<p id=”par-1_81″>Long-time <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/sister-wives/”><em>Sister Wives</em> </a>fans know that Janelle Brown was married to Meri Brown’s brother, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kody-brown-subtly-badmouthed-meri-browns-brother-in-sister-wives-tell-all-episode-while-defending-his-marriage-to-robyn-brown.html/”>Adam Barber</a>, for a short time in the 1980s. While the family essentially hid the fact during the show’s earlier season, the dissolution of their plural family has made everyone more honest and talkative. Meri addressed the marriage during an interview, noting <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/sister-wives-meri-brown-opens-up-about-kody-brown-rewriting-their-marital-history.html/”>it was “weird”</a> several months ago. Now, Janelle Brown is addressing her first marriage. She called the union a “starter marriage” during a recent appearance.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-janelle-brown-talks-about-her-first-marriage-for-the-first-time”>Janelle Brown talks about her first marriage for the first time</h2>
<p id=”par-2_61″>Janelle Brown has finally addressed her rarely-mentioned first marriage. During an appearance on <em><a target=”_blank” href=”https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-1135-janelle-brown-from-sister-wives/id1154758766?i=1000675718726″ rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Reality Life with Kate Casey, </a> </em>Janelle finally spoke openly about her short-lived marriage to Adam Barber, Meri Brown’s brother. During her chat with Casey, Janelle revealed that her marriage to Adam just didn’t “take.” She said they had only lived together for about six months before splitting up.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” fetchpriority=”high” width=”1200″ height=”671″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Janelle-Brown-Sister-Wives-TLC.png?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Janelle Brown sitting outside in a black jacket in ‘Sister Wives'” class=”wp-image-3638660″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Janelle Brown | TLC via YouTube </figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-3_58″>The marriage was long enough for Janelle to cozy up to the rest of the Barber family. She continued spending time with the group even as she navigated her separation from Adam. Janelle was on hand when Meri Brown introduced Kody to her family. She attended their wedding and was even spotted in Meri and Kody’s wedding photos.</p>
<p id=”par-4_47″>While Janelle and the rest of the Browns rarely discussed Adam, it appears he and Meri remained close until his death. Adam Barber died in October 2023 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Meri mourned the loss of her sibling on Instagram. Janelle didn’t acknowledge his passing.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-janelle-brown-doesn-t-consider-herself-divorced-from-kody-brown”>Janelle Brown doesn’t consider herself divorced from Kody Brown</h2>
<p id=”par-5_73″>Despite living separate lives, Janelle Brown doesn’t consider herself divorced from Kody Brown. The mother of six opened up about the end of her spiritual marriage to Kody multiple times since announcing <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/sister-wives-how-long-were-kody-and-janelle-brown-separated-before-they-announced-the-end-of-their-marriage.html/”>the end of their union</a>. While her former sister wife, Christine Brown, once theorized that Janelle wasn’t ready to “let go” of her longstanding relationship, Janelle insists that is not the case. So, why won’t she say she’s divorced from Kody?</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” width=”1200″ height=”567″ src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Janelle-and-Kody-Brown.jpg?strip=all&quality=89″ alt=”Janelle Brown and Kody Brown have a heated discussion in season 17 of ‘Sister Wives'” class=”wp-image-3561000″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Janelle Brown and Kody Brown | TLC/YouTube</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-6_89″>Janelle has always been seen as the most pragmatic member of the Brown family by <em>Sister Wives</em> fans. Her logical nature has kept her out of most of the family’s drama. That logical nature seems to be why she refuses to consider herself divorced from Kody. Janelle previously stated that she doesn’t see herself as divorced because she was never legally married to Kody. She posited that without a legal marriage, there can’t be a divorce. Instead, she tells people she’s “no longer with” her partner if they ask.</p>