Following their massive argument in the exclusive Sister Wives tape from Us Weekly, Kody Brown is uncertain about his relationship’s state with his ex-girlfriend Janelle Brown.
The two have lunch together and talk about their relationship in the sneak peek for the episode airing on Sunday, September 24. “What do you know, it’s true. Kody, 54, admits, “I’ve been at a point where I don’t feel like we can be married without being in plural marriage.
Janelle, who is also 54, is then told by him that they must “figure out plural monogamy” because they no longer “have the function” to be authentic polygamists.
Kody describes the term further in a confessional. “Plural monogamy is where you’re not functioning as one family. You’re multiple families,” he explains. “A husband with two families. … And these two families don’t interact.”
Janelle, for her part, tells the camera Kody is the one who mentioned “plural monogamy” to begin with. “He acts like it was my idea,” she says.
Back in the restaurant, Janelle tells Kody she “wasn’t really sure” whether she wanted to stay with him after their spat. “I’m not leaving. I’m not throwing in the towel,” she continues. “I just need to be separate while we figure this out.”
Kody questions “the value of the separation,” leading Janelle to provide her perspective. “I feel like I’m more aware of what I need when you’re not there,” she tells him, to which he replies that he’s a “laidback” husband.
Janelle claims that the couple “need a redefinition” and acknowledges that she isn’t “100% sure” that their broken marriage can be reconciled. She admits, “I’m still pretty upset sometimes.
Kody says in a different confessional that the thought of separation “seems way beyond the crime” in terms of punishment. He continues, “Perhaps that’s simply a wake-up call for me. “Perhaps [Janelle] isn’t at all interested in this. Perhaps she has everything she needs and is moving on.
In the end, the couple did part ways, with Janelle revealing their breakup in a Sister Wives: One-on-One episode from December 2022. In 1993, Kody married Janelle in a spiritual union. She was his second wife. Six of Kody’s 18 children are theirs to share.
Kody’s third wife, Christine Brown, was the first to depart the household in 2021. At the time of their breakup, she and Kody had been together for more than 25 years. Since returning to Utah, Christine, 51, has remained close with Janelle, which hasn’t gone over well with Kody.
“Christine and Janelle have kind [of] banded together with this whole thing,” he claimed during an episode of Sister Wives earlier this month. “[They] basically shattered my whole world.” Kody remains married to his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, confirming earlier this year that he and Meri Brown had also separated.
Sister Wives season 18 airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.