'Sister Wives' family tree gets totally weird as exes Janelle and Kody Brown turn out to be 'related'

This is spectacularly strange.
UPDATED DEC 9, 2024
'Sister Wives' star Janelle Brown recalls her mother, Sheryl, being married to Kody Brown's father (TLC)
'Sister Wives' star Janelle Brown recalls her mother, Sheryl, being married to Kody Brown's father (TLC)

Janelle Brown is reflecting on the events leading up to her wedding to now ex-husband Kody Brown. Janelle came to Utah with her daughter Maddie Brush in the episode of 'Sister Wives' to assist Christine Brown in selecting a wedding gown for her wedding to David Woolley.

Naturally, Janelle reminisced about her past marriage to Kody. "My mom was at the wedding because she came to save me from the polygamist and ended up marrying Kody's dad three months before we got married. So my mom was obviously OK with it, but the rest of my family was really not OK with it. So they didn't, they didn't come."

Janelle Brown reflects on her intimate life with Kody Brown (tlc)
'Sister Wives' star Janelle Brown and ex-Kody Brown are step-siblings (@tlc)

How did Sheryl and William Winn Brown meet?

Sheryl, Janelle's mother, was worried that she would be married to more than one person while Kody was wooing her. Similarly, as a mother, she felt obligated to learn more before she could be comfortable with Janelle's second marriage.

But as soon as she arrived at the Brown family property, fireworks broke out. Even before Kody and Janelle exchanged nuptials, Sheryl adopted the lifestyle of William Winn Brown.

'Sister Wives' Janelle discusses the union in a 2013 episode.

'Sister Wives' Kody Brown's father, William Winn Brown, was married to Jenelle Brown's mother (TLC)
'Sister Wives' Kody Brown's father, William Winn Brown, was married to Jenelle Brown's mother (TLC)

Exes Kody and Janelle Brown are step-siblings

Kody's parents, William and Genielle Brown, did not begin living a polygamous lifestyle until he was a teenager. William had two marriages in addition to Genielle, but his son's four wives finally outdid him.

Sheryl, Bobbie Brown, and Genielle were William's three wives. Since Sheryl is the mother of Kody's wife, Janelle, the 'Sister Wives' cast members are both spiritual spouses and stepsiblings.

'Sister Wives' star Janelle Brown and her ex-husband  Kody Brown (TLC)
'Sister Wives' star Janelle Brown and her ex-husband Kody Brown are step-siblings (TLC)

Brown family has a complicated family tree

Unquestionably, the 'Sister Wives' Brown family tree is a little complicated. The immediate Brown family was huge, with Kody marrying four women.

Furthermore, they each have children with Kody. Besides, Kody's father and Janelle's mother were married. Undoubtedly, the family's history is fascinating.

The Browns were a close-knit family, but they also had some intriguing relationships. In addition to having several marriages with three other women, Kody and Janelle also share a deeper degree of relationship.

Although the immediate Kody family is the main focus of 'Sister Wives', the parents are mentioned. However, there is an additional twist to the family history: before entering the multiple marriages, Janelle was married to Adam Barber, Meri Brown's brother.

Interestingly, Janelle and Adam got married in 1988 but split in 1990. Kody and Janelle were spiritually married from 1993 to 2022.

'Sister Wives' stars Kody and Brown are reported to be actively hunting for a new sister wife. (Instagram/@robyn_browns_nest)
'Sister Wives' revolves around the enarmous Brown family (Instagram/@robyn_browns_nest)

'Sister Wives' Season 19 airs on Sundays at 10 PM ET on TLC

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