The ‘Sister Wives’ star reveals all — from falling in love again to building a flower farm and shooting season 21 without Kody and Robyn Brown: “We’re sort of done with that era”

Getting to Taeda Farms in Chocowinity, North Carolina requires something many of us haven’t done in years: to follow directions provided by an actual person. The property is off the grid, even for Google Maps, so for the last mile of the trip, you’re on your own until you hit the landmark. By the time you spot it, you will have already driven past the narrow dirt road you were supposed to make a left onto. Just as you start wondering if you’re on the wrong dirt road, a white house comes into view. You’ve arrived at Janelle Brown’s “happy place.”

Janelle, 57, who’s been sharing her life as the second of four wives in ex Kody Brown’s plural marriage on TLC’s Sister Wives for the last 16 years, first revealed that she purchased the 156-acre plot of land in an Instagram post on December 2024. “Finally putting down some permanent roots. Doesn’t look like much yet but it will 💪🏻,” she captioned the photo of the undeveloped space. She spent the next two years building two houses on the land — one for her and one a bout 100 yards away for her daughter Madison Brush, son-in-law Caleb Brush and their three kids — a process she’s called “messy, emotional and one of the most exciting things I’ve done.”

Her address isn’t the only thing that’s new in her life. In August, Janelle sent fans into a frenzy when she hard launched a new relationship. “Some chapters are meant to unfold quietly before they’re shared,” Janelle captioned a selfie of her with a man, adding “I wasn’t looking. I certainly wasn’t expecting you. And somehow, you turned out to be exactly what I didn’t know I needed. And it has been pretty wonderful. Everyone please meet Pete.”

On Oct. 8th, four days after the premiere of season 21 of Sister Wives, Janelle sat down with PEOPLE to talk about filming without Kody and his current wife Robyn Brown, falling in love again and planting her future, one flower at a time.  

What’s been the best part so far of living in North Carolina?

Janelle Brown: I love where I live because people are so friendly. Here, the pace is slow. I feel like I almost stepped off a big busy train and I love it.

Do the people in town know they’re living amongst a television star?

JB: Nobody really cares. That’s what I love. I can go to Walmart with my messy hair and everything. I love that so much.

Your daughter and son-in-law live here as well. Who else is in the area? 

JB: So I have Maddie and Caleb and their children. They live here on the farm with me. And my youngest daughter, Savannah, moved here a couple of years ago and she’s finishing up her university years at [East Carolina University] ECU. And then Christine [Brown Woolley]’s son Paedon moved here a year and a half ago or so. And then Christine’s daughter Mykelti actually lives in Charlotte. So all the grandkids in the family live in North Carolina. So I keep telling Christine, I’m like, “You probably better get a place.” And she’s like, “Nah, we’re good.” She loves to come and play, but she doesn’t want to live here.

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How is the flower farm is coming along?

JB: We really had a learning curve this year, a lot of trial and error. We were slowed down because we had to wait for people to come and do some of the dirt work that we didn’t have equipment for. So we really got a very late start. And this year we decided we were going to just do a very small couple of beds of flowers just to sort of see how everything went. So I do have flowers this year, not very many, but next year should be a lot better, should be a lot bigger. We want a place where people can come and they can find peace and joy and just have some fun. I mean, come on, who doesn’t want to walk in the flowers or paint in the flowesr? I would. So we want it to be a place where people can come and stay and visit and just enjoy that and then maybe take home a couple of flowers too.

What made you want to return for another season of Sister Wives? 

JB: I actually love how many people I get to meet when I’m out in the public eye and they come up and they tell me their stories and they tell me how they’ve watched the show with their sisters or their mom. I like that they know who I am, because I can then ask them about their story and that’s what I love hearing.

How did you find out Kody and Robyn weren’t filming this season?

