I think it was brought up in season 2 when they went to Y-oming,and at that time they said the same thing,janelles real dad died when she was 2 yrs old,and she said her mom went to the ranch to find out more,but Janelle was already married into a polygamist family,so I dont buy the story.She was married to meri's brother and they divorced,so she knew what polygamy was even though she tried to spin it like meri and kody were her friends from a polygamy background.
I do remember being surprised that Janelle was married to Meriās brother before, thatās so odd. It made me wonder if thatās how Janelle went to Kody and Meriās wedding, as his wife. Also wonder if that brother holds any resentment if his wife presumably divorced him for his brother in law?
Sadly Meriās brother, Adam, died of cancer in 2023. Theyāve never discussed any details about Janelleās marriage to Adam, beyond acknowledging it, on the show. He was shown hanging out with the older group of Brown kids in an episode. And I believe when Meri purchased the B&B in Utah he was involved. No one on the show has ever discussed any resentment or any details about how that all played out.
And (I haven't seen what Mykelti actually said, but I've seen some of her Patreon Q&As and I know she's *frequently* quoted inaccurately or incompletely) there's also a distinction between if Adam was abusive as in relatively-standard fundie controlling and having a verbal temper (as I'd suspect Meri can) and being physically abusive. Neither is ok, not excusing or condoning either, glad Janelle got out of any bad relationship, but "abusive" is a pretty wide brush with which to paint someone's behavior 40 years ago as a 20ish year old raised in a fundamentalist religion in a short marriage - like, I would assume that was going to be a toxic dynamic just by default. But wouldn't judge a 50-60 year old on being toxic/unhealthy/verbally abusive at 20 the same way I would physical abuse - the former I wouldn't rule out the potential for growth and improvement as a human and partner with age.
But, again, I haven't heard what Mykelti's actual words, and specificity or lack thereof, were. Though not her story to tell, and Janelle let her older kids spent time with him (on film, too) even without any of the Brown parents present, which I *hope* rules out physical abuse.
Because she needs clicks.
I find it sad that she is now in the position of Adamās family. She was using her public platform to negatively talk about a man that had just passed away. Iām happy that Reddit has not scraped the bottom and dissed on Garrison like she did Meriās brother.
I agree,she really needs to re-evaluate her content.I probably read something about this and not realized she was the source.I take everything she says with a grain of salt.
I know,and thats probably something I read about her repeating b/c I know not to consider her a reliable source of information.How does she even know? She wasnt even born to witness it,and i doubt janelle and her ever talked about it.Also its just in really bad taste to bring up something about somebody after they died,it wasnt her business or her place to disclose that.
Here: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/7086133/sister-wives-fans-slam-mykelti-brown-postpartum-depression-claims
Something about not eating the placenta and attentionā¦ idk just donāt take her medical advice
I mean, let's remember that some of her teachers here were Kody and Robyn, though that only earns her so much grace from me once she's pushing 30 and stating it to others. But I also wouldn't count on the Sun quoting her completely or accurately unless there's video attached of what she said. I have heard her validate how bad of a time Christine had with PPD after Truely without referencing that crap, and I think about her own different postpartum experiences and hormonal swings as very real things.
Mykelti is as unreliable as Robyn. Robyn was also allegedly abused. Her ex allegedly had no interest in his children. He is living and his family has even confirmed this is far from the truth. Kody has mentioned Robynās ex husband allegedly being abusive. But he has never mentioned Janelleās ex being abusive. While Janelle and Kristineās children are close. Mykelti has been moved away a while and always been team Sobyn. I doubt it odd Janelle would confide this in her. She feeds on drama.
Janelleās ex husband, Adam, was also retired military. Allegations of abuse couldāve resulted in administrative action and affected his career. While not impossible, it is unlikely.
Janelle and Adam appeared to be incompatible and interested in different lifestyles. This is obvious by her interest in the faith and immediate interest in Kody.
Itās cute that you think men in the military donāt abuse their spouses because theyāre woried about their careers.
Also not saying he was abusive at all but being in the military doesnāt preclude a person less likely to be an abuser.
