Sister Wives Janelle Brown Granted Church-Approved Spiritual Release From Ex Kody Brown

Janelle Brown is officially closing a door that’s been open for nearly three decades—and she’s doing it on her own terms.

In an exclusive preview shared by PEOPLE ahead of the Sunday, Jan. 4 episode of Sister Wives, the 56-year-old reality star is shown receiving a formal “release,” the church-recognized equivalent of a divorce, from her former husband Kody Brown.

The decision was granted by leaders of the Apostolic United Brethren, the faith community where their plural marriage once held spiritual weight.

Holding the paperwork in her hands, Janelle doesn’t hide her relief.

“I have it,” she says in the clip. “That was easy. I thought I was going to have to come back for a second meeting. I am free. I am free. I am free. I am free.”

A Moment of Closure She Didn’t Expect

What she expected to be emotionally heavy turned out to be unexpectedly gentle. After meeting with church leaders, Janelle admits she wasn’t sure why she had been anxious in the first place.

“They were all very kind,” she says. “They’d granted me the release. So there was really kind of a shift in my energy, and I think maybe it must have really meant something deep down that I’m sort of not always paying attention to. So I’m glad I did this.”

The leaders also assured her that she wouldn’t need to be the one to reopen communication with her ex-husband. According to Janelle, they told her they would take care of “calling Kody and telling him what had happened.”

That moment of closure carried more emotional weight than she anticipated.

“As I was leaving, I just kind of felt free,” she explains. “I felt like a weight had lifted off me. So, somewhere in the back of my mind, this must have been more important than I realized to have this done.”

Reflecting on Nearly 30 Years of Marriage

Janelle and Kody officially separated in 2022 after a 29-year spiritual marriage—one that spanned most of her adult life. Looking back, she acknowledges the enormity of that chapter without bitterness.

“I was married to him longer than I was single,” she reflects. “You know, look, I don’t regret anything in the last 30 years. I love the family that we have, and I would do it all again in order to get the family and the kids that we have. [It] just is sort of like that chapter has ended.”

Together, Janelle and Kody share six children: Logan, Madison, Hunter, Gabriel, Savanah, and their late son Garrison. Despite the shared history, the two have remained estranged since the split.

How the Brown Family Has Changed

Her decision to seek a spiritual release wasn’t something she had always planned. In an April episode of Sister Wives, Janelle revealed that the idea only surfaced after watching Meri Brown—Kody’s first wife—go through the process herself.

“It didn’t even occur to me because [I’m] really not part of that church anymore,” she said at the time. “Then when Meri got one, I’m like, huh.”

Kody Brown’s family structure has continued to unravel in recent years. He parted ways with Christine Brown in 2021 and with Meri Brown in 2023. Robyn Brown is now his only remaining wife.

As Janelle steps fully into independence—both emotionally and spiritually—the release marks more than paperwork. It’s a quiet but powerful confirmation that the past no longer has a claim on her future.

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

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