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In part 2 of the Sister Wives One-on-One reunion, Kody Brown recounted when Janelle Brown left the family in 2001. Eight years into their marriage, Janelle had enough and packed up her kids to move in with her mom. Here’s everything we know about the first time Janelle left.
Why Janelle left the family in 2001
In the Sister Wives memoir Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage, Janelle revealed why she left the family the first time around. In the 2012 memoir, Janelle said that her first year with Kody and Meri Brown was the most challenging year of marriage for her. Meri and Janelle’s relationship as sister wives were more like “roommates” who tolerated each other.
When Christine Brown came into the family, the vibe became lighter. However, when Meri and Christine’s relationship became close, Janelle felt like the odd one out. Eight years into her marriage to Kody, she just gave birth to her fifth child, Gabriel Brown, in 2001 and suffered from severe postpartum depression. And after she and Meri had a massive fight, she decided to leave.
“I knew I was miserable, but had no idea how to fix the situation. I also had a particularly nast fight with Meri — one of the worst we’d ever had. I was at my breaking point. I couldn’t see a way out of my depressing. I told Kody that I was leaving. That night, I got in the car and drove to my mother’s house.”
Janelle Brown
Kody wasn’t taking Janelle’s struggles seriously
In the Sister Wives memoir, Kody came the next day to pick up Janelle from her mom’s house. He didn’t seem to understand Janelle’s struggles with postpartum depression.
“The next morning, Kody picked me up to run errands with him. While we were driving, he nonchalantly asked me, ‘So, are you better now?
His failure to understand how low I was felt like a slap in the face. Part of me wanted to scream and part of me wanted to laugh at his ignorance and his hopefulness that everything had become better overnight.”
Janelle Brown
Janelle took her five kids and moved in with her mom
Kody’s failure to recognize how deep Janelle’s depression was becoming too much for her. She needed a break from the family. “That afternoon, I bundled all the kids into the car and took them to my mom’s. I had reached rock bottom,” Janelle wrote.
Janelle didn’t want to move out because she wanted to continue to help the family grow financially. Also, to gain enlightenment, she wanted to grow spiritually by living plural marriage despite her suffering.
“However, after that fight with Meri, I’d had enough. My kids and I stayed with my mother for several months, until I found my own place. My job paid a decent salary, which allowed my to buy a better car, in addition to my own home. I started to build a life for myself apart from the sisterhood.”
Janelle Brown
Janelle liked her new individual identity
After living with her sister wives for eight years, Janelle felt the joys of her newfound independence. She no longer had to abide by Meri and Christine’s rules regarding parenting or housekeeping. She could also go back to school and even buy herself a car.
“I wanted my identity as an individual apart from the family and to achieve that, I needed my own house. I also knew that if I left out shared space, I woulnd’t be leaving the marriage or the family — Kody would have done anything he had to in order to keep us all connected in one hour of many.”
Soon after I got my own house I made on of the most important decision of my life — I went back to school and got a degree in accounting. Getting a degree changed my world. I didn’t realize how badly I’d wanted to do something like this. I felt personally and intellectually fulfilled.. I was also certain that my career would thrive. This sense that I was taking control of my life and my future gave me invaluable self-confidence.”
Janelle Brown
And Janelle grew as a person from the separation from her husband and her sister wives. “The separation did wonders for me. I was able to run my household as I wanted, not as my sister wives suggested,” Janelle revealed in the memoir.
In Part 1 of the Sister Wives One-on-One reunion episode, Janelle announced her separation from Kody. She said that they had been separated for “several months” by this point.
How to get help: In the U.S. and Canada, text the Crisis Text Line at 741741 to reach a crisis counselor for support.
New episodes of Sister Wives Season 17 air Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
