Janelle Brown rescinds on a previous decision, and her joy now knows no bounds!
The “Sister Wives” star is sharing her new relationship status with anyone who cares to listen, over a year after she insisted she was not interested in any romance following the end of her marriage and relocation to North Carolina.
Janelle Brown and her ex-husband Kody Brown announced the end of their marriage in 2022 after nearly 30 years of being in a spiritual marriage, as she felt she outgrew Kody and realized she could lead a strong, independent life on her own.
The reality star hopped on Instagram to introduce her new beau to her teeming followers on Tuesday, August 18. In the caption, Janelle revealed that she has been dating her boyfriend, Pete, for a while, but very privately, acknowledging that some chapters do need to unfold quietly before they can be shared.
“I wasn’t looking. I certainly wasn’t expecting you. And somehow, you turned out to be exactly what I didn’t know I needed. And it has been pretty wonderful. Everyone, please meet Pete,” the reality star added.
Numerous fans were excited about the good news, including Janelle’s former sister wife, Christine Brown, who gushed about Pete and how good they looked together. As stated by PEOPLE, she proceeded to inform the public that their partners have something in common too, as they both work in construction.
The TLC Star’s Spiritual Marriage To Kody Brown Wrapped Up Nicely In January
While she became the second wife to leave their plural marriage with Kody, right after Christine in 2022, she finally closed that chapter with the family patriarch in January 2026. She revealed on an episode of “Sister Wives” that she had received a spiritual release from her marriage to Kody through their church.
Janelle was beyond pleased to flaunt the release papers in the episode, adding that it was an easy process, as she thought she was going to come back for multiple meetings, but now she is free.
In a 2025 interview, Janelle had declared that of all plans in her life at that moment, marriage or any romantic relationship was the least on the list. After the split from Kody, she jetted off to North Carolina to be closer to her daughter, Madison Brush, and her grandchildren.
Janelle Brown’s Entry Into The Plural Marriage Did Not Please A Former Sister Wife
The reality star married Kody in 1993 in a spiritual marriage, three years after he legally married Meri Brown. However, before the duo became sister wives, Meri and Janelle were actually sisters-in-law because the latter had married the former’s older brother and even attended Meri’s wedding to Kody.
Aside from the complicated family tie, Meri was also displeased at the decision of Janelle and Kody to tie the knot on her birthday, until Kody’s mother shut it down.
As noted by PEOPLE, Janelle had previously explained on the January 4 episode of “Sister Wives” that she met Meri’s older brother while she was a senior in high school, and they got married over a year later.
The union between Janelle and her ex-husband before Kody was actually short, but Meri was haunted by this when she learned Janelle was coming into her marriage with Kody.
According to her, “It was a tough thing to wrap my head around on multiple levels just because she had been married to my brother, you know? And so it was definitely a thing for me, for sure.”
The Mother-Of-Six Suggested A Pricey Solution For Putting Men Off Polygamy
Having witnessed the ups and downs of a plural marriage, the reality star suggested a realistic means to put off polygamy for good. As noted by The Blast, the TLC star argued that granting each wife legal rights to her husband’s assets could make plural marriage financially unattractive.
She reasoned that it was a smart way to solve the issue because few men would willingly divide their assets among four or five wives. Janelle confessed that Meri’s spiritual divorce actually emboldened her to pursue an end to her arrangement with Kody, and Meri had encouraged her through it all.
Both women also united to challenge Kody’s claim that he never truly loved the wives who left him. Janelle suggested that the family patriarch was gradually rewriting their decades-long history rather than taking the blame for his role in the marriage collapse, although his version of events did not matter.
Meri also urged Kody to take responsibility for his actions because while she wanted to save the marriage, she also recognized that their pairing had become unhealthy and needed to end.
Janelle Brown’s Fresh Start Began With A Look Into Her Plan For New Home In North Carolina
The media personality carried her fans along on the journey to putting down roots for her new home in North Carolina. As shared by The Blast, while the first look, which happened in 2024, looked untouched, she assured her fans that changes are coming.
She revealed her plans to preserve the acres in their natural state to maintain the land’s wild character and provide ample space for local wildlife. The property is connected to Taeda Farms, a venture she launched with her daughter Madison and son-in-law, Caleb Brush.
The family project is being developed as a flower farm with homesteading elements, noting that creating the farm will require plenty of hard work and learning. Janelle admitted that the process of transforming the land into something beautiful has been deeply rewarding.
Congratulations, Janelle Brown!