JB: I actually got an email that they weren’t coming back, and I’m like, “Oh, wow. Okay.” I haven’t talked to them since, well, since we were all together [in season 20] after we sold the property, and I don’t know anything about what’s going on in their lives. And so yeah, I’m like, “Okay, I guess this is what we’re doing now.”

What was it like to shoot without them?

JB: It felt like the end of an era, but also too, I feel like going forward now, there’s so many beautiful things happening for all of us. And I think it’s nice that we can focus on that and not so much all the conversations that were happening because of things that Kody would say.

Did you delete the email?

JB: I might have. I didn’t care.

So when you found out that they weren’t shooting, you didn’t reach out or anything?

JB: Oh no. When I got the email that they weren’t shooting, I’m like, “Wow.” And I’m like, “Well, I hope they’re okay.” I wondered about that. “I hope they’re going to be okay.” But from what I understand, I only know as much as you do probably, because I really only know them through what I hear from people, but yeah, it was a surprise.

Even though Kody and Robyn not in this season, they’re still getting a lot of airtime. You guys talked about them quite a bit in the first two episodes. 

JB: Well, I think that we needed to make sure people understood why they weren’t there. So I do think we had to kind of emphasize that in the first episode. I definitely think that goes away as the season progresses. But this is important, people have been watching the show for a long time and we needed to make sure that they understood that those two people were not going to be on their TV every night.

Some of the fans think they’re going to show up at some point this season. 

JB: No, no, no. I think we’re sort of done with that era.

Did you fire up the group chat with Christine and Meri [Brown], like, “Hi, gals…”

JB: I told the kids because that’s something that definitely they would need to know. [Janelle welcomed Logan, Madison, Hunter, Gabe, Savanah and the late Garrison with Kody.] The kids were surprised. They really were surprised. But again, most of my children don’t really have a relationship with their father, so it was kind of just news really.

I was going to ask you about that, where everybody stands.

JB: As far as I know, Kody doesn’t have a relationship with most of my children and most of Christine’s children. I think some of them might see him in passing, like if he comes to town, they might go to dinner. But I don’t think that’s very often and I don’t think there’s a lot of communication.

When you were talking about Kody in episode 2, you said he was a really good dad. Did you intentionally use the past tense?

JB: I don’t know if it was intentional. It was just I was thinking about how it looks. So he was a really good dad. His children, Maddie used to say his children were his soulmates because he was about the kids. Above all, that was his thing. And honestly, one of the reasons I stayed in the marriage as long as I did is I was so afraid to disrupt that relationship. I thought if I left, maybe it would mess up that relationship. But it’s so interesting how it just changed. It just changed and it’s been a heartbreaking thing really.

How have your children supported you through all the things you’ve been through?

JB: I mean, my children were all relieved when I left their father because they could see that it wasn’t a great relationship and they were like, “Okay, Mom, finally, it’s time for you to kind of do something for yourself.” So they were all really supportive. There was no problems. They were like, “Okay, good. Well, it’s about time,” some of them were saying.

So speaking of change, let’s talk about Pete. Did you realize that you were going to break the internet when you posted the picture?

JB: I had no idea that it would be such a big thing for people.

Why do you think people are just so happy for you?

JB: I don’t know. That’s why I thought, “I’m so surprised that the post did so well,” because it’s life changing. I really wasn’t looking. I was so completely happy with my life. I’ve just built this house, I’m building this farm. These are the things I’ve always wanted. And I just went on this random blind date and yeah, I don’t know, everything changed.

Everyone’s so curious about how you met him.

JB: Well, in the season, you’ll actually get to see that random blind date. So it was just one of those things — I didn’t expect it. I just went in thinking, “Okay, I’ll just go out with my friend,” who wanted to go out for the evening with two of her friends. And yeah, I had no idea. I had no idea. So I did not actually talk to Pete before we met for dinner. I didn’t even know what he looked like. I had no idea. It was truly a blind date.

What were you told about him?