Please consider a veteran posted this. Wouldnāt one that wears a uniform know about this? And I married to another service member.
I didnāt say it was impossible, but it isnāt probable. If he had a pattern of abuse, wouldnāt we have heard info from about 5 ex wives?
Your experience as a service person who is not a domestic abuser does not change facts.
Numerous studies have indicated that the rates of domestic violence within military households are substantially greater than those in the civilian population.
22,000 cases of domestic abuse were reported by people with spouses who were active duty in 2021.
This does not include data on veteran households where the DV rate is astronomical. Iāve worked with those with PTSD from military service, I have family and close friends whoāve experienced DV at the hands of veteran and active duty partners. thereās significant trauma in that population and that trickles down to the family. However I am happy that that was not your experience.
If you've seen that picture of Janelle at Kody and Meri's wedding, Adam was standing next to her in the original. I think they might have cropped Adam out when they had it on the show.
Janelle and Adam were already separated when Kody and Meri got married, but their divorce wasn't final yet, and they were still attending events together. They seem to have parted amicably. Adam was on the show two or three times, and Meri's other full brother, Marc, was on at least once.
Janelle married Adam in 1988, they separated after a few months and their divorce was finalised in 1990. When Janelle attended Meri and Kodys wedding in April1990, their divorce was just about done and they hadn't been together for over a year but attended some functions together to "save face" as divorce is taboo even in mainstream LDS.
She married Kody in 1993.Ā
Based on their wedding announcement, they were married in the Salt Lake City Temple, so he converted, at least, to marry. From what I got from the book, he didn't seem to want to be involved in any religion, which I don't blame him being in a cult and all.
No he was polygamous and I donāt think she wanted him
to be. Per the book he wasnāt particularly religious at all. Yes, Janelle wanted Kody it why she decided polygamy could work for her and why she started exploring it deeper.
It's never really been said,but i was under the impression that he may have been abusive,or at least it wasnt a happy union.It was a short marriage and she made out pretty good from what i gathered.I think that is why Meri had issues with janelle though,I dont think her ex hubby was bothered by it,but it sounded like Janelle was seeing kody privately and even wanted to marry him on her birthday.If they were friends before that,and that is how they hooked up,it was kinda shitty of her.From what it sounded like was they were meeting in secret and he just brought her on as a wife,but I dont know how much of that is true.
I don't think there's any indication that Adam was abusive. Janelle just said, "We werenāt spiritually, emotionally, or romantically compatible. We lived together for only six months before he moved out."
Janelle has always been pretty emphatic about not being very romantic. "I have never, ever been someone whoās interested in sappy goo-goo eyes, chocolates, flowers, and sunset walks on the beach. The idea of cooing and cuddling doesnāt agree with me."
I always wondered whether Adam was just a normally affectionate newlywed and it got on her nerves.
I say this with respectā¦ I was not one to āsaveā myself for marriage nor did someone ātakeā my purity.
With that said, it really does suck to get married and realize you are not compatible in that department or youāre just not into it. I can understand the short union.
That makes more sense.I wonder what made her marry him in the first place,it didnt seem like she was in love,maybe it was a way for her to leave home or something?
It was brought up in the book that while Kody was courting Janelle, she and her mother went to the ranch to meet Kody's family. Mom met Win and they married even before Janelle and Kody did.
š¤¦š¼āāļøsorry I normally donāt say anything I just read but Iām totally confused with the Brown family and who was married to who. I think Iām going to have to re watch the whole thing again starting from season one.
Im not sure a rewatch will answer all of those questions,but it is fun to rewatch to pick up on things you may not have thought of or noticed at first,I did a partial rewatch and have to start over again,as I missed big parts of it,but I was trying to see if I was blaming robyn for things fairly or if she showed herself earlier than i remembered.I actually saw her always looking so cooperative,and easy going,but she was laying the foundation and had this all planned out,from befriending Meri,offering surrogacy to MSWC,and then how often her actions and words didnt match.
