Summary
After 32 years of marriage,Sister WivesstarMeri BrownleftKody Brown, and she had good reasons.Meri is Kody’s first wife, and they had one child together. Meri chose to live in a plural marriage for religious reasons, but she and Kody struggled to make their marriage work. Kody had been open about not being attracted to Meri, and the two stopped living as husband and wife many years ago. Despite being neglected by Kody, Meri stayed in the marriage long after it was clearly over.
The first season ofSister Wivesfeatured Kody courting and marrying his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, in 2010. Around 16 years had passed since the last time Kody added a new wife to the Brown family. Though the complex plural family had their fair share of problems, Kody’s marriage to Robyn triggered their slow decline to full dissolution.Janelle Brown and Christine Brown, wives two and three, left Kody first, followed by Meri. Though she was reluctant to accept marital defeat, Meri had adequate reasons to walk away from Kody.
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Meri Brown Tried To Make It Work
DespiteKody chronically neglecting his marriage to Meri,theSister Wivesstar never faltered in her support of him. Deeply committed to the religious principle of plural marriage, she was even the one whointroduced Kody to Robynand encouraged him to court her. Even after Kody told her they’d never have a real marriage, Meri continued to hold out hope and stuck around long after Janelle and Christine had left the plural marriage.
Meri was also the only one to welcome Robyn and continued to be close to her, even after being rejected by Kody.
In 2014, Kody legally divorced Meri. As his first wife, she was the only one to have a legally binding marriage license. After he married Robyn, he wanted to adopt her three children. Since adoption would be easier if he were married to their mother,Meri generously agreed to go through the divorce so Kody could marry Robyn. It broke Meri’s heart, and she cried while signing the papers, but she believed it was the right thing to do.
After Christine and Janelle left Kody in 2021 and 2022, respectively, the family was split in two. On one side were Christine and Janelle, and on the other were Kody, Robyn, and Meri. This separated Meri from Christine and Janelle and all of their children. Once Meri decided to leave Kody,she found herself on her own. With her only child all grown up and living far away, Meri leaned heavily on her loyal friends.
1990
2022
1
1993
6 (1 deceased)
1994
2021
6
2010
–
5 (3 from previous marriage)
Kody Never Loved Meri
He Saw Her As A Duty
Though there are likely multiple reasons Kody and Meri couldn’t make their marriage work, the main reason is Kody was never in love with Meri. Plural marriage seems like hard work, and it’s probably even harder if the couple doesn’t start off in love. Both Kody and Meribegan their lives together more committed to the idea of plural marriagethan each other. Meri was probably more in love with Kody than he was with her, and that never changed.
Kody’s neglect of Meri made matters worse, and the contempt grew over the years.
Making matters worse,Kody openly favored Robynand spent more time at her house over the years. It became clear to the other wivesthat what he had with Robyn was different from what he shared with them. Kody spent more time with Robyn and her children, which meant spending less time with his other wives and their children. Over time,the neglect wore on all his relationships and became untenable.
What Meri Has Been Up To Since The Divorce
Losing Weight & Growing Her Empire
Meri always had an entrepreneurial spirit, even during her marriage to Kody.The Browns wereinvolved in various business ventures over the years, such as a clothing store, a jewelry business, and a 2012New York Timesbestseller calledBecoming Sister Wives: The Story of Unconventional Marriage. Near the end of her marriage, Meri made a lifelong dream come true by turning her grandmother’s old house into a charming bed and breakfast called Lizzie’s Heritage Inn.
According toMeri’s official website,she has been busy growing her empire. “Unveiling The Heart. A Journey Through The Layers Of Meri’s World” reads the landing page of her site. “From motivational speaking engagements to product lines, every project is a reflection of Meri’s belief in the power of self-worth,” reads the website copy, followed by a list of her business ventures. In addition to the B&B, Meri works with Lularoe, Parklane, and Cameo.
Will Meri Find Love Again?
Her Track Record Isn’t Great
Meri has never been lucky in love. TheSister Wivesstar was stuck in a loveless marriage for 32 years and had to watch her husband fall in love with multiple other women. Her romantic prospects seemed to improveafter she left Kody and started dating a new man. Many hopedMeri’s relationship with Amos Andrewswould work. Fellow sister wife Christine had married David Woolley a few short years after leaving Kody, and hopes were high Meri and Amos would do the same. Sadly, lightning didn’t strike twice, and the relationship ended soon after it began.
In February,Meriannounced her breakup on Instagram. The caption read, in part, “Last week, I had to face some hard truths and have some difficult conversations.” Meri explained that though she and Amos cared about each other, their relationship wouldn’t continue. In retrospect, the relationship between Meri and Amos got too serious too quickly.It’s unclear if Meri has been dating anyone new since the breakup, as her social media has been focused on her career pursuits.
Sister Wives
Cast
Sister Wives is a TV series created for TLC that follows Kody Brown and his four wives as they raise their eighteen children and tackle the challenges associated with their massive family dynamic and the stigma that comes with their way of life.
