Sister Wives’ Kody Brown Reacts to Separation From Wife Janelle: ‘I Think It’s a Mistake’

Sister Wives stars Kody Brown and Janelle Brown have been at odds for most of season 18, but Janelle finally took steps toward ending their marriage on the Sunday, October 1 episode. Kody reacted to their separation in a confessional.

“I think it’s a mistake but whatever,” Kody, 54, told the cameras after his split from Janelle, 54. He also noted in the episode that he has tried to call Janelle to work things out, but she isn’t interested.

Meanwhile, Janelle struggled with the idea of being separated as she discussed it with sister wife Christine Brown. Though she admitted that she didn’t “want to be married anymore,” she felt conflicted about the decision because she believed marriage was a covenant that went beyond death. On the other hand, Janelle said she felt like Kody had changed.

“Kody used to be so dynamic and so bold,” she continued. Ultimately, Janelle said that she and Kody were separated, but she was “waiting on God” to make her final decision about the marriage.

The separation came after Kody and Janelle took some time apart due to an explosive fight in the September 3 episode. At the time, the two argued about Janelle not helping Kody communicate with his sons and follow family rules. Kody slammed Janelle for a “lack of loyalty” and support. However, Janelle claimed that Kody was “pushing” her out of their marriage in an attempt to make Janelle leave him, rather than him leaving her. The argument came to a head when Janelle told Kody to “shut your f–king mouth and let me talk for a minute” and Kody stormed out.

In an August interview with People, Janelle said that argument was the moment she knew she and Kody were going to separate. “This burden came off me, and I thought, ‘Wow. Okay, it’s over,'” she said.

Janelle and Kody, who tied the knot in January 1993, met up after their argument to try and talk things out, as seen in the September 24 episode. Janelle admitted to Kody that she felt he didn’t give their marriage enough “attention” following his split from Christine, 51, in November 2021.

“Be a man [and] separate your relationships like you have for our entire plural marriage, and pay attention here,” she said at the time. The mother of six also said she thought they should remain separated for a while, prompting Kody to reveal that they had been separated “two or three times in the past.” However, Janelle said she was willing to seek counseling for their relationship.

During the October 1 episode, Janelle said she didn’t think her meeting with Kody was very “productive.”

In Touch exclusively confirmed in December 2022 that Janelle and Kody had ended their spiritual marriage after months of split rumors. A source told In Touch that the time that Janelle “outgrew” Kody.

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“Janelle is a strong independent woman and realized she can do it on her own,” the insider revealed.

One month prior, Christine’s aunt, Krystn Decker, exclusively told In Touch that Janelle had left Kody “a long time ago.”

“As far as any relationship, any marriage goes, I think [Janelle’s] similar to, in Meri [Brown]’s situation where she’s just staying in a marriage that’s not really a marriage,” Kristyn revealed. “I don’t think they’ve had a marriage for a long, long, long time. It’s just platonic.”