Sister Wives' Janelle Brown has filmed the show for so many seasons that fans might
think they know everything about her. But it turns out there's more to this reality
star than what hits the airwaves. Here's the truth about wife number two, Janelle.
"You have to honor the idea that you are committed to this and you're gonna see it through,
thick or thin." Wife #2
Polygamous marriage defines a family as having more than one spouse, and for the Browns, that
means multiple wives for husband Kody. Janelle is actually Kody's second wife; Meri was his first,
later followed by third wife Christine, and fourth wife, Robyn. But just because
Janelle is Kody's second wife, that doesn't mean their relationship is second to anyone else's.
"We don't really use an order, but but y'know,
if you're questioning the order of how the family came together, she's, she's number two."
Janelle and Kody met in 1989 and became good friends. But after Janelle moved onto Kody's
family ranch in Wyoming, it didn't take long for the two to become something more. As TLC noted,
one day when Meri and Kody were visiting the ranch, they invited Janelle to stay with them
for a while at their home in Montana. It was there that sparks began to fly between Janelle and her
future husband. They started a relationship and got married a year later, in 1993.
Janelle and her family have tried their best to advocate for
and normalize the polygamist lifestyle on Sister Wives. But while they have won
over legions of fans, it's not so easy when it comes to the legal system.
"Anybody should be able to organize their family according to how they choose."
At the time that Janelle joined the Brown family, it was against the law for a man to marry two
women — and she was actually never legally wed to Kody Brown. In fact, it was just Meri who was the
wife on the official paperwork, and later Robyn. But Kody knew from the start that his marriage to
Janelle was never going to be legal in the eyes of the law. He revealed in an interview with Oprah,
"We weren't looking for the state to do that. This is strictly a family unit,
[and] we didn't feel like we needed that."
While Janelle was never legally bound to Kody, she was once married to someone else. As Radar Online
reported, she was previously wed to Adam Barber — who is actually Meri's own brother. The two
were only together for two years before Janelle would go on to start her family with the Browns.
Another typical aspect of plural culture involves raising a very big family. With multiple wives,
most of whom have several children, the Brown family is no exception.
In total they have 18 kids, according to In Touch, so it's no wonder the Browns
need large living quarters. And chances are their grocery bill is pretty hefty as well.
"We have to really be thinking about how much we buy and then also what everybody will eat."
But just how many of those kids are the offspring of Janelle and Kody? The couple
share six children together; Logan, Maddie, Hunter, Garrison, Gabriel, and Savannah.
And two of the bunch have officially linked up with partners, making the family even larger.
"I'm pretty attached to Michelle. I was getting a little bit worried that
Logan would let her slip away so I'm glad to see some commitment here."
Logan got engaged to his girlfriend, Michelle Petty, in 2017, and Maddie married her husband,
Caleb Brush, that same year. Given that Janelle and Kody's other children will likely get married
someday down the line, the Brown family looks like it will only continue to grow.
Though Janelle stars on a hit reality show and has a high-profile marriage, she was never chasing the
fame. Instead, she prioritizes her family over everything — and has made it clear that she wants
to instill good values in her children. It appears that would have been the case with or without
Sister Wives, since there's nothing more important to Janelle than raising her children well.
The reality star mom believes that good parenting can have a significant positive impact,
something she's spoken about in the past. She once said on the show,
"If we raise productive, contributing members of society who are moral and ethical,
that's our final goal. Whatever their path is."
"You're not getting married until you go to college, and you get yourself an education."
"I don't care what it is, but you're getting some sort of education."
As devoted fans have witnessed, Janelle has remained a constant support for her children
throughout the years, no matter what. Of course, life as a reality star has its benefits — but
for Janelle, it's all about the kids. If you've been a loyal fan of the show,
you know that the drama can get intense — especially among the ladies. But for the
most part, Janelle seems to have kept a level head throughout all of it. Perhaps that's because she's
already a grandmother, and she values that role more than creating drama or winning arguments.
"This is our little baby boy Axel and he is out cold."
Janelle was the first among the wives to become a grandmother, thanks to her daughter Maddie and
Maddie's husband, Caleb. As People reported, Maddie gave birth to the first Sister Wives
grandchild in May of 2017, when she ushered son Axel into the world. Two years later, the couple
welcomed their daughter, Evangelynne. According to TLC, little Evie was diagnosed with a rare genetic
disorder that impacted her development. She arrived with less than ten fingers, one less toe,
and minus several bones. One-year-old Evie underwent an amputation of her left foot in 2020,
and her family continues to shower her with love. Mom Maddie posted on Instagram,
"We want Evie to always feel pride in who she is, and all that God gave her!"
Janelle may be a successful reality star, but she still struggles with the same problems
many of the rest of us face. Most notably, she has struggled with body image issues — but in
a 2020 Facebook post, she explained she was done with that mindset. She wrote,
"For years I made excuses about going anywhere that required [a] swimsuit. I'm
a work in progress for sure but I missed out on so much fun through the years. No more!"
Janelle said that the more she was able to accept her body,
the more confident and appreciative of herself she became. She also shared a bit
of advice for anyone else struggling with their self-esteem, writing,
"So here is my yearly post about how to go to the beach. Put on your suit and go."
