Sister Wives star Janelle Brown became the second wife in a plural marriage but her ability to earn also came along with her as well. Was she only there to be a worker bee? She felt like a visitor more so than a spouse. This is how she described the beginning of her marriage to Kody Brown.

The timeline goes back to when he only had one other wife, Meri Brown. The original Sister Wives couple planned to live the polygamous lifestyle. But as Janelle joined them, they had been alone in their marriage for a couple of years.

Sister Wives: Janelle Brown in Visitor Status

When Janelle joined this couple as a Sister Wives bride, she found the promise of polygamy didn’t live up to all she thought it might.

Much like the other wives, Kody Brown was the draw for Janelle Brown when it came to entering this family. But despite falling in love with him, romance was not her fate, at least not until many years passed by. The shared husband described her relationship with him as more like two buddies with a lot in common.

Meri Brown might look like the enterprising wife today. But for years Janelle Brown held top billing on that Sister Wives marque. When she first joined Kody and Meri to form the foundation for the Sister Wives’ future family, Janelle Brown earned a nice paycheck. By her admission, she certainly made enough to support herself even if she went solo.

So, she did just that for a while. Janelle gathered up her young children early on in her marriage and moved in with her mother. From there she got a place all her own. So what led her to this?

TLC Family Has Odd Beginnings…

For more than a decade, the Sister Wives series revealed many things that tainted the original picture of harmony presented early on by the family. When the first few seasons rolled out, the viewers saw Kody Brown pretty much established with Sister Wives brides.

He lived with three wives, Meri Brown, Janelle Brown, and Christine Brown, for 16 years before taking on wife number four. His marriage to Robyn Brown was included in the first season of the TLC series.

But still, the picture offered by the Brown adults sounded wonderful at first. Even when the scenes on the Sister Wives show demonstrated something different, they said life was good and this was just a hiccup.

Not forcing. He says it to me more than I say it to him lol. But after the decades we have been married I can communicate to him what I need in any given moment 😊 https://t.co/IXBjkrI3Rv

— Janelle Brown (@JanelleBrown117) April 19, 2021

This left her very uncomfortable. Janelle described a frequent scene of all three watching TV. She sat alone. But this shared husband, along with the Sister Wives’ first wife, sat together on the couch.

They held hands under a blanket, to hide it from the newest bride. Kody made a rule not to show affection to one wife in front of the other to avoid jealousy. But from what Janelle said, they didn’t hide it well.

The tweet above seems to indicate that Janelle believes her dynamics with her husband changed at some point. But many Sister Wives viewers still don’t see her as a woman enjoying a romance with her husband even today.

All about Finances for the Brown’s?

Sister Wives’ adult family members pool their incomes. At the time it was only Kody and his first two wives, Janelle worked at a high-paying job. Her place of employment also offered her paid days off.

But Meri worked too, although if Meri took a day off she didn’t get paid. From what it sounds like, Janelle earned the lion’s share of the trio’s finances.

Kody worked as a salesman. So, this commission-based job wasn’t bringing home the steady money needed, according to Kody.

But his job would take him on trips away from home for days at a time. Meri would often accompany him on these trips. Janelle said she wasn’t asked. So, she stayed home and worked. But her co-wife would take the time off despite losing pay for those days.

Sister Wives: Picture of Janelle in the Early Days

As the years went by, the Sister Wives adults would drop little tidbits about their past. So a picture started to form looking different than Kody’s frequently used motto. You know the one, how love should be multiplied and not divided.

So, Janelle said she was unhappy during this earlier time frame. She often felt like only a visitor rather than a wife in their home. But she continued to add to the family finances. This must-have helped out big time.

Foundations are crumbling? 🙁 The Browns question everything they thought they knew. Don’t miss an explosive new season of #SisterWives, premiering Sunday, November 21 at 10/9c. pic.twitter.com/RzsDqZCMVJ

— TLC Network (@TLC) October 12, 2021

Also, Meri Brown did not treat Janelle Brown very well. This is according to Janelle, who wrote about it in a book years later. An example she gave started with her crying over her unhappiness. This caused her makeup to run down her face. Instead of comforting her co-wife, Janelle said Meri taunted her, making fun of the way she looked with smeared makeup.

Years later Meri confessed a disservice they did to Janelle Brown. Both she and Kody Brown introduced Janelle as “his sister” to friends. They never let her appear as Kody’s wife while out in public or with friends.

This second bride to join this family endured some awful treatment at times. Perhaps she also contributed more than her fair share to finances as well.

So, it seems the ladies in the Sister Wives brood didn’t necessarily have their needs met. But, instead, maybe they came into the family to fill a need within Kody’s grand plan.