8 Signs Sister Wives Janelle Brown Is Leaving The Show Behind (She’s Establishing Herself In North Carolina)

Sister Wivesstar Janelle Brown has made her move away from Kody Brown, Robyn Brown, and the extended family in Flagstaff, but her new life in North Carolina could mean she’s ready to leave the show behind, too. Janelle’s time on Sister Wives has been a reflection of some of the most difficult years of her life, especially when it comes to love and family. Although she married Kody over 30 years ago, Janelle’s time with the patriarch of the Brown family has been more difficult in the last few years than it ever was in the past.

While Janelle, originally flanked by her fellow Sister Wives Christine Brown and Meri Brown before being joined by Robyn in 2010, has been a steadfast proponent of plural marriage through the years, leaving it behind didn’t seem too difficult. Throughout Janelle’s marriage to Kody, at least the years documented by Sister Wives, she was open about the fact that things weren’t always easy. As a matter of fact, things were often more difficult than she, Christine, or Meri felt they needed to be, especially in the later years of their marriages. Janelle’s hardships, unfortunately, grew stronger in recent years.

Though Janelle and Kody’s relationship had always been surprisingly easy for them, especially in terms of physical affection and emotional connection, it was clear for years that Kody had a stronger connection with Robyn than any of his original wives. While Janelle was living a more independent life in the early years Sister Wives filmed, being on her own while having to factor in surprise visits from her husband became difficult to manage. Kody, who was even less present during the COVID-19 pandemic, was sporadic with his schedule and favored Robyn, which left Janelle and the others on their own.

Janelle’s decision to leave Kody has been shown throughout the last few seasons of the show, and Sister Wives season 19 has proven that she’s happier on her own. After leaving her marriage to Kody behind, Janelle began to settle into herself as an independent person and decided that she wanted to spread her wings. Losing her son, Garrison Brown, in 2024 was difficult for the mother of six, and ultimately led her to move to North Carolina to be closer to her grandkids. With Janelle’s big move a major change, it’s possible Sister Wives could be her next departure.

Janelle's move to North Carolina indicates she's looking for a fresh start, and moving away from Sister Wives could make a similar statement.

8 Janelle Is Looking For A Fresh Start

She Wants To Refocus

As Janelle has become a different version of herself over the last few years, it's clear her old life doesn't fit her anymore. The Janelle that Sister Wives fans got to know was a strong woman, but she often put Kody and Robyn before herself, which led some viewers to feel she was a pushover. While Janelle can be conflict-avoidant at times, her persona on the show was more about her relationship to Kody and Robyn than about her actual personality. In reality, Janelle doesn't seem to have the time or energy for drama, so she chooses not to engage.

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Although Janelle has been depicted differently in the past, her persona on Sister Wives in the last few seasons has been crystal clear. Janelle's behavior has been more about starting over with a new outlook on life than anything else. After her marriage to Kody ended, it became obvious that Janelle was prioritizing her well-being over anyone else's. Janelle's move to North Carolina indicates she's looking for a fresh start, and moving away from Sister Wives could make a similar statement.

7 Janelle’s Marriage With Kody Is Finally Over

She’s Happier On Her Own

After years of dealing with Kody's difficult, defiant behavior, Janelle made the decision to separate from the Sister Wives patriarch. Taking some time away with a trial separation, Janelle and Kody didn't speak for months before finally getting together and trying to hash things out. While it was clear that Kody wanted to jump back into their relationship, Janelle was hesitant to do so before she had her own headspace ironed out. Instead, Janelle continued to have limited contact with Kody and tried to figure out what she wanted in her life.

When she finally realized that her marriage to Kody as she'd known it was over, Janelle began to move ahead quickly. Sharing with Kody more than once that she wasn't interested in getting back together, Janelle had to deal with some incessant pushing from the family patriarch that turned her off from him even further. Even in moments of Sister Wives season 19, Kody has been adamant that he wants to be with Janelle again. Rather than focusing on Kody's commentary, Janelle has moved on. This insistence, however, could be a reason to leave Sister Wives behind.

6 Janelle’s Dealing With Her Grief In A Productive Way

She’s Looking For New Opportunities

After choosing to end things with Kody, Janelle suffered a major tragedy in the loss of her son Garrison, who tragically took his life in 2024. Janelle's grief included Kody in moments but was more of a personal feeling for her as she moved through her time with her kids by her side. Janelle's grief over Garrison hasn't been easy by any means, nor does it seem like something that will ever come to an end, but she's been open about it to Sister Wives viewers.

With Janelle opening up about how hard it is to move on after something so tragic, she's been a pillar of strength for many Sister Wives viewers, even though the show hasn't touched on Garrison's death yet. With Janelle exhibiting her strength, it's clear that she's been able to translate her pain into something that's helped her move forward. Rather than sitting in her pain, Janelle has done a lot to make her life more meaningful, hoping to live for her son. With such a productive way of looking at grief, Janelle may find herself hoping to stay positive off-screen.

