Janelle Brown revealed she was just as “surprised” as fans to learn ex-husband Kody Brown and his wife, Robyn Brown, weren’t returning for season 21 of Sister Wives.
“I actually got an email that they weren’t coming back, and I’m like, ‘Oh, wow. OK,’” Janelle, 57, recalled in an interview with People published on Monday, November 2.
Janelle, who welcomed six children during her marriage to Kody, 57, admitted there wasn’t much love loss over their departure. (The exes share Logan, 32, Maddie, 30, Hunter, 29, Gabe, 25, Savanah, 21, and the late Garrison, who died in March 2024 at the age of 25.)
In fact, when asked whether she deleted the email Janelle played coy, replying, “I might have. I didn’t care.”
She further explained, “I haven’t talked to them since, well, since we were all together after we sold the property [in season 20], and I don’t know anything about what’s going on in their lives.”
After receiving the correspondence, Janelle recalled thinking, “‘OK, I guess this is what we’re doing now.’”
Janelle noted that some of her and Kody’s children were taken aback when she shared the news ahead of the season 21 premiere in October.
“They really were surprised,” she said. “But again, most of my children don’t really have a relationship with their father, so it was kind of just news really.”
Despite being distant from her ex following their December 2022 separation, Janelle confessed, “It felt like the end of an era.”
She pointed out, “But also too, I feel like going forward now, there’s so many beautiful things happening for all of us,” referring to her own story line and that of her former sister wives Christine Brown and Meri Brown.
“I think it’s nice that we can focus on that and not so much all [of] the conversations that were happening because of things that Kody would say,” Janelle explained.
The TLC personality has tried her best to look forward, revealing that she didn’t reach out to Kody or former sister wife Robyn, 48, about their exit but she wishes them well.
Janelle, Meri and Christine Brown. TLC
“I wondered about that, ‘I hope they’re going to be OK,’” Janelle added. “But from what I understand, I only know as much as you do probably, because I really only know them through what I hear from people, but yeah, it was a surprise.”
During the Sister Wives series premiere in 2010, Kody had three wives, Meri, 55, Janelle, and Christine, 54, whom he wed in 1990, 1993 and 1994, respectively. He was also courting fourth wife Robyn, whom he spiritually married in 2010 and legally wed in 2014.
In November 2021, the Brown family experienced a massive shakeup when Christine, who shares six children with Kody, announced her split from him. Janelle followed in December 2022, confirming they’d been separated for some time.
Meri announced in January 2023 that she and Kody were no longer married, while Robyn stayed committed to their spouse.
Fans were shocked in September when news broke that Kody and Robyn opted not to film season 21 of the hit reality show. The network revealed the casting update in the trailer for the current season.
“There has been a lot that’s happened,” Janelle said in the trailer. “I was flabbergasted, really, when I got the news.”
Sister Wives airs on TLC Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.