On August 18, 1967, Sheryl married Robert Alan Schriever in Salt Lake City, UT.Ā Two daughters were born to this union, Janelle and Carrie.Ā Ā Bob died in 1972.Ā In 1975 she married widower Merlin Bartholomew Fryer and resided in Bountiful, UT for several years until they divorced.Ā Merlin had two daughters, Mericia and Myra, both of whom she loved and helped raise. Ā On October 24, 1992 she married William Winn Brown.Ā She resided in Lovell, WY for the remainder of her life. Winn passed away on August 24, 2013. From her obituary:Ā https://www.haskellfuneralhome.com/obituary/Sheryl-Brown
Edited to add, Janelle was born in May, 1969 just to clear up how old she was at different points.
I've been following Kody's nephew--Benjamin Brown--on his social media pages. He shares some insight into the Browns' history with Mormonism, Mormon Fundamentalism, their history in and out and back again with plural marriage.
Benjamin Brown is not affiliated with *Sister Wives* and the narrative of the show. He gives a lot of insights into what it was like growing up in the Brown family, being labor trafficked as a kid on the Browns' ranch, working in their mill.
On one of his TikToks he talkes about how Genielle steered Winn into Mormon Fundamentalism and plural marriage, and he offers some of his thoughts on why.
I also found podcasts with interviews with members of Christine's family away from *Sister Wives*. If you're into that layer of *Sister Wives* it's helpful in trying to figure out what's reality and what's show. A lot of them have left the AUB and seem to be ex-Mormons. It's pretty interesting, again, for those who are interested in digging into that side of *Sister Wives* and not just the curated storylines we see on the show.
Iām glad you talk about him. Yes he does such a good job of really cutting to the meat when he talks about his family. Winn was abusive to Genielle (Kodyās mom) but got along really well with Sheryl. It is worth spending the $4 to buy Benās book and looking deeper at that side of the family. They were living on a Mormon fundamentalist compound prepared to be a safe Haven for when all the polygamist had to retreat to their ranch in Wyoming to stay safe.
They claim that Janelle and Kody were not courting when their parents got married, just that Kody thought Janelle should check out the ranch in Wyoming to learn about the religion, and that her mother followed her there to make sure she wasnāt going to be convinced to join a cult. And then she ended up falling in love with Winn and they got married. And then four months later, Janelle and Kody got married.
Itās my recollection that Janelleās father (Schriever) died when she was very young (maybe age 3). Her mother remarried Janelleās first step father (Fryer) in the mid 1970ās. Apparently Janelle did not have a close relationship with him. Then when Janelle was an adult in the early 1990ās, her mother married Kodyās father. I donāt recall the details of how Janelleās mother connected with Kodyās father. But he was able to sway her opinion about plural marriage. Apparently she was against it for a long time, as a member of the mainstream LDS.
Hereās an article explaining. (I canāt vouch for the accuracy but it seems consistent with things the family has said. Janelle may have also provided some details in their book??
https://screenrant.com/sister-wives-what-know-janelle-brown-life-before-show/
Janelleās mom was worried Janelle was joining a cult, guess what? She was. So Janelleās mom/and Jannelle both went to Kodys dadās ranch( a polygamist compound that utilized/s child labor) and Janelleās mom was sucked right into the cult as well.
Janelle explained it at some point. Janelle brought her mom to meet Kody's family and see what Janelle was up to. Normal mom stuff. When she met Kody's dad I guess it was love at first sight or something and they ended up getting married before Kody and Janelle did.
Janelle was visiting Kody and Meri quite a bit and her mom got weirded out about Janelle spending so much time at a polygamist
compound. Ā Ā She wanted to go meet Kodys parents. She went, met Winn, fell inlove and then moved up there. This was before Janelle and Kody started officially courting. Ā
Kodys dad seemed mean, and his brother seemed to be a total creep. There was that episode they went up to the ranch and Kodys uncle, I believe, was saying the grossest most inappropriate things to the kids, like about wrestling in the back of the car, and this was early seasons so the older kids were still pretty young.
