Is Janelle Brown Still With Kody? 'Sister Wives' Fans Think She Might Be the Next to Leave

During Season 16 of Sister Wives, viewers watched the Brown family struggle amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Relationship issues between Kody and his four wives were magnified by the fact that there was no consensus on safety protocols.

While Robyn and Meri followed Kody's strict set of rules — which included extreme social distancing, sanitizing mail and groceries before bringing them into the house, limiting trips to the grocery store, changing clothes after going out in public, and more — Christine and Janelle chose to travel and spend time with their adult children over being allowed to spend time with their husband.

It was during that time that Janelle shared her thoughts about leaving Kody.

"I’ve had to really think. My children are almost grown and there’s not a huge necessity anymore to stay," she said to the camera during a confessional. "It was a wonderful way to raise children. With Kody and I right now, our relationship is pretty strained. And you know, it’s easy to walk away.”

In the three-part special following Season 16, Janelle clarified that although she and Kody continue to have issues in their marriage, she is committed to the polygamous lifestyle. Could things have changed since then?

There has been no public announcement made about Janelle leaving Kody. So, at least officially, it appears that they are still very much in a spiritual marriage.

Still, Sister Wives fans have noticed that Kody hasn't appeared alongside Janelle in her Instagram photos in quite some time — and Janelle remains close to Christine.

One Redditor wrote, "It seems like she’s spending a lot of time with Christine lately, so maybe?" in response to a thread pondering whether Janelle had called it quits.

Another person wondered, "Maybe something happened when filming was complete?"

Yet another fan predicted, "Janelle will never officially leave. Kody will visit her on occasion as a friend, but like many older wives in polygamy, they're turned out to pasture to live their life alone with their children and grandchildren to give them love."

An insider told Us Weekly in late January 2022 that Janelle is leaning toward a split after seeing the positive impact that leaving Kody has had on Christine. “Janelle meant it when [she] said she would leave Kody,” the source told the publication. “It’s going to happen.”

They added: “She sees how happy Christine is now that she’s ‘free’ from Kody and is strongly considering separating from him too. Christine and Janelle are very close and they have conversations about it.”

Season 17 of Sister Wives has shown that Kody and Janelle are still struggling in their relationship. In one early Season 17 episode, they were (separately) discussing the fact that Kody wanted Garrison and Gabriel to move out of Janelle's house because of the ongoing beef they have with their dad about how he treats their mother.

"This is the most hilarious thing to me," Janelle laughed. "He's threatened this before. I'm like, 'Dude, you're not even on the lease. I am on the lease.'"

Janelle went on to explain that Garrison and Gabe have not been OK for quite some time with how Kody seems to spend the majority of his time and focus at Robyn's house. "They're very frustrated. They feel like there's been a real preference for a while," she said. "And so this thing with COVID now, where he's now at her house because she's willing to follow his rules. They are a little bit suspicious."

That's when Janelle assured viewers that her and Kody's marriage was fine.

"Kody and I have a good relationship. Like, it's struggling but I know what I need from Kody, and I communicate that to him, and he does a pretty good job meeting it," she shared. "What I have now is adequate; it works for me. But it doesn't look like Robyn's relationship with him."

In March 2022, reports came that Janelle is renting a new property for $2,000 per month in order to launch a retail business. This prompted further speculation that she could be taking steps toward becoming financially independent before leaving Kody for good.

It looks like fans will have to wait and see what Janelle ultimately decides about her relationship with Kody. If, like Christine, she does end up leaving him, odds are that both Janelle and Kody will make an official announcement on social media.

Watch Sister Wives on TLC and the Discovery Plus app.