Tragic Details About Sister Wives Star Janelle Brown

The following article includes mention of addiction and suicide.

Janelle Brown, the second of Kody Brown's four wives, has been gracing television screens for 19 seasons on TLC's hit show "Sister Wives." The polygamous Brown family opened their home to cameras in 2010, rocketing patriarch Kody, along with Janelle and sister wives Meri Brown, Christine Brown Woolley, and Robyn Brown, to reality television stardom. The unconventional household quickly became a source of entertainment and fascination for viewers, growing to have 18 children, multiple residences, and plenty of drama. Sadly, the last several years have chronicled the downfall of what once appeared to be a joyous and loving family, with three out of the four wives calling it quits on their plural marriage. Their departures have left Kody in a monogamous relationship with his newest spouse, Robyn, and opened the door for Meri, Janelle, and Christine to explore who they are outside of what they're now identifying to be a toxic dynamic that persisted for decades.

As the second wife to join the family after Kody's initial marriage to Meri, Janelle's spiritual union with the patriarch officially pushed the family into a plural lifestyle. The mother of six quickly positioned herself as an honest and outspoken mouthpiece for the family on "Sister Wives," often delivering difficult truths during show confessionals with an unapologetic air that gained the respect of fans nationwide. Despite Janelle's strong demeanor, she's grappled with difficult family circumstances for the majority of her adult life, the worst of which culminated in a tragic loss that would change the dynamic she has with her children forever. From a strained relationship with her mother, to strife with her former husbands and sister wives, she's had her fair share of things to overcome throughout the years.

Janelle Brown may be famous for plural marriage, but Kody Brown wasn't her first husband. In fact, she had a very different relationship with Meri Brown before they became sister wives: From 1988 to 1990, they were actually sisters-in-law. Janelle wed Adam Barber, Meri's brother, when she was 19 years old, and spoke of the union in the Brown family memoir "Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage." "Toward the end of high school, I met a student named Adam, with whom I was quite taken. I knew he wasn't Mormon, which meant we had no hope of being together — unless he converted," Janelle said in the New York Times bestseller. "Adam was not completely committed to his fundamentalist faith... Not long after he converted, we began courting. Soon we were married in the temple, but my husband wasn't really interested in either his new faith or the branch of fundamentalism he had been raised in. In fact, he had very little spiritual conviction."

Janelle maintains the marriage was not healthy, failing after a mere two years and only six months of living together, and sister wife Christine Brown Woolley's daughter, Mykelti Brown, made abuse allegations against Barber after receiving a question about Janelle and Meri's relationship. "So Janelle's first husband was abusive to her, so that's why she left him. And because, obviously, that was Meri's brother, then Janelle was around Meri and Dad a lot. I think what ended up happening is that she probably leaned on their shoulder for help," Mykelti revealed in a livestream on the Patreon she shares with husband Tony Padron (via YouTube). Janelle has not confirmed the abuse allegations, and Adam Barber died in 2023 at the age of 54.

Janelle Brown says her family was unsupportive of her marriage to Kody Brown. In fact, her mother was the only person in her family to attend their small wedding on January 17, 1993. "When Kody and I got married, my family was very upset with my decision to join the faith. So most of my family was not talking to me or associating with me," Janelle revealed in a "Sister Wives" Season 19 confessional. 

Despite the hurtful rejection from her family, Janelle did not take her conversion lightly. The Brown family belongs to a sect of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called the Apostolic United Brethren, and Janelle clarified that her commitment to the religion came before her union with Kody, not because of it. "After several months of investigation, I decided that it was for me. Before that, I had just put my interest in [Kody] in the back of my mind. After I had joined the faith, it became very apparent to me that what I'd been experiencing, how I'd been feeling towards Kody were stirrings that I did belong in his family. But I really couldn't process it until I had actually embraced the faith."  