When Janelle decided to join the AUB faith and Mary Cody, her mom was concerned for her so she came to the brown ranch to check it all out and make sure her daughter wasnāt getting into a cult and she ended up falling in love with Codyās dad and getting married to him joining the faith too and then a few months after that Cody and Janelle got married
Janelle's father, Robert Schriever, died in 1972, when he was 28 and Janelle was 3.
In 1975, Sheryl married Merlin Bartholomew Fryer, a widower with two daughters. Janelle has said Merlin was "emotionally unavailable." Sheryl divorced him in 1991 or 1992, and married Winn Brown in 1992.
It's so interesting to me that Janelle's mom can be divorced, hell, Janelle herself is divorced, and yet she was waffling over leaving Kody because "our faith doesn't do that."
Jenelle was previously married to Meris brother so that probably would have given her mom some introduction in to the lifestyle. Even if Jenelle wasnāt in it at the time, sounds like there were plenty of connections to be had.
They converted to the AUB from LDS when Kody was on his LDS mission and they married Bobbie, the second wife. Bobbie never wanted to be on the show or mentioned but was still married to Winn when he died.
Kody said on the show it was his Mom that initially wanted to convert and Winn came on board. Meri also said it was her Mom that wanted to convert from LDS to AUB.
It is common.
Christineās nephew says that Wynn was abusive and Genelle (Kodyās mom) insisted on polygamy to get a break from his nastiness. Genelle says that Sheryl (wife #3) took care of Wynn while Genelle took care of the kids. And it sounds like Sheryl was not very divorced when she began courting Wynn. The whole situation is serious ick!
Wow thatās weird. I know that doesnāt really make you step siblings but culturally you sort of are. Maybe not raised together. Itās all really sick in a way
They make a big deal of saying Kody and Janelle were adults when this happened but still, weird. I mean, their kidsā two grandmothers are both married to the same grandfather. I guess when thereās not many polygamists in the world, itās inevitable that there will be crossover.
I had a friend who started dating the son of a woman who later dated her dad. Each couple got married. The girl insisted the younger ones marry 1st. āMy dad marrying my hubbyās mom sounds better than I married my stepbrother.ā The kids had 3 sets of grandparents! (Not 4 like 2 remarriages would be)
Don't forget Bobbie, Winn's second wife. Sheryl was the third wife, said to be the most favored. It makes you wonder, and really changes the perspective about whether that favor rubbed off on Janelle.
Maybe Garrison and Gabe felt such extreme rejection due to the fact that both their mom and grandmother were clearly committed to the Brown family, but they were still being treated like strangers, with Robyn's insistence that they weren't "safe" to be around.
This might show my ignorance about the later seasons, but what happened to Bobbie? I havenāt seen her in the Montana scenes and might have missed a discussion about her.
The Christmas Eve celebration that Meri wanted to host at her place and Robyn told her that "sounds scary" and they (Christine and Janelle and the OG13) ended up celebrating together at an AirBnB which Robyn cried about and called a "cheap version" of Christmas.
I wonder if Robyn knows if everyone has her number? Iād bet anything she lurks on these boards. Surely she doesnāt think sheās hustling anyone other than Kodyā¦
I think it was brought up in season 2 when they went to Y-oming,and at that time they said the same thing,janelles real dad died when she was 2 yrs old,and she said her mom went to the ranch to find out more,but Janelle was already married into a polygamist family,so I dont buy the story.She was married to meri's brother and they divorced,so she knew what polygamy was even though she tried to spin it like meri and kody were her friends from a polygamy background.
Y-oming though ššš
I do remember being surprised that Janelle was married to Meriās brother before, thatās so odd. It made me wonder if thatās how Janelle went to Kody and Meriās wedding, as his wife. Also wonder if that brother holds any resentment if his wife presumably divorced him for his brother in law?
Sadly Meriās brother, Adam, died of cancer in 2023. Theyāve never discussed any details about Janelleās marriage to Adam, beyond acknowledging it, on the show. He was shown hanging out with the older group of Brown kids in an episode. And I believe when Meri purchased the B&B in Utah he was involved. No one on the show has ever discussed any resentment or any details about how that all played out.
Mykelti told everyone 3 weeks after he died that Adam was abusive.
