Janelle in the Copper State. She movd to North Carolina to be near her daughter, Maddie Brush. She lives there with her husband, Caleb Brush, and their children.27-year-old Madison was a regular onSister Wivesin 2010 but left for college at Utah State University in 2015. College didn’t work out, and she dropped out. Soon after leaving school, in September 2015,Madison announced her engagement to CalebBrush, a 34-year-old mine equipment repairman.
In 2017, their son, Axel James Brush, was born, and, in 2019, their daughter, Evangalynn Kodi, followed.
Like most of her other siblings,Madison doesn’t intend to have a polygamous marriagewith Caleb. The couple moved to North Carolina for a career opportunity several years ago. Janelle bought land in North Carolina, which she intends to develop. After losing her son, Janelle wants to be with her other children as much as possible.
5Janelle & Kody Have Difted Apart Despite Remaining Close Post-Divorce
Nothing Holding Them Together
During their long marriage, it was always clear that Janelle was Kody’s most practical wife. It always seemed like Janelle and Kody were the most compatible. While Christine, Robyn, and Meri were no strangers to emotional displays, Janelle always managed to keep her cool. That changed duringSister Wivesseason 18 whenJanelle and Kody butted heads over his conflict with her sons.Kody and his sons had been feudingover COVID-19 restrictions.
Kody and Robyn were extremely COVID cautious and enacted a very strict set of virus mitigation rules that some of Kody’s older children wouldn’t follow.
Kody told Janelle he couldn’t even visit her home unless she kicked her older sons out.Janelle’s refusal is what triggered her eventual decision to leave Kodyand their plural family. Things between Janelle and Kody ended terribly, so it’s no surprise she wants to get as far away from her ex-husband as possible.
4Janelle Wants To Find Herself
She Needs Distance From The Past
Mothers struggle to maintain their identities while raising their children, including Janelle. For many years,Janelle worked hard to help raise her entire plural family, and with so many mouths to feed, it was no easy task. As one of the family’s financial providers, Janelle had to work hard to keep roofs over their heads. Though it wasn’t easy, theSister Wivesseason 19 star knew her role and understood where she fit into the family.
After her divorce, Janelle found herself all alone, and her role was less clear.
With all of her children older and out of the house, Janelle had to take a hard look at her life and set out a new path for herself. With her love of gardening, Janelle decided to pursue a new life as a farmer. TheSister Wivesseason 19 starpurchased a flower farm she owns and operates. No matter what else Janelle decides to do with her life, she has to get away from her past first.
3Janelle Needs Her Own Brand
She Needs To Separate Herself From The Family
Janelle has had multiple intersecting identities over the years. In addition to being Kody’s second wife and a mother of six, Janelle was also a second mother to all of Kody’s other children. Despite having a successful career as a real estate broker, theSister Wivescast memberalways put her family first andlet her family define her. Even during her marriage, her friendship with Kody’s third wife, Christine, became a part of her identity.
Now that Janelle is on her own, she has had to carve out her own identity.
Though her friendship with Christine continues, Janelle’s detox has to include expanding her world. Since her divorce, Janelle continued her work in real estate and has focused on her gardening hobby.Janelle had long dreamed of growing her food, so the North Carolina land purchase was undoubtedly part of her grand plan. Starting a new career is part of her detox plan.
2Janelle’s Leaving Painful Memories Behind
Too Many Ghosts
In March 2024, the Brown family andSister Wivesuniversewas turned upside down by the tragicdeath of 25-year-old Garrison Brown. Garrison had been struggling with mental health and alcohol. After she couldn’t reach her son, Janelle grew concerned and sent her other son, Gabriel Brown, to check on his older brother. It wasGabriel who found his deceased brotherin his Flagstaff, Arizona, home. Though Janelle will never truly get over the loss of her beloved son, she has to find a way to move on.
Spending as much time with her remaining children as possible will go a long way toward helping Janelle get through the grieving process.
Garrison’s death is still very fresh, and it’s something that will take Janelle a long time to work through. Spending time with her children and focusing on growing her business empire would likely be a welcome distraction.Understandably,Janelle would want to leave Arizona. She may want to escape from painful memories linked with her deceased son.
1Janelle Is Enjoying Life Away From The Brown Family
She Isn’t In Contact With Many Of The Browns
Janelle and Kody started seeing each other less often during COVID-19, andthe relationship couldn’t bounce back. Kody and Robyn were cautious, which created a lot of conflict for the family. When everyone refused to follow Kody’s COVID mitigation rules, he stopped seeing them. It was during this time Janelle got used to being away from the rest of the Brown family.
TheSister Wivesstars even stopped spending the holidays together.Janelle and Christine spent the holidaystogether, with their children, apart from the rest of the Browns. These days, Janelle appears to be focusing on her children while maintaining relationships with Christine and her children. It seems clear one of the main aspects of life that Janelle intends to detox is the Brown family.
53
1990
2022
1
55
1993
6 (1 deceased)
52
1994
2021
6
45
2010
–
5 (3 from previous marriage)
Sister Wivesseason 19 airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.
