Janelle’s ‘Rejecting’ Me for Christine

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‘Sister Wives’ Recap: Kody Brown Says He’s ‘Begging’ Janelle for a ‘Closer’ Relationship — But She’s ‘Rejecting’ Him for Christine

Putting in the work? Kody Brown claimed that Janelle Brown has been siding with estranged wife Christine Brown amid their divorce — and he isn’t happy about it.

“I’ve always wanted my wives to have close relationships,” Kody, 53, said during the Sunday, November 20, episode of Sister Wives.

He then claimed: “I’m begging Janelle for a closer relationship.” The patriarch confessed that following his split from Christine, 50, he “feels like [Janelle’s] rejecting that and just choosing to have one with Christine.”

The Wyoming native legally married Meri Brown in 1990. He entered into a spiritual union with Janelle, 53, in 1993, and spiritually wed Christine the following year. Robyn Brown joined the family in 2010.

Four years later, Kody divorced Meri, 51, so he could legally wed Robyn, 43, and adopt her children from a previous marriage. Christine shook up the family in November 2021 when she publicly announced that she and Kody had separated after more than 25 years together.

While Kody is still spiritually linked to Meri and Janelle — and legally married to Robyn — his relationships have continued to be tested after Christine uprooted her life and relocated to Utah post-split.

“Now the relationships [have] changed. We’ve said some very harsh things to Kody. Now it’s different,” Janelle told Christine on Sunday’s episode, referring to the fact that the two women are bonded beyond being sister wives. “Now it seems like we focus on the common experience and the kids.”

Christine argued that she thinks “it’s totally different” than what Janelle is describing. “I would consider you one of my best friends,” the Utah native said.

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The Cooking With Just Christine star later told the cameras that she doesn’t know “what label” to use for her and Janelle’s friendship. “It’s such a weird relationship to navigate,” she explained.

Janelle, for her part, revealed during a confessional that she’s being put in the middle and struggling to keep her feelings for Christine separate from Kody’s issues with his former spouse.

“I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t,” the TLC personality said.

Janelle also noted that her and Kody’s six children — Logan, 28, Madison, 27, Hunter, 25, Garrison, 24, Gabriel, 21, and Savannah, 17 — are also very close with Christine despite her exit from their plural family.

“Christine, like, all my kids remember all the history,” she told Christine at the time. “So, they’re struggling, too, to be in both worlds.” Christine insisted, “No one should be picking sides.”

Kody, on the other hand, told the cameras that the drama with Christine moving and Janelle living in an RV has caused even more pressure on their relationship.

“I’m in a very vulnerable place and if I cross a line, will she cross another line? And that sort of cynicism comes, I think, from unwinding 20 years in plural marriage and Christine leaving,” he said. “I don’t think Janelle or I are being honest or realistic in this relationship as we communicate with each other about this stuff.”

Sister Wives airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.

Scroll down to see the highlights from Sister Wives season 17, episode 11:

Credit: cty \\\Courtesy of Janelle Brown/Instagram

Janelle Doesn’t Want to Take Sides

“I was a little shocked at Kody’s behavior,” Janelle told the cameras after witnessing Kody go off on Christine during their family chat featured on the show one week prior. “He’s just angry.”

She confessed: “It’s been deep. He’s been sort of agitated and angry. Unfortunately, it all sort of came out. The timing seemed weird. I think he reached his [breaking] point.” Christine agreed, saying, “That was a mess. That was a terrible conversation.”

Meri, who was barely on Sunday’s episode, revealed during a confessional that she has mixed feelings about pursuing a relationship with Christine after she left the family. “Some days I’m really mad at Christine for giving up,” the reality star explained. “I don’t think that she’s a sister wife. I think that you have to be married to the same guy to be considered a sister wife.”

Janelle, meanwhile, admitted that she is having a hard time balancing her friendship with Christine and her relationship with Kody. “I am pulled in both directions,” she said. “I really want to be with Christine and her kids at the holidays.”

Credit: Courtesy of Christine Brown/Instagram

Christine Is ‘Open’ to Remarrying

“I’m open,” the mother of six — who shares son Paedon, 23, and daughters Aspyn, 27, Mykelti, 26, Gwendlyn, 20, Ysabel, 19, and Truely, 12, with Kody — told Janelle of whether she’d get married to someone else after her breakup.

Janelle once again showed how much she supports Christine, telling the cameras, “Well, what do you do when you’re 50 and healthy? You just can’t be alone for the rest of your life. … I hope she remarries. It’s a very long time to be alone.”

Christine revealed during her own confessional that it is “so hard moving on and feeling OK all the time.” She added: “I know I’m changing so much. And I know I’m breaking so many hearts.”

Credit: Justin Stephens/Discovery

Robyn Reflects on Her Breakdown

Robyn got emotional during Christine’s final family pow-wow, which fans saw on the November 13 episode, after Christine told her she wasn’t ready to have a real friendship with her — especially now that she was moving.

“I didn’t mean it like a cut and dry, ‘It’s over.’ That’s how it came across?” Christine asked Janelle on Sunday’s episode after reflecting on her comments toward Robyn. She later admitted: “I didn’t realize I wasn’t giving Robyn a chance. But I certainly never thought that I was being mean. I was so shocked at his aggression.”