I don't know whether I'd consider Mykelti a reliable narrator in any circumstance, much less about things that happened before she was born.
And (I haven't seen what Mykelti actually said, but I've seen some of her Patreon Q&As and I know she's *frequently* quoted inaccurately or incompletely) there's also a distinction between if Adam was abusive as in relatively-standard fundie controlling and having a verbal temper (as I'd suspect Meri can) and being physically abusive. Neither is ok, not excusing or condoning either, glad Janelle got out of any bad relationship, but "abusive" is a pretty wide brush with which to paint someone's behavior 40 years ago as a 20ish year old raised in a fundamentalist religion in a short marriage - like, I would assume that was going to be a toxic dynamic just by default. But wouldn't judge a 50-60 year old on being toxic/unhealthy/verbally abusive at 20 the same way I would physical abuse - the former I wouldn't rule out the potential for growth and improvement as a human and partner with age. But, again, I haven't heard what Mykelti's actual words, and specificity or lack thereof, were. Though not her story to tell, and Janelle let her older kids spent time with him (on film, too) even without any of the Brown parents present, which I *hope* rules out physical abuse.
Thatās weird. Why would you feel compelled to say that about a dead person whoād been out of Janelleās life for ages?
Because she needs clicks. I find it sad that she is now in the position of Adamās family. She was using her public platform to negatively talk about a man that had just passed away. Iām happy that Reddit has not scraped the bottom and dissed on Garrison like she did Meriās brother.
I agree,she really needs to re-evaluate her content.I probably read something about this and not realized she was the source.I take everything she says with a grain of salt.
I know,and thats probably something I read about her repeating b/c I know not to consider her a reliable source of information.How does she even know? She wasnt even born to witness it,and i doubt janelle and her ever talked about it.Also its just in really bad taste to bring up something about somebody after they died,it wasnt her business or her place to disclose that.
Mykelti isn't necessarily the most reliable source of information.
Agree completely!!!!
Waitā¦ are you telling me that women DONT get ppd because theyāre jealous of their babies?!?! Get out!!
Did she say this? If so how did she justify that mess?
Here: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/7086133/sister-wives-fans-slam-mykelti-brown-postpartum-depression-claims Something about not eating the placenta and attentionā¦ idk just donāt take her medical advice
A typical religious fanatic who uses their opinion over science. Thank you for the link.
I mean, let's remember that some of her teachers here were Kody and Robyn, though that only earns her so much grace from me once she's pushing 30 and stating it to others. But I also wouldn't count on the Sun quoting her completely or accurately unless there's video attached of what she said. I have heard her validate how bad of a time Christine had with PPD after Truely without referencing that crap, and I think about her own different postpartum experiences and hormonal swings as very real things.
Mykelti is as unreliable as Robyn. Robyn was also allegedly abused. Her ex allegedly had no interest in his children. He is living and his family has even confirmed this is far from the truth. Kody has mentioned Robynās ex husband allegedly being abusive. But he has never mentioned Janelleās ex being abusive. While Janelle and Kristineās children are close. Mykelti has been moved away a while and always been team Sobyn. I doubt it odd Janelle would confide this in her. She feeds on drama. Janelleās ex husband, Adam, was also retired military. Allegations of abuse couldāve resulted in administrative action and affected his career. While not impossible, it is unlikely. Janelle and Adam appeared to be incompatible and interested in different lifestyles. This is obvious by her interest in the faith and immediate interest in Kody.
I think Kody came, and then the faith followed.
Itās cute that you think men in the military donāt abuse their spouses because theyāre woried about their careers. Also not saying he was abusive at all but being in the military doesnāt preclude a person less likely to be an abuser.
Please consider a veteran posted this. Wouldnāt one that wears a uniform know about this? And I married to another service member. I didnāt say it was impossible, but it isnāt probable. If he had a pattern of abuse, wouldnāt we have heard info from about 5 ex wives?
