Why Divorcing Kody Brown Left Sister Wives' Janelle Penniless

Making the decision to divorce Kody Brown proved to be a challenging one for Janelle Brown, particularly when it came to her financial situation. Having spent nearly three decades in their marriage and fully embracing plural life, Janelle found herself heavily intertwined with Kody and the rest of the Browns — especially financially. A significant blow to Janelle's budget was her investment in the infamous Coyote Pass property. 

Originally, the family envisioned building separate houses for each of the four wives, along with one for Kody, leading them to acquire an $820,000 plot of land in Arizona. Unfortunately, following Kody's three dramatic breakups, their initial plans fell through, and the property has remained untouched since the purchase. Despite no progress in development, the spacious 14 acres of land is a source of ongoing drama among the Browns.

"My name is on [the] property with everybody else, probably nobody will cooperate now and play ball. I can't believe I'm 50 and can't do my own thing 'cause I'm so tied up with them financially," Janelle explained on "Sister Wives" (via ET), adding, "I can't believe I got myself into this position. How dumb is that? I know better." Will her challenging financial situation, coupled with the weight of her investments, force the reality star to contemplate going back to Kody?

Once Kody and Janelle Brown called it quits for good, Janelle quickly became aware of the financial repercussions of her decision to leave the controversial polygamist. In a Season 18 episode of "Sister Wives," the mother of six revealed, "I have nothing financially. I am tied up in this property," (via The Sun). She elaborated on how she was financially bound to the Coyote Pass land because she invested everything she had in it.

According to The U.S. Sun, in June 2023, six months after Kody and Janelle announced their split, the former couple paid off the outstanding balance on the plot of land, including covering Robyn Brown's portion. Robyn is Kody's sole remaining sister wife and has long been considered his favorite by fans of the family's long-running reality show. 

Janelle may be questioning her financial decisions but at least she still co-owns the notorious Arizona plot with Kody. Christine Brown, on the other hand, completely severed ties with Kody when she sold her parcel to him and Robyn for a mere $10. Meanwhile, Meri Brown, the third sister wife to leave the family, had already paid off her own 4.48-acre piece of land.

Kody Brown has previously indicated his willingness to take back two of his estranged wives, including Janelle Brown. With Meri Brown seemingly completely out of the picture, Janelle might be his last hope of restoring a polygamous family unit. "I'm still looking for reconciliation with Janelle," Kody shared with People, adding, "We can find trust again and negotiate an agreement on that trust if we'll just work on it." 

Funnily enough, her financial difficulties could be the reason Janelle gets back together with him. While she has expressed being open to reuniting with the patriarch in the past, the reality star also clarified that it was only due to her strict religious beliefs about marriage being a lifelong commitment. If it were solely her decision, it's likely that Janelle would not choose to rekindle a romantic relationship with her former husband. 

This sentiment was highlighted in Season 18 of "Sister Wives," when Janelle stated, "I'm not at all interested in any other kind of relationship," (via ET). Despite co-owning the Coyote Pass property, Janelle doesn't seem inclined to return to her previous arrangement with Kody. It's highly probable she even won't utilize her portion of the land, given the possibility that Kody and Robyn Brown might still have plans for it in the future. That is unless Janelle rejoins their clan.