The first stop on Kody Brown’s ex-wife apology tour went better than many Sister Wives fans predicted, with Kody extending an olive branch to Janelle that left the mom of six visibly shocked and feeling somewhat sentimental.

As The Ashley told you last week, Kody shared with his only remaining wife Robyn on a recent episode of ‘Sister Wives’ that he planned to deliver in-person apologies to each of his three ex-wives in the hopes of making amends following their respective divorces. Kody also said he wanted to apologize to his exes in order to “set them free” and to release some of the anger he’d been carrying in the wake of his trio ‘o’ divorces.  

On Sunday’s episode, Kody traveled to North Carolina to meet up with Janelle after previously explaining to viewers that he felt she would be the least-hostile towards him. Despite feeling (somewhat) confident about the way Janelle would receive his apology, Kody acknowledged that there was a possibility that none of his ex-wives would be willing to accept his “olive branch.” Still, the former polygamist vowed to “stay the course.”  

“I don’t want to fight,” he told viewers. “I just want to apologize.” 

While Janelle told viewers she was initially hesitant to sit down with Kody, she also admitted that she was curious to hear what he had to say– especially when given a chance to talk to him one-on-one without Robyn, whom Janelle said, “makes the dynamic really weird.” 

Upon meeting up with her former spouse, Janelle was soon issued an apology from Kody for “being so angry and so bitter over the family breakup.” 

“ … nobody deserved to have me be that angry,” Kody said to a visibly shocked Janelle, who in turn, admitted that she didn’t “recognize” Kody in some of the moments that followed their split.

“I kept thinking, ‘I don’t know who this guy is.’ I used to always tell everybody, I’m like, ‘This is not the guy that I was married to forever,'” she said.

Later in the conversation, Kody joked (kind of) that his anger was “a compliment” to Janelle, as it showed just how much she meant to him. 

“If I’d had been apathetic, it would have meant you weren’t important,” he said. “ … that was all from attachment.”  

After recalling to viewers some of the good times he and Janelle shared throughout their marriage, Kody went on to admit that there were certain mistakes he “made in plural marriage specifically,” claiming he regretted the way he handled things after Janelle joined the family and became his second wife. 

“When you and I got married, I remember this affection we shared and this really made me question plural marriage pretty hard,” Kody said. “I wish I would have seen the need for you and I to protect our special place. If I would have understood that, I think it would have been a lot safer for you. 

“I feel like I put you in harm’s way and then I didn’t step up to protect you,” he added. 

“Wow,” Janelle replied. “Thanks.” 

During their meetup, Kody– who copped to being “a bastard” after the family breakup– also apologized to Janelle for claiming after their split that he never loved her– or ex-wives Christine and Meri. 

“I think the meanest thing that I did was I said I didn’t love you,” he said. “That wasn’t true. That was a lie from the perspective of pain.” 

In response, Janelle told Kody that she knew the hurtful things he said in the past were untrue. 

“I knew it,” she assured him. “I knew that you loved me. I know that we had a great relationship … .” 

Following the one-on-one, Janelle told viewers that she still cared about her ex-husband, but wished he would make an effort to repair things with his children– many of whom, Kody remains estranged from. 

“It was a great relationship,” Janelle said of her and Kody’s former union. “I still care about him and I think he still cares about me, but he’s not in my life and I’m not going to be in his life. I wish he had a better relationship with the children, because then there would be a little more cohesion for the family. But that’s a long ways away I suspect.” 

Still, Janelle stated that she was “grateful” that Kody apologized, and that it “was healing” to hear some of the things Kody said. 

New episodes of ‘Sister Wives’ air Sundays on TLC. 

RELATED STORY: Robyn Brown Reveals How She’d React if One of Her Former Sister Wives Wanted to Return to the Family 

(Photos: TLC)