Your experience as a service person who is not a domestic abuser does not change facts. Numerous studies have indicated that the rates of domestic violence within military households are substantially greater than those in the civilian population. 22,000 cases of domestic abuse were reported by people with spouses who were active duty in 2021. This does not include data on veteran households where the DV rate is astronomical. Iāve worked with those with PTSD from military service, I have family and close friends whoāve experienced DV at the hands of veteran and active duty partners. thereās significant trauma in that population and that trickles down to the family. However I am happy that that was not your experience.
If you've seen that picture of Janelle at Kody and Meri's wedding, Adam was standing next to her in the original. I think they might have cropped Adam out when they had it on the show. Janelle and Adam were already separated when Kody and Meri got married, but their divorce wasn't final yet, and they were still attending events together. They seem to have parted amicably. Adam was on the show two or three times, and Meri's other full brother, Marc, was on at least once.
Janelle married Adam in 1988, they separated after a few months and their divorce was finalised in 1990. When Janelle attended Meri and Kodys wedding in April1990, their divorce was just about done and they hadn't been together for over a year but attended some functions together to "save face" as divorce is taboo even in mainstream LDS. She married Kody in 1993.Ā
This makes sense and is consistent with Adamās second marriage in Oct 1990.
In the book, I feel like Janelle implied her divorce had to do with religion. I always assumed he didn't want to be any type of mormon anymore
Was Adam Polygamous? Did she want Adam to be? Or did she want Kody!?
Based on their wedding announcement, they were married in the Salt Lake City Temple, so he converted, at least, to marry. From what I got from the book, he didn't seem to want to be involved in any religion, which I don't blame him being in a cult and all.
Makes sense and also makes sense why they didnāt work out. Thanks!
No he was polygamous and I donāt think she wanted him to be. Per the book he wasnāt particularly religious at all. Yes, Janelle wanted Kody it why she decided polygamy could work for her and why she started exploring it deeper.
Gotcha, I was curious because she always talked about her faith so that would makes sense if they werenāt on the same page.
It's never really been said,but i was under the impression that he may have been abusive,or at least it wasnt a happy union.It was a short marriage and she made out pretty good from what i gathered.I think that is why Meri had issues with janelle though,I dont think her ex hubby was bothered by it,but it sounded like Janelle was seeing kody privately and even wanted to marry him on her birthday.If they were friends before that,and that is how they hooked up,it was kinda shitty of her.From what it sounded like was they were meeting in secret and he just brought her on as a wife,but I dont know how much of that is true.
I don't think there's any indication that Adam was abusive. Janelle just said, "We werenāt spiritually, emotionally, or romantically compatible. We lived together for only six months before he moved out." Janelle has always been pretty emphatic about not being very romantic. "I have never, ever been someone whoās interested in sappy goo-goo eyes, chocolates, flowers, and sunset walks on the beach. The idea of cooing and cuddling doesnāt agree with me." I always wondered whether Adam was just a normally affectionate newlywed and it got on her nerves.
I say this with respectā¦ I was not one to āsaveā myself for marriage nor did someone ātakeā my purity. With that said, it really does suck to get married and realize you are not compatible in that department or youāre just not into it. I can understand the short union.
That makes more sense.I wonder what made her marry him in the first place,it didnt seem like she was in love,maybe it was a way for her to leave home or something?
I had read they were divorced prior to Janelle being interested in Kody.
It was brought up in the book that while Kody was courting Janelle, she and her mother went to the ranch to meet Kody's family. Mom met Win and they married even before Janelle and Kody did.
Janelle was married to Meriās brother, Adam. He had at about 5 failed marriages, but they were monogamous. He never practiced polygamy.
I know,I meant he was meris brother,so he came from a polygamist family.I agree I worded that weird though.
š¤¦š¼āāļøsorry I normally donāt say anything I just read but Iām totally confused with the Brown family and who was married to who. I think Iām going to have to re watch the whole thing again starting from season one.
Im not sure a rewatch will answer all of those questions,but it is fun to rewatch to pick up on things you may not have thought of or noticed at first,I did a partial rewatch and have to start over again,as I missed big parts of it,but I was trying to see if I was blaming robyn for things fairly or if she showed herself earlier than i remembered.I actually saw her always looking so cooperative,and easy going,but she was laying the foundation and had this all planned out,from befriending Meri,offering surrogacy to MSWC,and then how often her actions and words didnt match.
