Sister Wives Janelle Brown's Mother Married Kody Brown's Father Revealing Complex Family Ties

Janelle Brown and her former partner, Kody Brown, share a complex familial background.

The 56-year-old Janelle disclosed on the Sunday, November 30, episode of Sister Wives that her late mother, Sheryl Usher, had entered into a spiritual union with Winn Brown, Kody’s deceased father, prior to their respective passings.

“My mother initially arrived to rescue me from the polygamist lifestyle, believing no child of hers should join such an extreme group,” Janelle remembered. “Ironically, she ultimately married Kody’s father.”

Sheryl and Winn exchanged vows in October 1992. Winn had also been in spiritual marriages with two other women before his passing in 2013 at 78 years old. Sheryl passed away in 2020 at 76, several years after her husband. (Kody’s obituary entry for Sheryl identified him as both her stepson and son-in-law.)

“Initially, it felt a bit peculiar, but my reaction was, ‘Alright, this is wonderful. I have someone here with me,'” Janelle recounted concerning her mother’s union. “Many members of my family struggled to comprehend my decisions. They were reluctant to maintain communication with me, convinced I had completely lost my way.”

The Relationship Progression of Sister Wives’ Janelle Brown and Kody Brown

Janelle and Kody entered into marriage in January 1993. She became his second spouse, given Kody’s existing legal marriage to Meri Brown. (Additionally, Kody spiritually wed Christine Brown in 1994, and legally married Robyn Brown in 2014 following his separation from Meri.)

Over the course of their partnership, Janelle and Kody welcomed six children: Logan, 31, Madison, 30, Hunter, 28, Gabriel, 24, and Savanah, 20. Tragically, their son Garrison passed away by suicide at 25 years old in March 2024. (Kody also shares one child with Meri, six with Christine, and five with Robyn. After their legal marriage, Kody adopted Robyn’s three children from her previous relationship.)

In December 2022, Janelle disclosed during a revealing Sister Wives episode that she and Kody had been apart for “multiple months.” (Christine had ended her relationship with Kody the year before.)

“Janelle has conveyed quite plainly that she is content living her life independently of me,” Kody stated then.

On Sunday’s Sister Wives installment, Kody additionally addressed his dynamic with Janelle and its linkage to his paternal side.

Kody Brown’s Children Share Insights on Strained Connections With Their Father

“We have a peculiar connection within this situation,” he elucidated. “It’s unusual that Sheryl holds the roles of my father’s wife, my mother’s sister wife, and my mother-in-law simultaneously.”

Last year, Janelle had previously spoken about her mother’s marriage to Kody’s father on an earlier Sister Wives episode.

“In fact, I didn’t wear a wedding gown,” she recounted in December 2024. “When Kody and I exchanged vows, my family was deeply displeased with my choice to embrace the faith, leading most of them to cease communication or association with me.”

She further explained, “My mother attended the wedding, having initially arrived to deter me from polygamy, only to marry Kody’s father three months before our own ceremony. Consequently, my mother was clearly accepting, but the remainder of my family strongly disapproved. Therefore, they chose not to attend.”

Sister Wives is broadcast on TLC every Sunday at 10 p.m. ET.