JB: So my friend Alice has known him, and so she said to him, “Do you want to just come and do this dinner with this person on television?” And he’s like, “Yeah, fine. It’s whatever.” So he didn’t think anything. And I might have known his name, I didn’t see a picture of him. I didn’t know anything. My friend Alice told me she’d shown Pete a picture of me and said, “Don’t look her up. Don’t look up anything.” And he didn’t.

So the next night we all met up and had dinner at The Stratosphere, and unfortunately this wasn’t caught on camera, but Christine and I are talking, we’re all talking, Christine, David [Woolley], Pete and I. And Pete says, “Well, how do you guys know each other?” And everybody laughed, right? But it was the best thing ever for me because here’s this person, I’ve been in the public eye for 16 years, and here’s a person who doesn’t really have a preconceived idea about who I am. It was awesome. When I told my kids, they’re like, “That’s the best thing ever.” It won big brownie points that he just didn’t know.

Of all the ways you could have responded to that question, when you told him how you all knew each other, what did he say?

JB: So Christine said, “We were married to the same man.” And then I leaned over and I said, “At the same time.” And he’s like, “Oh, I think I knew, but I didn’t really know.” Because he’s like, “I don’t watch the show.”

Wow, that is really exciting. Well, tell us about him.

JB: When we were first talking, our relationship was all long distance. And when it looked like we were starting to get a little more serious, I’m like, “Okay, look, there’s this whole thing that comes along with my life partly.” And he’s like, “Look, it’s fine. It’s fine.” He’s just your average, nice guy. He doesn’t have any crazy things going on. He’s like, “Look, honey, I’m just going to go along with you, so it’s all good. Whatever.” He’s a good sport about it.

Did you manifest this somehow?

JB: I have no idea how he came. I wasn’t looking for him. I didn’t expect him. He is different from anybody I would’ve thought, but he’s exactly perfect for me. He really is.

How is he different?

JB: He doesn’t have a huge ego. He’s not high maintenance. He loves me so much, and I feel cherished as well as loved. And he wants to take care of me. He’s old-fashioned. He’s always opening up the door for me, and he’s always like, “I don’t want you to drive that far.” I’m like, “I’m fine, honey. I actually lived a pretty independent life for a lot of years. I’m good.” But he supports me. It’s amazing. My kids have met him now and they love him.

Because I know you’re still long distance, how are you making that work?

JB: So we try to not go more than two or three weeks without seeing each other. So he either comes here or I go to Vegas. But we’re working to try to fix that. Hopefully that’s fixed soon, but we’ll see. He’s a city kid, grew up in Long Island, never lived outside of the city. He lived in Vegas for a while. And when he first came, he’s like, “How far is your driveway?” And I said, “It’s a quarter mile on the dirt.” He’s like, “Okay.” And when we drove down it the first time, he’s like, “Wow, you weren’t kidding.” But I took him out to the flower beds and he actually even weeded with me. So I guess that must be love.

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That’s love. Weeding together is love, for sure. What’s your perfect date night?

JB: It’s so funny. We have this thing that has sort of accidentally evolved. We have a date day, we have a Sunday. And one day we just ended up at this little winery in Arizona and it was a Sunday and it was just this perfect day. So now on Sundays we try to do something fun. We went to the beach one day. He has family that lives in Maryland, so we went down to Annapolis. We like to try to have a day where we just go do whatever we want to do.

How does Pete feel about filming?

JB: So when Pete and I started to talk more, I said, “Look, you understand that my life is pretty public. There’s a whole big part of my life that’s public.” And he’s like, “That’s okay.” And I said, “Well, and you probably are going to need to come and be on episodes.” And he’s like, “Okay.” And then when he first came, I think it was all just so interesting for him. He just had never seen anything like it. So I think he’s curious. He’s like me, he’s always curious. He’s always wanting to know how things work, how things are new. And so he’s just been approaching it with this whole curiosity of like, “Oh, that’s interesting.”