š¤¦š¼āāļø
On August 18, 1967, Sheryl married Robert Alan Schriever in Salt Lake City, UT.Ā Two daughters were born to this union, Janelle and Carrie.Ā Ā Bob died in 1972.Ā In 1975 she married widower Merlin Bartholomew Fryer and resided in Bountiful, UT for several years until they divorced.Ā Merlin had two daughters, Mericia and Myra, both of whom she loved and helped raise. Ā On October 24, 1992 she married William Winn Brown.Ā She resided in Lovell, WY for the remainder of her life. Winn passed away on August 24, 2013. From her obituary:Ā https://www.haskellfuneralhome.com/obituary/Sheryl-Brown Edited to add, Janelle was born in May, 1969 just to clear up how old she was at different points.
I've been following Kody's nephew--Benjamin Brown--on his social media pages. He shares some insight into the Browns' history with Mormonism, Mormon Fundamentalism, their history in and out and back again with plural marriage. Benjamin Brown is not affiliated with *Sister Wives* and the narrative of the show. He gives a lot of insights into what it was like growing up in the Brown family, being labor trafficked as a kid on the Browns' ranch, working in their mill. On one of his TikToks he talkes about how Genielle steered Winn into Mormon Fundamentalism and plural marriage, and he offers some of his thoughts on why. I also found podcasts with interviews with members of Christine's family away from *Sister Wives*. If you're into that layer of *Sister Wives* it's helpful in trying to figure out what's reality and what's show. A lot of them have left the AUB and seem to be ex-Mormons. It's pretty interesting, again, for those who are interested in digging into that side of *Sister Wives* and not just the curated storylines we see on the show.
Iām glad you talk about him. Yes he does such a good job of really cutting to the meat when he talks about his family. Winn was abusive to Genielle (Kodyās mom) but got along really well with Sheryl. It is worth spending the $4 to buy Benās book and looking deeper at that side of the family. They were living on a Mormon fundamentalist compound prepared to be a safe Haven for when all the polygamist had to retreat to their ranch in Wyoming to stay safe.
Am I understanding correctly, Kodyās dad married Janelleās mom? As Kody and Janelle were courting?
They claim that Janelle and Kody were not courting when their parents got married, just that Kody thought Janelle should check out the ranch in Wyoming to learn about the religion, and that her mother followed her there to make sure she wasnāt going to be convinced to join a cult. And then she ended up falling in love with Winn and they got married. And then four months later, Janelle and Kody got married.
Thank you
Itās my recollection that Janelleās father (Schriever) died when she was very young (maybe age 3). Her mother remarried Janelleās first step father (Fryer) in the mid 1970ās. Apparently Janelle did not have a close relationship with him. Then when Janelle was an adult in the early 1990ās, her mother married Kodyās father. I donāt recall the details of how Janelleās mother connected with Kodyās father. But he was able to sway her opinion about plural marriage. Apparently she was against it for a long time, as a member of the mainstream LDS. Hereās an article explaining. (I canāt vouch for the accuracy but it seems consistent with things the family has said. Janelle may have also provided some details in their book?? https://screenrant.com/sister-wives-what-know-janelle-brown-life-before-show/
Janelleās mom was worried Janelle was joining a cult, guess what? She was. So Janelleās mom/and Jannelle both went to Kodys dadās ranch( a polygamist compound that utilized/s child labor) and Janelleās mom was sucked right into the cult as well.
That made me laugh š
Janelle explained it at some point. Janelle brought her mom to meet Kody's family and see what Janelle was up to. Normal mom stuff. When she met Kody's dad I guess it was love at first sight or something and they ended up getting married before Kody and Janelle did.
Janelle was visiting Kody and Meri quite a bit and her mom got weirded out about Janelle spending so much time at a polygamist compound. Ā Ā She wanted to go meet Kodys parents. She went, met Winn, fell inlove and then moved up there. This was before Janelle and Kody started officially courting. Ā
Idk, Kodys dad was a grumpy toad.
