"My mom came to save me" - Sister Wives' Janelle shares how her mother protected her from polygamy before she met Kody

Janelle Brown, star of Sister Wives, described how her mother played a direct role in her early experiences with polygamy before she formally met Kody Brown. Janelle explained,

"My mom came to save me and ended up marrying Kody's dad. And that's it."

She shared these details during Season 20, Episode 10, while talking to friends about her initial exposure to the polygamist lifestyle and her family’s involvement.

Janelle discussed the timeline of her introduction to polygamy and her mother’s response before she joined Kody’s family.

Introduction to polygamy

Janelle​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ described how she first thought about polygamy when she was at the end of high school.

She said that it was in that time that she came across the idea of polygamy as a possible "option" for her life.

She said that initially most of her exposure was through friends who were polygamous or talked about polygamy at their socializing, and that she would sometimes discuss it at ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌parties.

She also stated,

"For a long time, I just had my token polygamous friends that were party, something I would talk about at parties."

Janelle added that she approached the topic spiritually, explaining that she engaged in prayer and felt that following polygamy was her "life path."

Regarding her early interactions with Kody, she noted that she had not yet fully considered polygamy but was "intrigued" by him. 

Family intervention

Janelle described her mother’s response to her potential involvement with polygamy. She said, "My mom's like, 'oh, heck no.' Heck no, heck no, heck no.'" She explained,

"My mom came to save me from the polygamist, because no daughter of hers was going to marry some into some crazy cult."

Janelle​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ additionally mentioned that her mom tied the knot with Kody's dad even before Janelle got married, and that their marriage happened three months prior to hers and Kody's.

Afterwards, she recounted how the family reacted to the happenings in that order, narrating that it was a difficult time for her and her family when her mother and Kody's dad decided to get married.

She mentioned that initially she thought it was a little weird and it was somewhat difficult to explain to others, but eventually, she came to terms with it and got used to the new ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌family.

Experiences within the family

Janelle explained that wives have a role in decisions regarding new members joining the family. She said,

"The wives always have a say. If somebody is going to come into the family, it's not like the husband comes home and says, hey, here's my new wife. That would never fly. No, no, no, no, no."

Janelle​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ shared that the family had thought of different women joining the household before her and that there was actually a candidate "before" her, but she didn't end up marrying the person.

She referred to her kids as adults and "independent," which implied that they were mature enough and didn't depend on her for daily care or support anymore.

Janelle said that since her children were grown, she had a new kind of freedom which allowed her to make trips and do other things with her friends.

She pointed out that she was able to go anywhere she wanted such as Hawaii or New Orleans on a whim, even if some of the arrangements had to be done ahead of ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌time.

Janelle also shared that she felt her lifestyle allowed for more personal flexibility, stating in a confessional,

"I kind of want to get back to finding that person in there who used to be a little more spontaneous."

Stay tuned for more updates.