Janelle Brown did not hear it from Kody Brown. The Sister Wives star says she learned that Kody and Robyn Brown were leaving the show from an email.
Janelle, 57, told PEOPLE in an interview published November 2 that the message was short and direct. “I actually got an email that they weren’t coming back, and I’m like, ‘Oh, wow. Okay,’” she said.
Season 21 is the first season without Kody, 57, and Robyn, 48. The episodes now focus on his ex-wives Janelle, Christine and Meri Brown.
No Contact Since Season 20
Janelle said she had not spoken to the couple in a long time. Their last time together was after the family sold the property in season 20.
“I don’t know anything about what’s going on in their lives,” she said. “And so yeah, I’m like, ‘Okay, I guess this is what we’re doing now.’”
She did not reach out after the news. She said she hopes they are doing okay. “I only know as much as you do probably, because I really only know them through what I hear from people.”
When PEOPLE asked if she deleted the email, her answer was brief. “I might have. I didn’t care.”
Janelle sounds calm, not angry. That fits a woman who has not heard from Kody in months.
“It Felt Like the End of an Era”
Janelle called the news the end of an era. She also sees a fresh start.
“I feel like going forward now, there’s so many beautiful things happening for all of us,” she said. “And I think it’s nice that we can focus on that and not so much all the conversations that were happening because of things that Kody would say.”
She said she told her children, and they were surprised. “Most of my children don’t really have a relationship with their father, so it was kind of just news really.”
Reactions in the Premiere
The women showed their shock on camera in the season premiere on TLC. Janelle said she was “flabbergasted.”
Christine, 54, said she did not know how to process it. “It’s just bizarre they’re done. I don’t know what it means. I have no idea.”
Meri, 55, said she was “actually surprised” to hear Kody and Robyn were not coming back.
Kody and Robyn still come up a lot in the early episodes. Janelle explained why. “We needed to make sure people understood why they weren’t there,” she said. She expects that to fade as the season goes on.
What She Thinks of Kody’s Apology Tour
At the end of season 20, Kody said he planned a “pilgrimage” to “apologize” to Janelle, Christine and Meri. The premiere showed those apologies.
Janelle does not think they were sincere. “I feel like the apology tour was, in the end, something he was trying to redeem himself with, and I don’t think it was necessarily that sincere because there’s been no contact since.”
The premiere ended with the three women coming together to sort through family photos. That image may say more about the new season than any email.
This interview did not include a response from Kody or Robyn.
How the Family Got Here
Christine ended her marriage to Kody in November 2021 after 25 years. Janelle split from him in December 2022 after nearly 30 years. Meri was the last to leave, in January 2023. Kody’s marriage to Robyn is the only one left.
Steve is the founder and editor of TVShowsRoom, covering the Real Housewives franchise, Below Deck, Vanderpump Rules, and Summer House. He oversees editorial direction and specializes in breaking news and season-to-season storyline analysis. Steve has covered the reality TV and Bravo landscape for six years and keeps a close eye on how each franchise evolves.
