In a sneak peek of the September 22 episode of Sister Wives, Janelle, 55, opens up about the tense situation regarding their Coyote Pass property in Arizona.
“If Kody’s not willing to buy me out … I’m going to have to do something with it,” Janelle candidly shares with her fellow sister wife Christine Brown during the episode. She admits that while there’s a need to settle the finances and pay off the Arizona property, Kody, 55, has been notably absent from those discussions. “He’s not talking to me about it,” she adds.
Frustrated with the lack of communication, Janelle hints that taking legal action might be her only way forward. “I think I’m going to have to lawyer up,” she says, expressing that it seems like the only way she’ll get any resolution. “That’s the only way I’m ever going to get any kind of decision out of him.”
The tension surrounding the Coyote Pass land dates back to when Kody’s third wife, Christine, 52, announced their separation in November 2021. At that time, Christine handed over her share of the family’s land in Arizona, a property initially intended to house five family homes. Since then, Christine has moved to Utah, keeping the profits from the sale of her previous home.
In December 2022, Janelle confirmed her own separation from Kody after 30 years together. Though they were never legally married, the couple had been in a spiritual union since 1992 and share six children. Their family suffered a tragedy earlier this year when their son Garrison, 25, died by suicide in March.
Meanwhile, Kody’s first wife, Meri Brown, announced her split from Kody in January 2023, leaving him legally married only to his fourth wife, Robyn Brown.
Throughout the family upheaval, the Coyote Pass property has remained a source of conflict for everyone involved. Janelle, however, revealed during the September 15 premiere of Sister Wives that she’s considering a big move — away from both the property and her past life with Kody. She’s been toying with the idea of relocating to Montana, where her eldest daughter, Maddie, 28, and her family are considering a big move to.
“What changed my mind [about the Arizona land] was when I went with Maddie to look in Montana and I’m like, ‘Oh, I could have this somewhere else,’” Janelle tells Christine during the upcoming episode.
Christine doesn’t hold back her opinion, calling it a “no-brainer” for Janelle to move to Montana rather than stay on Coyote Pass. She even raises the question of whether Kody, Robyn, or even Meri might still have plans to build homes on the property, adding, “Who knows, maybe Kody and Robyn. Maybe Meri’s going to have a house there too? No.”
While Janelle seems ready to leave both Kody and Arizona behind, the legal process is proving to be more complicated. She acknowledges that her lack of legal marriage to Kody makes it difficult to claim ownership of the land. “I really have no legal rights to make any kind of claim on Kody’s property. We’re not legally married,” she says. “It’s not like I’m just calling a lawyer and saying, ‘I need to divorce this person.’ No, it’s really complicated because there’s no legal marriage.”
Despite the legal hurdles, Janelle appears to be emotionally detached from her relationship with Kody. “He’s not talked to me for a very long time,” she admits, noting that the exes now communicate only through text. While she hasn’t explicitly said the words “it’s over,” she explains that they’ve reached a point where she doesn’t see him anymore. “He avoids me,” she adds.
With the land dispute still hanging in the balance and Janelle’s sights potentially set on Montana, it remains to be seen how this chapter of the Brown family saga will unfold.
