Sister Wives’ Janelle Says She Can’t Be in a ‘Full Relationship’ with Kody If He’s ‘Estranged’ from Their Sons

Janelle Brown admits that Kody Brown’s disconnection with the kids is furthering the rift between the two

Janelle Brown is standing firm where her kids are concerned.

The Sister Wives star, 54, opens up about the rift between some of her kids and ex Kody Brown, also 54, in the season premiere episode of the TLC reality series.

Janelle is hanging out with Christine Brown and some of the kids when the subject of the holidays comes up.

“Kody’s still feeling like the boys need to have a conversation with him or whatever, so we’re separate,” she says of sons Gabe, 21, and Garrison, 24, confirming she wouldn’t spend the holidays with the larger family at fourth wife Robyn Brown’s house.

“Kody feels like they owe him a big apology and some sort of conversation and stuff for being disrespectful,” calling the situation a “disagreement.”

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Related: Sister Wives’ Garrison Brown Says He and Siblings ‘Don’t Need a Father Figure Anymore’ amid Rift with Kody

In a confessional, Kody says he doesn’t want to have a holiday experience without having a chance to “clear the air” prior.

“If something political or something about COVID or my own experience with it comes up, and we end up devolving into an angry conversation,” he explains. “That’s a stupidity that I’m not going to bring into my house for holidays.”

Janelle notes, “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?”

Christine expresses concerns that her breakup with Kody is causing stress, explaining in a confessional.

“Kody told me I was breaking up the family, like it’s my fault that the family is breaking up. Dude? If my relationship with my sister wives is up to me and it’s my fault that I have a bad relationship with my sister wives, how is it not your fault that you have a bad relationship with your children?

In his confessional, Kody accuses Janelle — with whom he also shares Savanah, 18, Hunter, 25, Madison, 27 and Logan, 28 — of “undermining my ability to lead the family.”

“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.”

The two ladies disagree as they discuss the situation, with Janelle explaining in her confessional, “Kody and I have been through some tough spots and we’ve always come out of them. But I can’t really be in a full relationship with him if he’s going to be estranged from my children. It just seems really wrong.”

She continues, “A big part of my relationship with Kody has been the fact that he was such an engaged father, he was such good dad. And now he doesn’t even want to be that anymore, so I don’t know who that guy is. Who is that guy?”

TLC

Janelle announced her separation from Kody in December 2022. Kody also confirmed his separation from Meri Brown, 52, during the One on One conversations and later in a joint Instagram statement with his ex. He is now only married to fourth wife Robyn.

“Kody and I have separated and I’m happy, really happy,” Janelle told host Sukanya Krishnan on Sister Wives: One on One special in January. “I don’t know, things just really became sort of indifferent, like I just didn’t care anymore.”

Janelle also said that she was “not waiting” for a possible reconciliation with Kody. “I’ve kind of mourned that that part of our life is gone,” she shared. “I wasn’t heartbroken. It wasn’t heartbreaking for me like it was for Christine. It was just kind of like, I just mourned that that life was gone…. We had this great run.”

Season 18 of Sister Wives premieres Aug. 20 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.

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