Is he ready for the fame and all the scrutiny that comes with it? Have you prepared him for that?

JB: I did tell him, I said before I posted about us, I said, “Look, people have probably seen us out and about, but this is going to be a whole other level of scrutiny, a whole other level of people knowing who you are.” And he’s like, “Look, I’m not afraid.” That’s what he’s always like, it’s like, “I’m not afraid, honey. It’s all good.”

Has he been married previously or have children?

JB: Yeah. So Pete was married and he has one daughter who’s 28, so she’s right in line with my children’s ages. And I’ve met her, she’s wonderful. And she’s just happy that her dad is happy.

Has she seen the show?

JB: Yeah, she was aware of the show. And then it’s so funny for people, they start to talk about it and they don’t realize how many of their friends watch the show. And I think it’s been interesting for Pete’s family to realize how many people that they didn’t know watched the show. I didn’t know what to expect from Pete’s family, but everybody’s so accepting and wonderful.

Are you guys going to watch the show together?

JB: I have let him kind of preview the episodes he was in because I wanted to prepare him for what his friends and family were going to see. So he has seen them, but it’s not something he’s like, “Oh, I got to watch that. Will you show that to me?” He’s just like, “Oh, okay, that looks okay.”

So you did meet with a dating coach in episode 2, which I thought was really interesting. What made you want to shoot that part and share it with everyone?

JB: I really wasn’t interested in dating because I think the modern dating scene is terrifying. And I wanted to check in with somebody who didn’t know me, not family, not friends, and just check that the reason I wasn’t dating was truly because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t hiding from something or there was something I wasn’t wanting to face, just having that. Just doing a check that where I was was really where I wanted to be and there wasn’t some sort of reason I didn’t want to be dating. But it really was that I just wasn’t really interested in dating. But I felt like it was good to check in, like watch for your blind spots, right? You got to kind of watch for those blind spots that you don’t see. So sometimes going to talk to somebody who doesn’t know you is helpful.

That’s interesting. The coach said you want someone who adds to your life. What does Pete add?

JB: So when I saw the dating coach, that was the most interesting thing I took away, the idea that I could find somebody who added to my life. Because I feel like my previous relationship was so much me giving. There was not always a lot coming my direction. And that was fine. I knew what I had signed up for. But Pete… I guess one of the ways he does for me is when I am with him, my nervous system just chills. He’s like my rock. I feel so stable and protected and just like that everything’s going to be okay when he’s around, and it’s the most interesting experience.

That’s amazing. After so many years in your former relationship, what’s it like to be with one person and nobody else to share him with?

JB: It’s so funny, I remember after we’d been talking for a few weeks, I remember I texted my girlfriend, I’m like, “He remembers what I say. He remembers what I’m doing and he asks me about it and he tracks it.” I’m like, “Is that normal?” Because I’m not used to somebody remembering what I say to them, that I have this going on or this going on. And he would remember and he’d say something to me and I’m like, “You remembered?” It was just one of those random things that was so new for me, that somebody was paying attention like that. My friend’s like, “Well yeah, Janelle, that’s kind of baseline.” I’m like, “Oh wow, really?”

So what’s next for you guys?

JB: We’re working to get him to the East Coast, so that’s our next agenda. He’s like, “Honey, I know that this is your place so that you’re not going to be leaving.” For sure he’ll be coming East, just timeframe is the question.

You, [Christine and Meri] have said in interviews over the years that the reason you even did the show was to kind of redefine the narrative around different kinds of relationships. Do you think you accomplished it?

JB: I do feel like we did what we set out to do, which was to say, “Look, all relationships are normal or can be normal.” Look, and even the fact that our family has changed and we’ve left that marriage, that’s normal. That happens in every relationship. Everything that’s happened for us happens in everybody else’s relationships too. And that was the whole goal. We wanted to say, “Look, just because we’ve chosen something different doesn’t mean that we’re different. It just means that we have something different.”

