Sibling Wives Kody Brown’s first wife, Meri Brown, has suffered the most losses as a result of his downward spiral. In 1990, Kody and Meri, who both came from religious traditions that supported multiple marriage, were formally wed. Early in their marriage, before Janelle Brown and Christine Brown were involved, the pair appeared content with one another. In 1995, Meri gave birth to her one kid with Kody and was content with her place in the family while Christine and Janelle both grew their own. Meri has struggled to maintain her position in the family as Kody’s relationships have shifted over the years.
Things for the Brown family underwent a significant change when Kody started dating Robyn Brown in 2010 and brought a new wife into the home for the first time in nearly 20 years. Meri and Kody’s bond deteriorated further over time. Things had been difficult for years, and she had been attempting to maintain their relationship despite this, but Kody hadn’t been living up to his end of the bargain. It’s clear from seeing Meri and Kody’s marriage on Sister Wives that their differences have wounded her and made her life a great deal harder.
8. Kody Legally Divorced Meri After 20 Years Together For Robyn
Kody knew he wanted to court Robyn and eventually bring her into the Brown family when they first met. Although it had been a while since he had expressed interest in a new marriage, he felt strongly about Robyn, and she felt the same way. The two talked about getting married, but Robyn had one condition for joining the Brown family that would be closest to her kids.
In order for Kody to legally adopt Robyn’s children from her previous marriage, he needed to legally marry her. This came down to Meri, who was Kody’s only legal wife, and she was pushed into divorcing her husband of over 20 years so Robyn could get her way. Though Meri accepted the divorce as well as she could, it changed her relationship dynamic with Kody entirely when their legal marriage ended.
7. Meri Has Tried To Work On Their Marriage But Kody’s Disinterested
Things started to alter between Kody and his first wife after Robyn joined the family and Meri was terminated as Kody’s legitimate wife. Although Kody continued to prioritize his relationship with Robyn, he clearly focused much of his attention on making sure that it was going well. He spent less time with his previous wives, particularly Meri, than he did with Meri. While accepting that things had changed, she was constantly working to improve their connection since she wanted to make sure they were both content there.
6. Kody Has Made Meri Insecure In Herself With His Attitude
For years, Kody has had a sour attitude when it comes to his marriage with Meri. Though it didn’t begin this way, as Sister Wives continued on it became obvious that he wasn’t really interested in Meri romantically anymore. Though Meri tried to heal things with him on her own, the majority of her efforts weren’t met with success. Kody often made Meri even worse about herself with how much he rebuffed her when she was trying to improve their relationship, tanking her self-esteem because he was afraid to be forthright about his feelings
5. Meri Constantly Feels Like She’s Holding The Family Together
As Kody’s original wife, Meri has definitely seemed to feel obligated to the larger Brown family in the past. She has done her best to hold the family together, even when things haven’t been going well. Throughout Sister Wives season 18, Meri has shared she’s felt like the only person still holding the family together and ensuring they’re still a unit after Christine’s departure. Even before Christine left, Meri felt an obligation to keep everyone together when they were all pushing to drift apart.
4. Robyn And Kody Treat Meri Like An Outsider In Her Own Relationship
Kody’s life changed after he wed Robyn because he had to learn how to handle four wives and a sizable brood of kids. As they were more outwardly friendly and seemed a little more romantic than any of his other marriages, Kody and Robyn’s connection was clearly different from what he enjoyed with his other spouses. Robyn has treated Meri unfairly in her interactions with Kody, despite having her own slights against Christine and Janelle. Robyn has frequently made Meri feel alone in her relationship by acting as if she’s the main wife rather than one of the group.
3. Meri Defends Kody To Others To Her Own Detriment
Even with the deck stacked against Kody, Meri is always supportive when it comes to her husband and their relationship. This may not be the best move for Meri in some moments, especially considering Kody’s active disinterest in her, but she is loyal to her marriage to a fault. Meri has defended Kody’s actions both publicly and privately in a way that puts her at a disadvantage but hasn’t seemed to care that it can make her look bad.
2. Without Her Plural Marriage, Meri Loses A Sense Of Family
After Christine left Kody, Meri was adamant she would remain in their plural marriage despite Kody making some disparaging remarks about her physical appearance and their relationship. She tried to keep herself within the family, attending holidays and Robyn and Kody’s home and doing her best to stay out of the drama, but when Janelle finally chose to leave, Meri was left on an island. She ultimately chose to leave her marriage to Kody, but it eliminated the sense of family she’s had for the majority of her adult life, as she’s been left mostly alone.
1. Meri’s Sense Of Self Has Been Lost Without Kody
Meri has always depended on her family and her marriage for a sense of identity, despite doing autonomous actions throughout the years like starting her own bed and breakfast. Meri has been a public and private member of the Brown family for the majority of her adult life. Sister Wives Meri has lost some of her identity as a result of her breakup with Kody and estrangement from the rest of the family.