In another bizarre Brown family connection, one that caused Janelle to become even more ostracized from the family she grew up with, her mother, Sheryl Usher, went on to marry Kody's father around the same time she wed Kody herself. "My mom was at the wedding because she came to save me from the polygamists and ended up marrying Kody's dad three months before we got married," Janelle explained. "But the rest of my family was really not OK with it. So they didn't come."

Kody Brown has been accused of having a favorite wife since bringing Robyn Brown into his large polygamous family as a fourth spouse back in 2010. It's a point he previously denied, but since his household's unraveling over the last few years, with all of his wives but Robyn choosing to leave their partnerships with him, another truth has come to light. "It's not about a favorite, it's about finding favor," he said during the third installment of the "Sister Wives: One on One" special.

Despite this ambiguous denial of favoritism, Kody eventually dropped the bombshell that Robyn is the only woman he's ever loved despite being married to Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, and Christine Brown Woolley for decades. "I was so anxious to be living the principle of plural marriage that I was not vetting who I was marrying to be compatible with me," Kody said in the same TLC special. "I fell in love with Robyn. I never fell in love with anybody else. I was just choosing to be in that covenant of love with them."

Kody also implied his desire for Janelle to be more like Robyn, calling her and sister wife Christine disloyal. "Do you want to find favor by being loyal to me and never allowing someone to trash talk me? Or do you want to sit here and be the one who is trash talking me?" Kody said , presumably referencing a time Janelle stood up to him. She was quick with a rebuttal, claiming her former husband's love was conditional. "Kiss the ring and then we'll be good," she snarked. "I thought I'd been loyal. I thought Christine had been loyal. But apparently, we're not loyal enough."

One of the disadvantages that polygamous wives face is that of legal protection, as it's only possible for the patriarch of the family to legally marry one of his wives, typically the first. Such was the case with the Browns, with Kody Brown's legal marriage being held by first wife Meri Brown until fourth wife Robyn Brown came into the picture. In a controversial decision that rocked the family to its core, Kody and Meri chose to legally divorce in 2014 so Robyn could hold the legal marriage, enabling Kody to adopt her children from a previous marriage. Kody then held spiritual unions with Meri, Janelle Brown, and Christine Brown Woolley. Without any kind of divorce settlement, Janelle was left with few financial options after tying up her funds in family purchases.

Janelle's finances were entangled with the rest of the family during the decades they spent making monetary decisions as a unit, particularly in the purchase of an $820,000 plot of land called Coyote Pass in Arizona –- now one the rest of the family has very little interest in developing. "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 revealed in an episode of "Sister Wives." "I can't believe I got myself into this position. How dumb is that? I know better." Despite the financial repercussions, the outspoken mom of six has made it clear that leaving Kody was the right decision for her, and she won't be looking back anytime soon. 

Janelle and Kody Brown's son Garrison Brown, one of the six children they have together, was found dead in his Flagstaff, Arizona home on March 25, 2024. Shortly after TMZ reported the death by suicide, Janelle confirmed with a statement that was jointly posted by Kody on Instagram. "Kody and I are deeply saddened to announce the loss of our beautiful boy Robert Garrison Brown. He was a bright spot in the lives of all who knew him. His loss will leave such a big hole in our lives that it takes our breath away. We ask that you please respect our privacy and join us in honoring his memory," she said.

Janelle spoke about her late son for a second time on Instagram to mark six months since his passing. "6 months ago today you went away. You come up in my photo memories almost every day. Sometimes it doesn't seem like you're gone. And then I remember I won't be getting a call or text from you and it all comes rushing back. I know you fought hard but in the end you just couldn't stay. I love you so much and will see you again when my journey is done." The caption accompanied a picture of the reality star laughing as Garrison kissed her cheek.

In another emotional milestone, Janelle made the difficult decision to sell Garrison's Arizona home during the fall of 2024. The four-bedroom house was listed for sale for $425,000 in September of 2024, only seven months after his death. But selling proved to be difficult, requiring a price cut of $35,000 in order to get the home under contract.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, is struggling or in crisis, contact the relevant resources below:

• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

• The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.