‘Sister Wives’: Janelle Admits She’s ‘Crossing a Line’ With Kody

A new episode of Sister Wives aired on Sunday night, and it was once again heavy on drama, with Janelle admitting that she’s “crossing a line” with ex-husband Kody Brown. The current season was heavily filmed during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and amidst mass quarantining. In Sunday night’s episode, the family is having a discussion about what their protocols should be regarding testing and social distancing. 

This is all very important to Kody, as he is concerned about the risk they face with him going from house to house to visit his various wives and children. Very specifically, the topic is raised of Ysabel — Kody’s 17-year-old daughter with third wife Christine — returning to school to be with her friends for her senior year. “If that’s important to her, then I would do it,” Kody said, per ET. “Here’s the thing, everyone can do what they want, but I can’t be exposed to people. I can’t be going from house to house all the time.”

In a side interview, Janelle shared her feelings on the matter, saying, “I’m feeling really bad for Yssie, having to choose between her dad and her friends.” She added, “It frustrates me that Kody is making it so much like, ‘If you go to school, I can’t see you.’ Because I think that’s ridiculous.” She was then shown pushing back at Kody’s stance, saying to him, “I’m wondering, Kody, at what point are you feeling like you can have a normal life again? I mean, at what point is the infection rate going up? At what point is that point?”

Kody responded by shrugging and replying, “I’m worried about getting it and spreading it to someone else. I’m not worried about getting it, even though I have health goals I want to focus on and stuff like that.” In a confessional interview, Kody’s fourth wife Robyn indicated that she supports his position, saying, “In my head, Kody’s relationship with his kids is more important than anything else. I understand Ysabel’s desire to return to school, but I’m also really concerned about this. It’s something that I just find really, really stupid.” 

At this point, Janelle noted in a side interview that she knows she has been “crossing a line” by pushing back on Kody’s opinion. However, she added, “This just frustrates me so much that I can’t keep my mouth shut.” Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC, and is also available to stream on Discovery+.