“Sister Wives”' Kody Brown Wants to Reconcile with Janelle to 'Be Back in Graces' with Their Kids: It's a 'Power Game'
"I don't think we even exist in the same universe anymore," Janelle said when discussing her relationship with Kody
Janelle and Kody Brown are struggling to navigate life after their separation.
During the Nov. 3 episode of Sister Wives, Janelle and Kody sat down to discuss their relationship status and how they planned to handle their finances regarding the future of Coyote Pass. When Janelle suggested Kody buy her out, he wondered why she wasn’t considering living on the land with him.
“I don't think we even exist in the same universe anymore,” Janelle said. “I think you're awesome, and whenever we talk, I still feel that you've got this little hook in me or whatever, but I've been so happy that I don't foresee a long-term thing for us.”
She then said in her confessional: “I don't even know who he is anymore, really. He hasn't been in my house for two years.”
“We haven't really talked about a relationship,” Kody replied, but Janelle disagreed.
Related: 'Sister Wives' Family: Everything to Know About Kody Brown, His 4 Wives and 18 Kids
Janelle later noted that Kody “wants a wife that acts differently than I do,” citing that as the reason she would not go back to him.
“It’s over,” she said. “I guess I don't need some finality piece to say that.”
She went on to explain to Kody that their issues with one another, like her “independence” and his “selfishness,” got in the way of their relationship.
“Is that in the past two years with the divorce?” he questioned.
“No, maybe you always were,” she responded. “And there's a big question of the kids. The kids now talk about the dad they grew up with versus who you are now.”
“Well, they've shut me out and they're going based upon recency bias,” Kody snapped. “They're going based upon what happened during COVID.”
Janelle partially agreed, saying Kody was “always a good dad” despite the issues in their relationship, but his lack of a connection with the kids as adults was concerning to her.
“Now, I don't know how I would ever reconcile with him and not have him not have a relationship with my kids,” she said. “I'm going to always choose my kids.”
Another seemingly large point of contention in the family is Robyn, Janelle’s former sister wife and Kody’s only remaining wife.
“I always felt like your life centered so much around Robin's house,” Janelle shared, to which Kody responded, “Well, in the past two years, Robyn's been this place that things were safe.”
“Even before that, it felt like I wasn't as important,” Janelle said.
In her confessional, Robyn said she felt like the one who was always “blamed” by her sister wives when “Kody makes a choice and they don’t like it.”
“There's this new concept that I have Kody just wrapped around my little finger and I'm doing evil spells on him. Ridiculous,” Robyn added. “If you know Kody Brown, you know he's not to be controlled.”
Janelle acknowledged that Kody had always focused his life on the younger kids, and he explained that is part of the reason he prioritizes his small children with Robyn.
“You don't have little kids, does that mean that the generation gap between you and Robin is too much to actually breach?” he asked Janelle.
“I don't find I have much in common with her,” Janelle said. “And I feel like it's a problem that I'm not.”
Janelle then recalled a time when she was still married to Kody, and Robyn had shared a private conversation they had with him, which prompted an argument between Kody and Janelle at the time. Kody quickly came to Robyn’s defense, further frustrating Janelle.
“This happens every time the kids talk to him about Robin or I talk to him, it's like he just doesn't want to go there,” she said. “That's his sacred cow. She's perfect. Don't dare talk about her. And I'm like, ‘Well, dude, how do you expect to be in a plural marriage with me if you have this person that you worship?’ That's part of being a husband in a plural marriage, you have to be able to hear everybody equally.”
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Season 19 of Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.