Christine further revealed that it was “really hard” telling Robyn that she wasn’t ready for a friendship amid her divorce from Kody.

“I’ve asked her if she wants to have a relationship with me … and she said that she doesn’t want to have a relationship,” Robyn said during a confessional. “I am coming to terms with that.”

The mother of five, who shares Solomon, 11, and Ariella, 6, with Kody, and has three children from a prior marriage, noted that when she asked Christine about the future, she was asking for herself and for her children.

“That’s devastating. When I realized it [was also about her kids] when it was over, what I had said [was rough]. I don’t know how to fix that,” Christine said in a confessional.

Even after their uncomfortable interaction, Robyn told the cameras, “I am open and interested in a relationship with any of the kids or wives that want one. It’s what I’ve always wanted.”

Credit: Youtube/TLC

Mykelti Has Heart to Heart With Kody

Ahead of her mom’s move to Utah, Mykelti came to Arizona to help pack and visit her dad and Robyn, with whom she is very close. “Even though I know that I have 100 percent support from Mykelti, I also know she supports Robyn 100 percent,” Christine told the cameras.

Robyn, meanwhile, was “so glad” that Mykelti made time to see her and Kody while in town. “I want to make sure that — no matter what’s happening there — that we’re good,” she said before Mykelti reassured her that they were all good.

“It feels like everything’s affected my relationship with everybody, though,” Kody confessed to his daughter, who didn’t disagree.

The reality star later explained that he feels like he’s “always the bad cop” when it comes to parenting. “I know that I can’t s—t talk Christine to my kids. I don’t want to s—t talk her at all. Even though that’s my natural urge. That’s not fair,” Kody said. “In my brokenhearted state, the anger is just flowing here.”

While Kody tried to figure out how long Mykelti knew about Christine’s plans to leave him, she continued to side step the question. “I think the situation around it … it’s sad. It’s sad anytime any kind of family breaks up or separates,” Mykelti told Robyn and Kody.

The pregnant star, who is expecting baby No. 2 with husband Antonio Padron, later explained that despite her dad’s questioning, she has never felt like she was being forced to pick sides. “You’re my kids. I love you guys to pieces,” Robyn told Mykelti and Tony before they left for Christine’s house.

Credit: Youtube/TLC

Packing Up and Moving On

“Guess when we’re moving? In a week,” Christine told her and Kody’s youngest daughter, Truely, to which the preteen said, “I’m fine, I just didn’t expect it to go this fast.” Despite some hesitation from Truely, Christine continued to pack up her Arizona house and get ready to leave the state behind for good.

In addition to Mykelti coming to help, her daughter Gwendlyn came over to assist. “When my mom told me that she and [my] dad were divorcing, I was a little bit relieved to find out that she was finally getting out because it wasn’t a good relationship for her,” the college student said in a confessional. “Not to be a terrible child or anything, but I kind of felt like they should separate for a while. Like, even before we moved to Las Vegas.”

Christine’s girls managed to distract her from some of the emotions that came up while saying goodbye to her longtime home. “Her leaving this house is a really big door closing on a massive chapter of her life,” Mykelti explained, before making her mom go back through the house again to fully embrace what was happening.

“It’s bittersweet. The whole future is unknown. It’s hard to say goodbye to a house,” Christine told her daughters. “It’s a little scary. Very excited for my new adventure.”

Credit: Justin Stephens/Discovery

The Final Farewell

At Mykelti’s request, most of the family came over to Christine’s place the night before she was set to leave town for a last goodbye. While it was uncomfortable — and Meri wasn’t there — it helped her kids have some closure.

“I’m not in a good place here. This is such an awkward moment,” Kody said of the moment. “There is such a strike to all of my feelings, all the work that I’ve done for our family. It is way off course for me. It feels so demeaning. Bless Mykelti’s heart. I’m in this sort of weird place, where I’m, like, thinking I don’t want to see Christine ever again. I don’t want to think about her. I don’t want to be in this place again. I don’t want to deal with this at all.”

Janelle’s son Gabe was also there to help box up the house and noted how strange the goodbye felt for the family. “I’m not really sad about [my] dad and Christine breaking up. I’m really sad that Christine is moving,” he confessed. “I’m not going to sit here and blame her for doing it. If I was in her shoes, I would do the same.”

Meri, for her part, told the cameras, “The real reason why I was not there … I was out of town. And also, I don’t know how weird it would have been. Why be there and do some big goodbye?”

Kody, who came with Robyn and their kids, couldn’t hide his anger. “In my state of bitterness, I’m trying to box Christine in. I think she’s doing something wrong. She could’ve stayed here,” he said. “I’m in a really bad state of mind. I feel out of control.”

“At the end of this all, we are still a family. There’s no one to blame for any of this,” Mykelti told the group. “We should all be grateful that even through this we can remain a family.”

Christine, however, told the cameras that “none of us want to be here” but broke down before the group left her property. “I wouldn’t have asked for this. It was important for Mykelti. I certainly didn’t need it,” she said at the end of the episode. “It was worse than I thought it would’ve been. I think this was the worst goodbye that I’ve ever witnessed.”