Sister Wives: Janelle Brown Calls Out Robyn Brown and Kody Brown for “Poor Parenting”
Janelle Brown is no longer holding back when it comes to her criticisms of her ex Kody Brown.
The Sister Wives star called out her former spouse and his only remaining wife Robyn Brown for how they raised their youngest daughter, Ariella Brown, 8, in a plural family.
“My kids from the very beginning knew that their dad was not going to always be there,” Janelle said of the six children she shares with Kody on the Sept. 29 episode of Sister Wives. “I always felt like Kody and Robyn mismanaged the situation with their children. He couldn’t be away for more than three or four days because Ari just gets so sad or whatever. I feel like that was poor parenting. Through all history of the family, the other kids did it and they’re fine. They’re well-adjusted adults.”
Kody explained that early into Ariella’s life, he struggled with leaving her for long periods of time due to her emotional response.
“Ariella was melting down,” the father of 18 recalled. “She grabs my leg and won’t let me leave. And I’m like, ‘Robyn I need you to drag her off me.’ And she says, ‘She’s expressing herself. You’re gonna have to take five minutes and let her do it.’ She’s just dragging along my leg screaming, ‘Don’t leave me, Daddy! Don’t leave me.’ And I’m like, ‘Gah lee, man, this is hard.’”
However, despite her daughter’s struggles, Robyn—who shares five with Kody—dismissed the idea that she kept Kody from his other wives at the time.
“She loves her dad. She wants to be around her dad. Yes,” Robyn agreed of Ariella, “But did it ever stop Kody from going to another mom’s home? No, it didn’t. I wouldn’t have allowed it.”
In the wake of Kody’s 2021 split from Christine Brown, 2022 split from Janelle, and 2023 split from Meri Brown, the exes are calling out the discrepancies between their past relationships with Kody and Robyn’s.
“With Robyn there was always a very separateness,” Janelle shared in her confessional. “My children were always scolded if they opened up Robyn’s fridge.”
As for Christine, who shares six children with Kody, she’s opened up about how Kody’s favored treatment of Robyn impacted the kids.
“My kids didn’t like going over there because they saw that Robyn and their dad were a couple and he wasn’t in our home,” she shared. “So they were frustrated.”
But while Kody is only married to Robyn these days, she’s struggled with the loss of her plural family.
“I’m going through a lot of mourning, loss and grieving of the relationships and dealing with some of my own situational depression from it,” she expressed. “It’s just so sad and I miss family members.”
Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
For more from the Brown family, read on.
Born May 21, 1994, Logan is the oldest son of Kody Brown and Janelle Brown. He is also the eldest child of 18 in Kody's entire brood.
After graduating with a master's degree in business administration from the University of Nevada in 2020, he married Michelle Petty two years later.
Aspyn is the oldest child of Kody and Christine Brown. She was born on March 14, 1995.
Also a University of Nevada alum, Aspyn tied the knot with Mitch Thompson in 2018.
Born on July 29, 1995, Leon is the only child of Kody and Meri Brown.
In 2020, Leon came out as transgender, sharing that they were previously "socialized as a girl."
"I was pretty young & unfortunately i grew up in a context that was incredibly gendered & restrictive," Leon—who also goes by "Leo"—wrote on Instagram. "and here’s the thing, i’m finally ready to share my favorite self with the world. and that self is incredibly genderqueer, trans, and unapologetic."
Leon married Audrey Kiss in 2020 at a Colorado courthouse wedding.
The second of Kody and Christine's children, Mykelti was born on June 9, 1996.
She married Antonio "Tony" Padron in 2016 in a wedding ceremony documented on Sister Wives. The couple are parents to daughter Avalon and twin sons Archer and Ace.
Janelle gave birth to Madison—her second child with Kody—on Nov. 3, 1995.
After studying at Utah State University, Madison married Caleb Brush in 2016. The pair share kids Axel, Evangalynn and Josephine.
Janelle and Kody welcomed Hunter—their third child together—on Feb. 9, 1997.
Hunter graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 2020, before studying nursing at Johns Hopkins University.
Kristine gave birth to her and Kody's third child together on Aug. 7, 1998.
Born Oct. 31, 1998, Garrison was Kody and Janelle's third youngest child together. He died on March 5, 2024 at age 25.
Dayton is the oldest child of Kody's fourth wife Robyn Brown from her past marriage with Preston Jessop. He was adopted into the family in 2015, five years after Robyn spiritually married Kody.
In 2014, Kody legally divorced his first wife Meri so he could marry Robyn and officially adopt Dayton as his son.
Nicknamed Gabe, the fifth child of Kody and Janelle was born on Oct. 11, 2001.
Kody and Christine welcomed their fourth child on Oct. 15, 2001.
Gwendlyn tied the knot with Beatriz Queiroz in 2023.
Aurora is the second oldest child of Robyn. She was legally adopted by Kody in 2015 after he married Robyn the prior year.
Kody and Christine welcomed their fifth child together on June 13, 2003.
Her struggles with scoliosis have been documented on Sister Wives.
Breanna is Robyn's third child from her marriage to Preston. After Robyn married Kody, Breanna and her older siblings were legally adopted into the family.
Kody and Janelle welcomed their youngest child together on Dec. 7, 2004. The exes reunited for Savanah's high school graduation in 2023.
Born on April 13, 2010, Truely is the youngest child of Kody and Christine.
Kody and Robyn welcomed their second youngest son on Oct. 27, 2011.
Born on Jan. 10, 2016, Ariella is the youngest daughter of Kody and Robyn. She is also the youngest child of 18 in the entire Brown family.