Sister Wives star Janelle Brown gave up on Kody Brown during season 18, after years of frustration, and trying to pick up the pieces must be such a grueling process. For years, Janelle hung in there, trying to believe in the uber-patriarch, whose devotion to Robyn was a thorn in Janelle’s side. All Janelle wanted was help with the kids and some affection, but Kody made her feel like she was asking for the moon and stars. As if the rejection wasn’t bad enough, he left Janelle with a slew of problems that time may not solve.
Sister Wives season 18 wasn’t easy for Janelle or anyone else. Kody was still close to Robyn Brown, his one legal wife, but his spiritual unions with his other three spouses were falling apart. He and Janelle got together way back in 1993, so they have a lot of history. Janelle had issues with Kody, as he seemed to leave her high and dry during the COVID-19 pandemic. She parented alone, and her kids weren’t happy about their father’s abdication from their lives. Yes, Janelle got used to taking care of things on her own, but Kody was her husband – he’s the father of her children. Kody really dropped the ball.
Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown Says She Has Money Problems
Did Kody Brown Leave Janelle Brown In Dire Straits?
Janelle’s never been rich. Some reality stars are, but according to her, the spiritual union with Kody left her with debts that she may have trouble paying off. For example, Janelle said that she had to take out a mortgage in order to cover her portion of the doomed Coyote Pass land development project.
Apparently, she didn’t have enough savings to cover the full amount that she owed, so she reached out to a financial institution and became a borrower. In hindsight, that wasn’t the best decision, as the family couldn’t get along well enough to make Kody’s Coyote Pass pipe dream a reality.
Janelle camped out on the land in her recreational vehicle. That was a sad end to a family dream. When the plural marriage imploded in season 18, it seemed like Janelle ended up with the least of everything. Onscreen, in the latest installment, she lived in a bare-bones rental with a tiny galley kitchen. Meanwhile, Robyn was living in a large house with a gorgeous living room and gourmet kitchen. Kody and Robyn had a wine fridge and all sorts of amenities.
Christine Brown thinks that Janelle stayed with Kody for so long because of money concerns. Yes, Janelle had to take out a mortgage, but Kody put his name on her patch of land too, as per Christine’s comments on the show. The first Brown wife to leave, Christine, said:
“I believe that’s the biggest reason why Janelle is staying with Kody is because she has nothing in her name… and the [Coyote Pass] property, Kody’s name is on every piece of property.”
In the past, Janelle went out to work, helping to support a family that grew to include 18 children. Like Kody, she was a family breadwinner, but that didn’t exactly pay off for her. She poured money into the Brown family, but it doesn’t seem like anything was set aside for her future. Of course, Kody, who’s all about Robyn, didn’t plan for Janelle’s financial future.
A lot of the focus on the family’s downfall is centered on feelings. Emotions are important, but there’s more going on here. When the unloved spouses decided to bail out, they were actually making sacrifices to do it. Janelle must have realized that she’d need to start over financially, and she’s currently 54. While she’s probably hopeful about the future, the sad fact of the matter is that Kody let her go without even caring about her money problems. That’s on top of not caring about her feelings.
There’s a real ruthlessness to Kody. He was so arrogant when Janelle opened up about her money problems. Instead of having empathy, he was remarkably snotty. He crassly told the world that Janelle had the:
same assets
as everyone else in the family. However, that doesn’t seem to be true. She wasn’t living particularly well onscreen in season 18. It seemed like she just couldn’t afford to. If she had the “same assets” as Kody and Robyn, how come she wasn’t living in a fancy house like theirs? Kody’s story really doesn’t add up, and it’s sketchy that he put his name on everyone’s Coyote Pass land (if that’s really true).
