“Sister Wives” star Janelle Brown may not have been looking for love, but boyfriend Pete has introduced her to a kind of relationship that still occasionally surprises her.
Brown publicly introduced Pete in August after keeping their relationship private while it developed. The romance is her first public relationship since separating from Kody Brown in 2022, and it comes as she continues building an increasingly independent life in North Carolina.
Now, Janelle is revealing more about the man who unexpectedly changed that life, including the small things Pete does that she admits she was not accustomed to experiencing in her former relationship.
Janelle Brown Wasn’t Looking for Boyfriend Pete
Janelle told PEOPLE that romance was nowhere near the top of her priorities when Pete entered the picture. She had built a house on her North Carolina property, was developing Taeda Farms and said she was already completely happy with the direction her life was taking.
Then a friend invited her to a dinner that turned into a genuine blind date. “I really wasn’t looking,” Janelle said, explaining that she had never spoken to Pete before the dinner and did not even know what he looked like.
Pete also went into the date knowing remarkably little about Janelle. She said her friend showed him a picture of her but specifically told him not to research her online beforehand. That meant Pete walked into the dinner without years of “Sister Wives” history shaping his view of her. Janelle said that was exactly what she needed.
“I wasn’t looking for him. I didn’t expect him,” she said. “He is different from anybody I would’ve thought, but he’s exactly perfect for me.” Their first blind date will also become part of Season 21 of “Sister Wives”, giving viewers a chance to watch the relationship begin before Janelle eventually introduced Pete publicly.
Pete’s Attention Took the “Sister Wives” Star by Surprise
Janelle’s comments about Pete become particularly revealing when she compares the relationship with what she previously experienced. She recalled speaking with a dating coach before meeting Pete and realizing that she could find someone who added something positive to the life she had already created.
Janelle said that lesson became especially meaningful once Pete arrived. “I feel like my previous relationship was so much me giving,” she explained to PEOPLE.
With Pete, she described something very different. Janelle said her “nervous system just chills” around him and called Pete her “rock,” adding that she feels stable, protected and confident that things will be OK when he is nearby.
Even seemingly ordinary attention took some adjustment. Janelle recalled texting a friend after she and Pete had been talking for several weeks because she was amazed that he remembered things she had told him. “He remembers what I say,” she recalled telling her friend, explaining that Pete would later ask her about things happening in her life.
Her friend’s response was essentially that this was normal behavior in a relationship. For Janelle, however, it felt new. Pete has also brought what she described as an old-fashioned approach to their romance. She said he opens doors for her, worries about her driving long distances and wants to take care of her.
That sometimes clashes humorously with the fiercely independent life Janelle built after leaving Kody. “I’m fine, honey,” she recalled telling Pete. “I actually lived a pretty independent life for a lot of years.” Still, she said she feels both “cherished” and loved in the relationship.
Pete Didn’t Even Know Much About “Sister Wives”
One of the funniest details about Janelle and Pete’s early relationship is just how little he apparently knew about the reality star’s unusual family history. According to People, after their blind date, Pete joined Janelle, Christine Brown Woolley and Christine’s husband, David Woolley, for another dinner.
At one point, Pete asked Janelle and Christine how they knew each other. Everyone laughed, and Christine eventually explained that the women had been married to the same man. Janelle then supplied the crucial extra detail: “At the same time.”
Pete apparently had some vague awareness of the situation but admitted that he did not watch “Sister Wives.” Janelle said his lack of familiarity with her television persona was a major positive because he entered the relationship without a preconceived idea of who she was. Her children apparently agreed, and according to Janelle, “It won big brownie points that he just didn’t know.”
Janelle Brown and Boyfriend Pete Are Already Looking Toward the Future
The couple still has one practical challenge to solve: distance. Janelle lives in North Carolina, while Pete remains in Las Vegas. The couple previously confirmed they were working through their long-distance arrangement, and Janelle said they try not to spend longer than two or three weeks apart, alternating between visits. But their current arrangement may not last forever.
Janelle said they are working toward getting Pete to the East Coast, making it clear that she does not plan to abandon the home and farm she has spent years building. “He knows that this is my place so that I’m not going to be leaving,” she said, adding that Pete will eventually be the one making the move east.
Pete seems increasingly comfortable fitting into Janelle’s new world. She joked that the longtime city dweller was initially surprised by the quarter-mile dirt driveway leading to her property. However, he eventually made it out to the flower beds and even helped her weed.
“So I guess that must be love,” Janelle joked. Pete has also met Janelle’s children, who she said “love him,” while Janelle has met his 28-year-old daughter.
Janelle Says the Kody and Robyn Era Is Over
Pete is not the only evidence that Janelle’s life has entered an entirely different phase. Season 21 of “Sister Wives” is moving forward without Kody and Robyn Brown. TLC confirmed that, for the first time in 16 years, the series would focus only on Christine, Janelle and Meri Brown.
Janelle revealed that she found out about Kody and Robyn’s departure through an email. “I actually got an email that they weren’t coming back, and I’m like, ‘Oh, wow. Okay,’” she recalled.
She said she has not spoken with Kody and Robyn since the family came together after selling their property and admitted their absence initially came as a surprise. But filming without them ultimately felt like “the end of an era.”
Janelle said she believes the change allows the series to spend more time on the positive developments happening in the lives of Christine, Meri and herself rather than repeatedly returning to conflicts involving Kody.
And for anyone expecting Kody and Robyn to suddenly appear later in the season, Janelle offered a pretty definitive answer. “No, no, no,” she said. “I think we’re sort of done with that era.”
For Janelle, that old era appears to be closing on several fronts at once. She has a home of her own, a farm she hopes to turn into a destination filled with flowers and visitors, a version of “Sister Wives” no longer centered on her former marriage and, unexpectedly, a new relationship with someone she says makes her feel cherished.
Pete may not have been part of the future she imagined when she began rebuilding her life, but Janelle seems more than happy that he found his way into it. Season 21 of “Sister Wives” airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
Janelle Brown Says Boyfriend Pete Gives Her Something She Wasn’t Used to With Kody