This year, Janelle Brown has been fueling split speculation among Sister Wives fans.
Going on vacation without your husband happens sometimes, especially in a plural marriage.
This time, it’s a holiday vacation. Janelle celebrated the Fourth of July across the country from Kody.
She was with family — but not her husband. If we can even still call him that.
Janelle Brown spent Independence Day with her daughter, 26-year-old Madison “Maddie” Brush.
Maddie’s husband, Caleb, was there. So were their children, Axel and Evangalynn.
Janelle’s daughter, Savanah Brown, was also in attendance.
The Fourth of July festivities went down in New Bern, North Carolina.
New Bern is a small, coastal town with historic significance.
The invention of Pepsi took place in the town, which is full of American history.
Perhaps that is why Janelle shared a family photo from in front of Tryon Palace.
The red brick building is actually a modern recreation of the original, which burned down in the 1700s. The governor’s mansion has been in Raleigh ever since.
Janelle’s real focus, however, was not on sight-seeing, though we’re sure that she made time for that.
She enjoyed her time away from Kody.
Fans could not help but wonder if she intended a double meaning behind her “Happy Independence Day!” caption.
Either way, she certainly delighted in visiting her grandchildren.
Janelle shared a photo of 5-year-old grandson Axel Brush days earlier.
In the photo, he was visibly mesmerized by a sparkler, illuminated by the chemical reaction taking place.
Janelle’s caption at the time detailed that they followed up the sparklers by watching fireflies in Maddie’s yard.
Fireflies are rare and often isolated in Arizona and Utah, due to climate differences.
In the extreme humidity of the mid-Atlantis South, however, fireflies are visible in abundance during summer months.
Not all light shows over the weekend made noise. Some were merely tranquil luminescence.
Obviously, fans are taking special notice when Janelle spends time away from Flagstaff — and away from Kody.
It’s not just that they wonder how the family deals with being spread out over holidays. It happens.
People wonder if Janelle is following in Christine Brown’s trailblazing footsteps — and leaving Kody in the dust.
So far, she has made no such announcement.
In fact, Janelle still lives and works in Flagstaff. She seems unlikely to change that in the immediate future.
Her trips to North Carolina are to visit her family.
Fans do wonder how long this fractured plural marriage can last.
Sister Wives viewers got an earful of the family’s serious problems — even before Christine left Kody.
Meri seems hooked on Kody. Robyn is still receiving special treatment. But Janelle?
Fans have hope that she will be the next to tell Kody goodbye forever.
She has been the closest with Christine. It seems like a natural next step … maybe.
Honestly, only time will tell.