5 Janelle’s Business Ventures Are Diversifying

She’s Focused On Her Farm

Although Janelle has always been the most financial-minded of the women on Sister Wives, dealing with the Brown family's finances over the years as they moved around and invested in different business venture, it was clear that she was capable of doing so much more than balancing a family checkbook. Being an intelligent person in general, Janelle was always able to provide sound advice to her fellow sister wives and quick to share her own experiences on screen. That hasn't changed, but Janelle's circumstances have.

With Janelle moving into a new phase of her life where she's looking to do more for herself independently, she's been diversifying her portfolio in some interesting ways. After losing Garrison, Janelle appears to have taken stock of what's important to her in her life. One thing she's held dear since losing her son is gardening, which they liked to do together. This has pushed her to purchase her new farm, Taeda Farms, in North Carolina. Moving into a new business is bringing Janelle more happiness, but may not be something she wants to share on Sister Wives.

4 Janelle’s Lifestyle Is Changing

She’s Prioritizing New Things

Although Janelle is moving into an interesting new lifestyle in North Carolina with the purchase of her farm, it's clear that it's a lot different than how she's been living. Sister Wives, which has run since 2014 and documented the last decade-plus of the Brown family's lives, has been something that viewers have enjoyed in part because of how much growth the family has shown. While Janelle has been consistent throughout her time on the show, it's clear that she's changed in recent seasons, now even more than viewers have seen in the last few years.

Throughout Janelle's time on the show, she's been open about wanting to change her lifestyle. Hoping to prioritize her health and wellness in some seasons and relationships with her family in others, Janelle has been seeking some different things in the past seasons of Sister Wives. Now, with her divorce and the loss of Garrison bringing her to a completely new place, her lifestyle has changed again as she's realized how important it is to prioritize herself overall. This could mean she’s less inclined to share her life on screen.

3 Janelle’s Prioritizing Her 2025 Detox

She Wants To Be Better For Herself

Prior to 2025's start, Janelle revealed that she was going to be focusing on detoxing the negativity out of her life throughout the year in a few specific categories. Sharing on social media that she was interested in ensuring that this year was one she would never forget, Janelle made it clear that she was going to be doing everything possible to move through her life with intentionality. While it may not be easy, Janelle's committed to the idea that she's going to cultivate her own positive energy in 2025.

Focusing on her mental, physical, and spiritual self, Janelle has been open about the fact that her plans aren't going to be entirely pre-determined. Instead, she seems ready to move forward with her life in a way that allows her to honor the past without living in it entirely. As she's prioritizing her 2025 detox, Janelle may find herself uninterested in sharing how things are going on reality TV, especially when the show she's on features her particularly negative ex-husband.

2 Janelle’s Relationship With Christine Has Changed

Christine’s Marriage Created A Shift

After getting into a difficult argument that wound up being the catalyst for her divorce during Sister Wives season 18, Janelle opened up to Christine about her relationship with Kody and the difficulties she'd been facing in her marriage. While Janelle and Kody were still together, Christine and Kody had divorced in the previous season of the show, and Janelle opening up to Christine was both the right choice and a difficult one. While it was right for Janelle to share her feelings, Christine was still in a more difficult place emotionally and may have been more impartial.

Even so, Christine and Janelle bonding over their difficulties with Kody wasn't new, but their relationship grew exponentially as they supported one another through their splits. Eventually, it was clear to Sister Wives viewers that both of them were happy to have each other over anyone else, and both were thankful for the support. Christine and Janelle's relationship was strong but shifted when Christine began dating her now-husband David Woolley. With their relationship changing again, Janelle and Christine may not be as close with so much distance between them, which could see Janelle less interested in being on the show.

1 Janelle’s Ready For A Life Without Sister Wives

She’s Hoping To Keep Her Following

Although Janelle has been open on Sister Wives throughout the years, it may be time for her to bid the series a warm goodbye with how much has been changing in her life. Janelle has been open about the fact that she enjoys the show, but with her life moving away from the larger Brown family, she's no longer local to the main players on the series. Janelle's life in North Carolina is of interest, but she may not be interested in bringing the series into play in her new space.

Janelle has purposefully changed her life significantly in the last few years, opening herself up to new experiences and doing her best to ensure that she has what she needs to support herself emotionally, spiritually, and financially. Although Sister Wives has been a huge part of her life, it feels like it could be an appropriate time for Janelle to move forward without the show as a part of her life. Her time with Sister Wives has been helpful in building a following and sharing her story, but Janelle may be ready to move forward.

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on TLC.

Sources: Janelle Brown/InstagrammJanelle Brown/Instagram