Sister Wives' Janelle Brown Says Ex-Husband Kody Didn't Even Know Daughter Madison Brush Was Pregnant

"Maddie doesn't really even tell him that she's pregnant," Janelle disclosed during the November 9 episode, adding matter-of-factly, "He'll find out."

"They haven't spoken for a long time. It's probably been two or three years," she continued, adding that Madison felt there was no need to keep him in the loop.

The news highlights the breakdown in communication between Kody and his older children, who have become increasingly distant following Kody's behavior during COVID lockdown and tumultuous divorces from Janelle and Christine Brown. The episode, filmed before Madison and her husband Caleb Brush welcomed their fourth child, Emilia Estelle, in March, offered a stark look at the consequences of the family's division. (Emilia joined older brother Axel, 8, and sisters Evie, 6, and Josephine, 2.)

Last November, Madison opened up about the reasons why she cut ties with her father, with one of the big issues being that Kody was very controlling over their relationship, adding that "some people just don't deserve to be in your life."

"I always get messages from people who are like, 'You should just forgive your dad [and] respect him,'" she said during a 2024 episode of her The Authentic Society. "And I'm like, 'I don't think you know what you're talking about because your experience with your dad could be very different than my experience with my dad.'"

"He doesn't have any respect for boundaries, and you have to play by his rules, and I just don't care to do that," Maddie added.

During an episode of Sister Wives from last season, Janelle explained that Madison’s decision to cut off contact and withhold the exciting family news stems from a perceived lack of interest from her father, particularly regarding her children.

"Maddie has observed to me that Kody has not been out to see her kids since [her daughter] Evie was born, and Evie's 3," Janelle shared during a confessional. "Maddie's like, 'Why would I tell him that I'm having another one? He hasn't really shown that much interest in the other two.'"

The mother of six defended her daughter's protective stance, explaining that Madison did not want Kody to suddenly "drop in and be like, 'Oh, I'm your grandpa,' and them be like, 'What? Who is this guy?'"

For his part, Kody has strongly disputed the narrative that he is solely to blame for the rift. While discussing the estrangement with his only remaining wife, Robyn Brown, Kody claimed that Madison was the one who initiated the no-contact boundary.

"She never told me she was pregnant. She never told me she was going to have a baby," Kody lamented, as reported by People. He maintained that his older children are "purposefully leaving me out of their lives to punish me for a crime I didn't commit." According to Kody, that "crime" is "not falling madly in love with their mothers." He also alleged that every time he speaks with Madison, she "spreads gossip about me to the rest of the family."

During the November 6 episode of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, the dad of 18 -- who is a recruit this season -- got emotional as he was grilled by the show's Directing Staff (DS) instructors about not taking accountability for his strained relationships with many of his kids.

"There ended up being some bad blood with family over the divorces. In some cases with my children, communication has ceased," Kody revealed. "When you don’t have a deep connection with your children, that is a disappointment."