The decision to get married is a big one. But the decision to get married to a man who already
has a wife — and may want more — is an entirely different kettle of fish. But for Janelle, it
didn't take too much convincing for her to decide that living with sister wives actually sounded
pretty nice. She knew she'd be marrying the entire family, which is exactly what she wanted.
But this was a major life-change for Janelle, having not grown up in a plural family,
herself. But when she saw the plural life in action, she was intrigued.
"I had no idea there was even such a thing as polygamists. I mean,
I live here in an area where there's a lot. I had no idea. None."
She recalled on the show,
"I met Meri's family when I was 19. I actually met Kody a few years after that. I think I was 22
when I finally thought: 'Wow, Kody's a great guy. Maybe I'm okay with this plural marriage thing.'"
So far, the lifestyle seems to be working out very well for the Browns.
While her focus may be on raising her children, Janelle certainly
isn't limiting her ambitions to the confines of her home. She also has a passion for women's
health, launching her company, Strive with Janelle, in 2017. She explained on her site,
"When I began my own wellness journey five years ago,
I had reached a point where I knew I had to make a change. However,
once I took the first steps, I found that my life did change, but not in the expected way."
Apparently, Janelle was able to increase her quality of life in
ways she didn't even know had been suffering.
And all of this inspired Janelle to help others who might be struggling too. She said,
"I created Strive with Janelle, because I wanted to provide a community and
resources that empowered others that found themselves in a similar place."
"Strength is more than 'I'm strong.' Strength is the mental toughness that comes
when you push your body."
Janelle is a certified health coach and Strive with Janelle
is available for anyone to jump on board. Though Janelle clearly has a lot on her plate,
that hasn't stopped her from continuing her education. And she has pursued even
more learning opportunities in the health and wellness industry — even giving a new
kind of coaching certification a shot — which she shared on Instagram, posting,
"Just finished my first year in the Joyful Belly School of Ayurveda! I am very happy I
started working towards completing my basic Ayurveda Health Counselor certification."
But Janelle knew others could benefit from her knowledge as well. She wrote,
"I feel it has helped me immensely personally,
and has provided me with a lot of resources for my clients."
One of the most common questions asked of the stars of Sister Wives is whether
or not their children will eventually choose a plural lifestyle of their own.
But it appears that question has already been answered by Janelle's daughter, Maddie.
"I have something to tell you guys all first…."
As Janelle's oldest girl and the mother of her first two grandkids,
Maddie married Caleb Brush in 2017, calling him her true love. But it was Caleb who explained
that the couple had no desire to follow in Maddie's parents' footsteps, telling People,
"We are not living plural marriage. We support Maddie's family with their choice
of living plural marriage and they support us with our choice in just marrying each other."
But while they're blazing their own trail, Caleb did show his
in-laws respect by asking dad Kody for permission before popping the question.
"Above all else, no matter what, is to have a connection to God. And I think that'll take
them to where they need to be. If it's in plural marriage, wonderful. If it's not, that's ok too."
While Janelle has a definite passion for general wellness,
in 2020, she experienced a health scare of her own. In a Facebook post for Strive with Janelle,
the sister wife explained that she had a cancerous lesion removed from her face, adding,
"I've made a grown-up foray into the world of skin cancer. I think I wanted
to post because I was surprised how common basal cell carcinoma was."
Janelle admitted that she was initially afraid of having the lesion removed,
but later, she was very happy that she did. And even though this type of skin cancer
doesn't typically spread throughout the body, for her, the entire experience was a wake-up
call to pay better attention to her skin health. Even though she's part of an even larger family as
a sister wife, Janelle typically has her own home in which to raise her kids. The Sun reported that
the reality star and her children moved into a new home in Flagstaff, Arizona in May 2020,
where Janelle paid about $2,900 a month in rent. While the family looks forward to the
completion of their Coyote Pass housing complex, Janelle needed a space in which to spend her time.
According to the outlet, the house featured three bedrooms and three bathrooms, as well
as an updated kitchen with granite countertops and new appliances. Janelle's master bedroom
boasted walk-in closets as well as a spacious bathroom. While Kody split his time between
each of the Brown family households, Janelle settled in nicely — for 8 months. After that,
she was on to the next Flagstaff rental, which was much closer to the rest of the family.
In 2020, life in the United States changed drastically when the coronavirus pandemic
swept the globe. Stay-at-home orders quickly became the norm,
and social distancing and regular mask-wearing became a reality. For the Brown family,
that meant not being able to gather together as often as they would like, for the safety of
themselves and others. Janelle explained the family vibe, telling Us Weekly in April 2020,
"I really think it would have been easier to deal with being
quarantined if we were all under one roof because we're having to be so separate."
"Everybody's pretty worried about how contagious
the Covid virus is. So I suggested to Dad that he maybe not come over."
Like many other families across the country, the Browns had to adapt to the new normal,
which wasn't exactly a smooth transition. Janelle added,
"We have to limit family gatherings. If we were together our exposure would
be one less person going to the grocery store instead of
doing it for separate households. There would be more camaraderie."
But as the family continues to make it work despite the challenges, we're sure that the
Brown gang is strong enough to make it through anything, as long as they do it together.
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