Janelle and Christine Brown tend to share the same opinions when it comes to their mutual ex-husband Kody (and Kody’s wife, Robyn); however, the former sister wives continue to have different thoughts when it comes to polygamy and the way their former religion is perceived.
In Us Weekly’s preview of Sunday’s Sister Wives Season 20 Tell-All (Part 3), Janelle reveals to host Suki Krishnan that she didn’t appreciate the things Christine’s husband, David Woolley, said about his wife’s former religion on the show this season, insisting that David is unduly critical of polygamy.
“When I saw David [talking about polygamy on the show], it just made my stomach just turn,” Janelle tells Suki. “Because I think it’s wrong to paint everybody with the brush of your one experience.”
As fans of ‘Sister Wives’ may remember, David alleged this season that polygamy is used to “control women” and that husbands in polygamy love the fighting and competition that often occurs between their wives. David said he based these claims on the experience of his older sister, whom he said was left “mentally damaged” by the actions of her husband while engaging in plural marriage.
While Janelle explains that she doesn’t want to discredit what David’s sister went through, she notes that marital issues are not exclusive to polygamists.
“I’m not denying that his sister had this experience,” she says. “I think lots of things happen in monogamy. I think lots of things happen in all kinds of relationships that can be really screwed up.”
When asked by Suki if she agrees with David’s “perception of polygamy,” Christine explains that it’s “hard” to get on board with her husband’s stance fully as she has family that still live polygamy, though she does claim that there seems to be more of a “sadness” in those who live the lifestyle compared to those who don’t.
“He’s right; I think I see more sadness in polygamy than anything else,” Christine tells Suki. “I look at so many polygamous families and they don’t look happy. It’s just sad and it’s like, what is the secret sauce here that convinces women to be OK with their husbands having this other relationship with this other woman?
“But, [according to the religion] it makes you better, so it’s OK,” she adds. “What is the secret that they tell [people]? What is it, you know?”
After referring to polygamy as something that was just “part of my culture,” Christine agrees that she was “probably” indoctrinated into the culture– a statement that David agrees with as well.
“ … I’m looking on the other side from my experience– since I was, you know, 2 [or] 3 years old– … that if this is supposed to be [such a] righteous thing, why is it so miserable?” David added. “So how is it so right?”
As viewers saw on an episode of ‘Sister Wives’ that aired earlier this month, Janelle was granted a spiritual release from Kody by the Brown Family’s former church, the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB), years after she and Kody ended their nearly 30-year union. When discussing her plan to seek the release, Janelle noted that, while she’s “not part of the faith anymore,” what she and Kody had was “as binding as a legal marriage” to her, therefore she felt the need to “have all ties broken” between them.
Janelle is the second of Kody’s three ex-wives to seek– and be granted– a spiritual release from the father of 18, with Meri being the first to do so.
While Meri and Christine have sworn off ever living plural marriage again, Janelle has been more open to the idea.
“I would actually consider a plural marriage because I really do love the freedom and the independence that it gave me,” she said back in 2023. “I think it was a good fit for me.”
Janelle— who was briefly married to Adam Barber (who happens to be Meri’s brother) before she married Kody— said she couldn’t imagine being in a one-on-one marriage.
“I don’t even know what it would be like, to be married in a monogamous relationship,” Janelle said at the time. “If that’s what works out, great. So I’m open to plural marriage [again], but I don’t know if there’s a lot of men who can actually pull it off!”
Part 3 of the ‘Sister Wives’ Season 20 Tell-All airs Sunday on TLC.
(Photos: Instagram; TLC)
One Response
Kody Brown after the move to AZ before COVID said he didn’t want to encourage and be the poster man for polygamy anymore. Suki could grill Kody. The show could do a flashback to the restaurant scene when he said it. But no.