The Unusual Way Janelle And Kody Brown Met
The past few years have been a struggle for the "Sister Wives" stars. From fights regarding COVID-19 protocols to relationship struggles to sister wife Christine Brown leaving the family, the Brown family is currently working to move on to greener pastures as one unit. Though as the series shows, it hasn't been easy.
"Sister Wives" started airing on TLC in 2010, and it follows patriarch Kody Brown as he works on his relationships with his wives, Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, and Robyn Brown, and now ex-wife, Christine Brown. On the reality show, the family documents the trials and tribulations of a plural family with 18 kids, per In Touch Weekly. And the latest seasons of the show have been nothing but jaw-droppers, as they have chronicled the breakdown of Christine and Kody's relationship and her decision to leave the family.
But as Christine works to leave the family, rifts with Kody and his other wives have become more apparent. For example, Janelle and Kody come to terms with the fact they no longer know how to be "real" with each other about their relationship. Janelle also opens up to Kody, telling him that he no longer acts like a husband to her. Now, as Janelle and Kody chronicle their fight to repair their marriage, it has left fans wondering how the two ended up getting married in the first place.
How did Janelle and Kody Brown meet?
After Kody and Meri Brown tied the knot in 1990, they knew they would take on another wife. So when Kody met Janelle Brown, after a short courtship, the two tied the knot in 1993, and Janelle became his second wife.
But Janelle and Kody had an interesting connection before getting married. In fact, the two had briefly met before while Kody and Meri were still dating. At that moment, Janelle knew she had found her husband — even though she was already married to Adam Barber, Meri's brother. "I met Kody in the fall of 1989, even though he may not remember it," Janelle wrote in her show bio, via In Touch Weekly. "When he walked into the room, I looked at him and had that feeling of remembering something I had forgotten. It was a singular experience."
When Janelle first saw Kody, it was the right person, but the wrong time, as Janelle was married and Kody was courting Meri. Two years later, after first catching eyes with Kody, Janelle called off her marriage to Meri's brother. Kody and Janelle began their official courtship during her divorce, per Entertainment Tonight. One date and six weeks later, the two tied the knot, and Janelle was officially the second wife of Kody Brown.
Plural marriage was something Janelle Brown wanted before marrying Kody Brown
There was never a question about whether or not Janelle Brown would be in a plural marriage. Rather, the question was about when she would enter into one.
In fact, before becoming a sister wife to Kody Brown, Janelle had expected to be in a plural marriage when she married her first husband, Adam Barber. Though, Janelle soon realized she was more interested in plural marriage than he was. "My husband wasn't really interested in either his new faith or the branch of fundamentalism he'd been raised in," Janelle wrote in the 2012 memoir "Becoming Sister Wives," per Entertainment Tonight. "He had very little spiritual conviction. His family, however, fascinated me."
But it wasn't just her ex-husband's family — Meri Brown's family — that sparked Janelle's interest in plural marriage. That's because Janelle's own mom, Sheryl Brown, married Kody's dad, William Brown, per Us Weekly. "Before Kody and I were really courting, I was actually friends with his family," Janelle explained on the TLC series. "My mom was worried I was getting sucked into some polygamous cult. But she ended up meeting Kody's dad, and they ended up falling in love and getting married before Kody and I started courting."
While the situation may seem odd to some people, Janelle remarked in an episode of "Sister Wives" that this is the beauty of plural marriage and family. "Living in a plural marriage situation, versus monogamy, it really taught me a lot about the word commitment and the meaning of commitment," Janelle said.