Sister Wives’ Christine Brown Reveals Janelle Advised Her Not to Leave Kody Until Financially Stable

A friend’s advice. Sister Wives star Christine Brown revealed her “best friend” Janelle Brown told her to become financially independent before leaving Kody Brown. 

“I asked when we were in Vegas, and I was just done in Vegas,” the former sister wife, 50, recalled during a Friday, December 2, appearance on the “Reality Life With Kate” podcast. “I remember asking her, I’m like, ‘I need to leave. I need to leave. I don’t even want to be married to Kody anymore. I can’t.’ And she looked at me and she goes, ‘Until you can support yourself financially by yourself, you are not going to leave.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, God. All right then.'”

Christine then credited Janelle, 53, for her ability to be upfront in her advice while also being a strong listener. 

“Janelle’s that person where she’ll listen and listen to listen and be like, ‘Everything’s fine. He’s a great guy,'” the Cooking With Just Christine star explained. “But when it comes right down to it, she’ll just be like, ‘Boom, chakalaka.’ What every woman needs is a friend that is just supportive and kind of good. But when you need to have a different perspective, they don’t mind just giving it to you — and Janelle’s lovely that way. She’s lovely. She’s balanced to me, where we balance each other well.” 

During the same podcast appearance, the Utah resident also reflected on what it felt like to hear her former husband, 53, say he wasn’t “attracted” to her.  

“Actually, that was an empowering moment, as hard as it was,” the TLC personality, 50, said. “I kind of look back and I’m like, ‘Ah, I can see where you weren’t here and here and here and here and here and here.’ But you know what? If this has been happening for this long, I’m done. It’s over. I’m not going to keep pretending and I’m not going to keep doing this.”

Christine continued, “If you really haven’t been attracted to me, and if you really didn’t really want a relationship with me, and you didn’t really want to spend time with me … it was almost like this burden got lifted. And I was like, ‘Alright, then it’s time to move on.’” 

Kody and Christine announced their split in November 2021 via their respective Instagram accounts. Despite vowing to remain a “strong presence in each other’s lives,” at the time, Christine’s departure from the plural family caused a major shift in their dynamic. The drama has played out during season 17 of Sister Wives. 

Fans have watched Kody talk about his disagreement with Christine in multiple recent episodes. During the Sunday, November 27 episode, the Arizona resident noted he felt as if her departure was “poisoning” his relationships with Janelle and fourth wife Robyn Brown. 

“I think that’s because I haven’t figured out what I am when we’re not this family,” he admitted during a confessional. “I’m out of my frame, and I’m out of my purpose. I’m spiritually off course. I’m a mess.”