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Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown Can’t Have ‘Full Relationship’ With Kody If He’s ‘Estranged’ From Sons
Sister Wives star Janelle Brown admitted that Kody Brown’s strained relationships with their sons Gabe and Garrison prevented them from having a “full relationship.”
“Kody’s still feeling like the boys need to have a conversation with him or whatever, so we’re separate,” Janelle, 54, said about Gabe, 21, and Garrison, 25, during the Sunday, August 20, episode of the TLC show.
She then confirmed she wouldn’t spend the holidays with the larger family at Robyn Brown‘s house. “Kody feels like they owe him a big apology and some sort of conversation and stuff for being disrespectful,” Janelle explained about the “disagreement.”
Meanwhile, Kody, 54, said he hoped to “clear the air” with their sons ahead of the holiday festivities.
“If something political or something about COVID or my own experience with it comes up, and we end up devolving into an angry conversation,” the Brown patriarch said in a confessional. “That’s a stupidity that I’m not going to bring into my house for holidays.”
Janelle added, “I always said I pick my kids before Kody. What am I going to do, go to Robyn’s house and hang out with Robyn’s kids and Mary and Kody?”
Kody later accused Janelle of “undermining [his] ability to lead the family.” He continued, “I could be a great leader in the family, and I should be in spite of their undermining, but I don’t have the exposure to the children that the mothers have in this family. So having the mothers support me would be the thing to do.”
While Janelle admitted that she and Kody had been “through some tough spots,” they had always “come out of them” in the past. However, she said it felt “really wrong” to continue their relationship if he remained estranged from Gabe and Garrison.
“A big part of my relationship with Kody has been the fact that he was such an engaged father, he was such a good dad,” she said. “And now he doesn’t even want to be that anymore, so I don’t know who that guy is. Who is that guy?”
Fans previously watched Kody’s problems with Gabe and Garrison play out in past seasons. While the father and sons initially argued over the businessman’s strict rules amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Gabe explained he reached his breaking point when his father didn’t wish him a happy birthday.
During a December 2022 episode, Gabe explained Kody called him on his birthday. However, he said he chose not to “remind him that it was [his] birthday because [he] wanted to see if he remembered.”
After noting that Kody didn’t acknowledge his big day, Gabe emotionally admitted the phone call was “the last time” they spoke.
Janelle and Kody eventually called it quits after the episode was filmed. In December 2022, In Touch exclusively broke the news that they ended their spiritual marriage. “Janelle is a strong independent woman and realized she can do it on her own,” a source told In Touch at the time, adding that she “outgrew” him.
The father of 18 confirmed their split two days later during the reality show. “I am separated from Janelle, and I am divorced from Christine,” Kody revealed.
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