Kody and Janelle Brown’s relationship ended in January 2023, but the couple separated multiple times before. Was the ‘Sister Wives’ couple secretly toxic?
Over 18 seasons, Sister Wives fans have watched three of Kody Brown’s four marriages fall apart. When Christine Brown left Kody, she admitted that she had been unhappy for a decade. Recently, Meri Brown observed that her relationship with Kody had always been turbulent. According to all accounts, Janelle Brown and Kody appeared to have at least a solid connection before conflict over coronavirus (COVID-19) safety procedures caused a rift. Fans are finding out more about Kody and Janelle’s marriage as season 18 of the show progresses. The couple’s circumstances could not have been as they were seen. The couple acknowledged that they had previously split up “two or three” times. Can we state with certainty that Kody and Janelle’s relationship was always the most shaky?
Janelle and Kody Brown split up “two or three times” before their current separation
Kody Brown gave Sister Wives viewers a little shock in a recent episode. Despite the fact that this wasn’t the first time the two had broken up, Kody admitted that he found Janelle Brown’s separation difficult. He disclosed that he had previously divorced Janelle Brown, his second wife, two or three times.
Kody didn’t elaborate on when those splits happened or how long they lasted. Janelle did mention living apart from the family at some point in their book Becoming Sister Wives. She only admitted to one separation, though, while Kody noted multiple splits had occurred.
The admission surprised some Sister Wives viewers, as they had long pegged Kody and Janelle as the Brown couple who had the easiest partnership. Janelle’s logical nature appeared to play well into the dynamics of polygamy. Does Kody’s revelation suggest Janelle and Kody had the most tumultuous relationship behind the scenes? We don’t think so.
Were Janelle and Kody the most unstable couple?
Fans of Sister Wives can’t seem to agree on which Brown family couple was the most unstable. Nevertheless, you could make the case that Kody and Janelle’s relationship was the most erratic and unhealthy due to their frequent separations. None of Kody’s former wives have acknowledged to publicly declaring their official separations before privately parting spiritually from him.
Does that make them toxic as a couple, though? Technically, no. According to Psychology Today, a conscious decision to take a break and live separately can be a healthy move for a relationship. Still, it’s only beneficial if some ground rules are set, and the couple spends their time apart working to strengthen the marriage and work through the troubles that drove them apart in the first place. Whether Kody and Janelle actually put in any work during their separation is anyone’s guess, though it doesn’t seem like Kody did a ton of soul-searching during their breaks. The Brown family patriarch remains adamant that he and Janelle split multiple times because of the sister wives, not him. This most recent breakup, which appears to be sticking, is very much about Kody Brown and his poor treatment of everyone except Robyn Brown and the five kids they share.