Kody Brown is out of the picture. His three ex-wives are not waiting around for anyone’s permission to be happy — they are building brand-new lives, on camera and off. Christine is married. Janelle has a new boyfriend. Meri just closed her beloved inn to reinvent it. So here is the question fans keep arguing about: who is actually thriving the most?
1. Christine: The Settled One
Christine Brown Woolley left Kody first, in November 2021, and she has never looked back. She married construction businessman David Woolley on October 7, 2023, in Moab, Utah, in front of more than 300 guests. The couple live in Utah, run short-term rental properties together, and Christine published a bestselling memoir about leaving plural marriage.
Season 21 shows the couple in therapy, but as of fall 2026 they are still married, still promoting their business together, and still very much a team. Christine went from feeling invisible in a plural marriage to being, as fans put it, the center of someone’s world. On stability alone, she is the hardest to beat.
2. Janelle: The Late Bloomer
Janelle Brown walked away from Kody in 2022 after nearly 30 years, moved to North Carolina to live near her daughter Madison and her grandchildren, and spent years insisting she was happily single. Then came Pete.
Janelle went public with her new boyfriend in August 2026, calling him “exactly what I didn’t know I needed.” In the Season 21 trailer she swoons, “His name is Peter, and there are no red flags. Peter is so nice.” In an October Instagram video, the couple rocked side by side on her porch and talked about the future — Pete predicted five years, Janelle corrected him: “30. In our rocking chairs.” Pete, who works in construction like David, has even pitched in on Janelle’s new-home honey-do list. The catch? Long distance: Janelle is in North Carolina, Pete has been based in Las Vegas. New love, new home, grandkids next door — Janelle’s chapter might be the sweetest surprise of all.
3. Meri: The Reinvention in Progress
Meri Brown’s new chapter is the messiest — and maybe the bravest. The first wife and the last to leave, Meri finally admitted on Season 21 why she stayed so long after she knew the marriage was over: stubbornness. She did not want to hand Kody a clean exit as the innocent party, so she stuck around until he had to say it himself.
YOU MAY LIKEMykelti’s Truth Bomb: Are You Watching Sister Wives for the Moms — or to Yell at Kody?Since then, Meri has built a life on her own terms in Utah: her chosen family of friends, her business, and the 154-year-old Lizzie’s Heritage Inn she bought on her own in 2017. But just this week, Meri announced she is closing the inn “for now” because the old house needs renovation. Add the upcoming episode where the three ex-wives melt down their wedding rings, and Meri’s chapter is less “settled” and more “under construction.” Literally.
Our Ranking — And Why Fans Will Disagree
Here is our call: Christine takes the crown for the most complete transformation — married, settled, thriving. Janelle is a close second, with the freshest joy and a 30-year plan in rocking chairs. Meri comes third only because her reinvention is still mid-renovation — but if the inn reopens as the retreat space she has teased, she could leapfrog them both.
That is the beauty of this new era of Sister Wives: there is no Kody at the center anymore. Just three women, three very different definitions of happiness, and a fandom ready to fight about all of them.
So, your turn: who is thriving the most after Kody — Christine with her marriage, Janelle with her new love, or Meri with her fearless reinvention? Drop your pick and defend it.
Sources
- TV Insider, “‘Sister Wives’ Star Janelle Brown Makes Bold Prediction About New Relationship” — https://www.tvinsider.com/1299257/sister-wives-janelle-brown-boyfriend-pete/
- People, “Janelle Brown Reveals More About Meeting New Boyfriend Peter as He Appears in ‘Sister Wives’ Season 21 Trailer” — https://people.com/janelle-brown-dishes-on-new-boyfriend-peter-as-he-appears-in-sister-wives-trailer-12116290
- EntertainmentNow, “Who Is David Woolley? 5 Fast Facts About Christine Brown’s Husband” — https://entertainmentnow.com/tlc/david-woolley-christine-brown-husband-facts/
- TV Season & Spoilers, “Sister Wives: Meri Reveals Kody’s Divorce Ring” — https://www.tvseasonspoilers.com/news/sister-wives-meri-brown-details-kody-browns-striking-divorce-ring-gift/
- TV Shows Finder, “‘Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Famous B&B Closing Why?” — https://tvshowsfinder.com/tv-shows/sister-wives-meri-brown-famous-bb-closing-why/
- TV Passport, “Sister Wives (Reality TV)” episode guide — https://www.tvpassport.com/series/sister-wives/194451
