Why ‘Sister Wives’ Star Janelle Brown Thinks Legalizing Polygamy Would ‘Make It Go Away’

Sister Wives star Janelle Brown is thriving while living a life away from plural marriage.

During the TLC show’s season 20 premiere, which aired Sunday, September 28, Janelle, 56, opened up about her move to North Carolina following her split from ex-husband Kody Brown.

“I love North Carolina. I never thought about it,” she confessed. “It wasn’t a state I ever thought about. … I have four seasons, all the things I need. I’ve been trying to kind of put myself in situations where I can meet people, [like] some of the community events. … Just trying to get my bearings.”

Janelle went on to reflect on ending her marriage to Kody, 56, in 2022 after more than 20 years. “When I married Kody, I really did feel a calling … and I don’t feel that pull anymore toward plural marriage,” she admitted.

When Janelle and Kody entered their spiritual union in 1993, he was already legally married to Meri Brown. Christine Brown joined the plural family in 1994. Two decades later, Kody divorced Meri, 54, so he could legally marry his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, and adopt her children. Along with Janelle, Meri and Christine, 53, have ended their spiritual relationships with Kody.

“I had sort of thought about a spiritual divorce a long time ago and didn’t even realize it was an option,” Janelle said in a confessional on Sunday. “And so when Meri got one, I’m like, ‘Oh. Hey, Meri, who do I call?’ So she has kind of been helping me get in touch with everybody.”

Janelle later claimed that “there would be so much benefit” to legalizing polygamy “and giving any wife a claim on her husband’s assets.”

She joked to the cameras, “I can bet you almost would make polygamy go away [that way] rather than chase it underground and put people in jail. Just make it about the financial. No guy’s gonna be giving part of his estate to four or five wives. It’s just not going to happen.”

During the season premiere, Janelle spoke to her daughter Maddie about the family’s Coyote Pass property, which Janelle referred to as “a pain in my ass.” Before Kody’s divorces, he and his wives bought land in Flagstaff, Arizona, with plans for the entire plural family to live together on the property. Following their breakups, Janelle, Meri and Christine were no longer interested in sharing the property.

“I don’t care how fast it sells,” Janelle said in Sunday’s episode. “I just want it resolved.”

News broke in April that the family sold Coyote Pass for $1.5 million. While filming the new season, Meri also expressed her frustration with the “ongoing” land dispute — as did Kody.

“Cleaning up Coyote Pass is not something that Meri and Janelle are going to do,” he told the cameras. “There’s a lot of stuff that was left behind by Janelle that she was using for the RV. [They] expect me to do all the cleanup on this place, but I’m not motivated to do that. Not for them. Because they haven’t been kind.”

Meri, for her part, admitted she felt like a scapegoat. “It feels like he’s trying to find any possible thing to put on me,” she claimed. “Like, as far as responsibility with the property, I’m just wanting to get it taken care of.”

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