Looking back, this is always a tough question, what would you have done differently, if anything?

JB: Yeah, that is a tough question. If I could have done anything different, I would’ve been a lot more outspoken. Yeah, I would’ve been a lot more outspoken.

You really got the reputation as the easygoing one, the peaceful one, chill.

Janelle Brown: Yeah. Which I am. But there’s some things now that I think about, I’m like, “Wow, I should have said something.” Because I don’t know, at the time, really, it was about trying to keep the waters calm because I knew that was the best way for us to raise the kids was to just make sure we were stable.

That makes sense. If you could go back and tell your 20-year-old self something, what advice would you give her?

JB: There was a lot of things that I think I wanted to do in my 20s, and I’m like, “Oh no, adults don’t do that.” I wanted to go back to school and become a veterinarian. There’s all these things. I wanted to get a Jeep and get a dog and go and move to Colorado. All these things that I’m like, “No, I’m too responsible. I’m too responsible.” That was pre-children. But I think with my kids, I wouldn’t have changed anything because I feel like we did the best we could to give them a really good upbringing, and they’ve all turned out pretty great, so I’m good with that.

On the show, your family, the children do seem really happy.

JB: Yeah, they are. The kids are really happy. They all have a very good relationship. There’s this whole text chain that we are not part of that they share everything on. So to me, it’s like they’ve become… The new core of the family to me is the kids. And it’s been an interesting evolution to watch because I never expected it. As parents, you always think you’re going to be the main part of the family, you’re going to be the ones who carry the torch. But I feel like now it’s the kids, this big group of kids who love each other and are in each other’s lives that carry the identity of the family. And now I get to be in orbit and enjoy that role.

Does watching all of them get along help mend a little bit of anything that’s happened in the past between you and Christine or Meri?

JB: I feel like we all recognize that what we did and all the things that we went through and all the ups and downs, it was okay. It wasn’t like I want to go back and say I wish we didn’t ever do it, because we succeeded. We succeeded. We have a family and our children are grown. They’ve all grown up. They’re all adjusted adults. They’re all productive members of society and it’s like, “Okay, we did okay. They love each other. We did okay.” So no matter how hard that was and no matter that we aren’t even a family really anymore, it was okay. It was all worth it.

I know that none of them have chosen to be in a polygamous marriage, but if somebody did say, “Actually, I’m re-watching the show and I think it looks great.”

JB: Yeah. I would be like, “Okay, well, we’re going to definitely have a lot of conversations about boundaries and speaking up for yourself and knowing what you want.”

Do you ever see yourself stopping filming or will you keep it going as long as they’ll have you?

JB: You know, I love the fact that I can share my life with so many people and that I get to have those connections with people that I meet. So I think whatever it feels like is the right course of action, that’s a decision that you just have to make day by day really, or even season by season, or who knows.

So you’ve shared so much of your life, but I have a feeling there’s so much more that you haven’t told. Is there a memoir coming one day?

JB: Everybody’s like, “You should write book.” I’m like, “I don’t think my story is done yet.” I couldn’t have anticipated Pete, and that would be a big part of my story now. So I don’t know, maybe someday. But I don’t feel like I’m that interesting. I don’t know. I just feel like I’m just living my life. But I mean there might be. Someday when everything has come to fruition and [the farm] is kind of coming to life, maybe. I want to wait until I get to a point where I’m like, “Okay, now I have a story to tell.”

How has your life sort of shifted now that you’re starting this new chapter here?

JB: I feel this new life that I have here, I feel so much more grounded, so much more rooted, and I feel so much more open for people to come be a part of my world through the show or through the farm. I want to continue to meet people and know people.

What do you hope your life looks like in 10 years?

JB: In 10 years I would still be here, but the farm will be up and receiving people and having a lot of fun and just flowers. Flowers, flowers, flowers.

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.

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