In a shocking confession, Sister Wives star Janelle Brown opens up about her past and it appears her family ties have crossed. She was previously married to her co-star, Meri’s brother, before Kody Brown.
Janelle Brown had a short-lived marriage to Meri’s co-star Janelle Adam’s brother in 1988, before divorcing in 1990. She said it “just wasn’t necessary” before marrying Kody Brown.
Janelle was married to Meri’s brother.
Janelle was previously married to Meri Brown’s brother, Adam Barber. The Sister Wives star married him in the Salt Lake City LDS Temple in 1988 and they lived together for six months.
Barber appeared on a few episodes of Sister Wives, chatting with Meri, but it was never mentioned on camera that he was once briefly married to Janelle.
In the Brown family’s 2012 book, Becoming Sister Wives, Janelle wrote that she met Adam in high school and was “quite taken” by him. At the time, she had been raised in the Mormon religion.
He later converted to the polygamous faith of the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB). Meri’s family was known to be polygamous, but Adam was not interested in the traditional LDS faith or the AUB.
Still, Adam was converted to the LDS Church by Janelle shortly before they got married. “Adam and I had problems from the beginning,” he wrote. “We were not compatible spiritually, emotionally or romantically.”
She met Kody Brown through Meri.
Janelle met Kody years after divorcing Meri’s brother in 1990. She stayed in touch with Adam’s family after the divorce due to her polygamous faith, which she began to investigate further.
Adam would marry several times after Janelle and eventually became the father of nine children. Sadly, he died in October 2023 after a cancer diagnosis.
“Meri’s mom was a great resource for me,” Janelle said on the Reality Life podcast. “I pretty much made the decision to join the faith… but I wasn’t at Meri’s house all the time. I was there from time to time.”
“I was there once when Kody came. I was intrigued by faith… [it] represented something more dynamic or something more robust than the [traditional LDS] faith that I had,” he added.
Janelle said she was also intrigued by Kody, who Meri was dating at the time. “When I met Kody in passing, Meri introduced us,” he said. “I said, ‘Oh,’ I kind of had a feeling. Like, ‘Oh, there you are.'”
She went on a double date with Meri and Kody.
Janelle said she had boyfriends after divorcing Adam and often went on double dates with Meri and Kody. “They were my symbolic polygamous friends. “I was 20 years old,” he said. “It felt great to have unique friends.”
When Meri and Kody got married, Janelle and her ex attended the wedding. Janelle eventually lost contact with Adam, but remained close to Meri and Kody, and suggested that she join the family.
Kody and Janelle eventually married in 1993, but she called it quits in 2022. She told Kate Casey’s Reality Life podcast: “I think we can safely say that both of my marriages were mistakes.”
If you or someone you know has been affected by this story, you can contact the Cancer Support Helpline, led by counselors and resource specialists, at 1-888-793-9355 or the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345.
In the UK, Cancer Research UK phone lines are open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday on 0808 800 4040, and Macmillan from 8am to 8pm daily on 0808 808 000.
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