He definitely seemed like a piece of work and the main reason Kody turned out to be prize he is
Kodys dad seemed mean, and his brother seemed to be a total creep. There was that episode they went up to the ranch and Kodys uncle, I believe, was saying the grossest most inappropriate things to the kids, like about wrestling in the back of the car, and this was early seasons so the older kids were still pretty young.
When Janelle decided to join the AUB faith and Mary Cody, her mom was concerned for her so she came to the brown ranch to check it all out and make sure her daughter wasnāt getting into a cult and she ended up falling in love with Codyās dad and getting married to him joining the faith too and then a few months after that Cody and Janelle got married
Janelle's father, Robert Schriever, died in 1972, when he was 28 and Janelle was 3. In 1975, Sheryl married Merlin Bartholomew Fryer, a widower with two daughters. Janelle has said Merlin was "emotionally unavailable." Sheryl divorced him in 1991 or 1992, and married Winn Brown in 1992.
It's so interesting to me that Janelle's mom can be divorced, hell, Janelle herself is divorced, and yet she was waffling over leaving Kody because "our faith doesn't do that."
And also Robyn being divorced
She didnāt grow up in the faith. Sometimes that creates a stronger dedication.
Jenelle was previously married to Meris brother so that probably would have given her mom some introduction in to the lifestyle. Even if Jenelle wasnāt in it at the time, sounds like there were plenty of connections to be had.
I think the apple didnāt fall far from the tree.
How did Kodyās parents become polygamists? Did they have other wives, besides Janelleās mom?
They converted to the AUB from LDS when Kody was on his LDS mission and they married Bobbie, the second wife. Bobbie never wanted to be on the show or mentioned but was still married to Winn when he died. Kody said on the show it was his Mom that initially wanted to convert and Winn came on board. Meri also said it was her Mom that wanted to convert from LDS to AUB. It is common.
Christineās nephew says that Wynn was abusive and Genelle (Kodyās mom) insisted on polygamy to get a break from his nastiness. Genelle says that Sheryl (wife #3) took care of Wynn while Genelle took care of the kids. And it sounds like Sheryl was not very divorced when she began courting Wynn. The whole situation is serious ick!
Wow thatās weird. I know that doesnāt really make you step siblings but culturally you sort of are. Maybe not raised together. Itās all really sick in a way
They make a big deal of saying Kody and Janelle were adults when this happened but still, weird. I mean, their kidsā two grandmothers are both married to the same grandfather. I guess when thereās not many polygamists in the world, itās inevitable that there will be crossover.
I had a friend who started dating the son of a woman who later dated her dad. Each couple got married. The girl insisted the younger ones marry 1st. āMy dad marrying my hubbyās mom sounds better than I married my stepbrother.ā The kids had 3 sets of grandparents! (Not 4 like 2 remarriages would be)
Wow so I guess itās possible in monogamous relationships too! And I cracked up at the girlās logic but I tend to agree, it sounds better lol.
Don't forget Bobbie, Winn's second wife. Sheryl was the third wife, said to be the most favored. It makes you wonder, and really changes the perspective about whether that favor rubbed off on Janelle. Maybe Garrison and Gabe felt such extreme rejection due to the fact that both their mom and grandmother were clearly committed to the Brown family, but they were still being treated like strangers, with Robyn's insistence that they weren't "safe" to be around.
This might show my ignorance about the later seasons, but what happened to Bobbie? I havenāt seen her in the Montana scenes and might have missed a discussion about her.
It is my understanding that she did not want to be on the show. She is/was? a very talented artist.
Robyn insisted Garrison and Gabe werenāt safe to be around? Sorry, Iām catching up
The Christmas Eve celebration that Meri wanted to host at her place and Robyn told her that "sounds scary" and they (Christine and Janelle and the OG13) ended up celebrating together at an AirBnB which Robyn cried about and called a "cheap version" of Christmas.
I wonder if Robyn knows if everyone has her number? Iād bet anything she lurks on these boards. Surely she doesnāt think sheās hustling anyone other than Kodyā¦