Sister Wives star Kody Brown recently said goodbye to his ex-wife, Meri Brown, and his surprisingly emotional reaction led to speculation that he may regret ending the marriage. The 55-year-old polygamist patriarch married a total of four women, and had 18 children when all was said and done. 53-year-old Meri was his first wife, and they tied the knot in 1990. Three years later, Kody had married wife number two, Janelle Brown, and within four years, he'd married a third wife, Christine Brown. A full 16 years would go by before Kody married his fourth wife, Robyn Brown.
When the unscripted series premiered in 2010, the Browns were one big happy family, living under the same Utah roof. By the time Sister Wives season 19 rolled around, three of Kody's four wives had walked away from the marriage, and he wasn't even on speaking terms with several of his 18 children. Meri was the third of Kody's wives to leave him, ending their marriage in 2022, after 32 years of marriage and one child together. Though Kody claimed he never loved Meri, he became surprisingly emotional when he and Meri finally parted ways.
Kody Said He Never Loved Meri
Brutal Honesty
Kody said a lot of cruel things to Meri over the years. At one point, he confessed that he was no longer attracted to her. Later, he got even harsher and admitted that he never really loved her. During Sister Wives season 19, Kody took his cruel admissions to a whole new level when he accused Meri of driving him to polygamy. Kody said that he knew he had made a mistake right after his wedding to Meri. They were incompatible, had different communication styles, and were generally unhappy together.
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Since neither of them believed in divorce, the Sister Wives season 19 stars, who had both grown up in polygamous families, decided to open up their marriage to additional wives. Adding additional wives didn't solve their problems, but it masked their incompatibility for a while. After he married Robyn 16 years later, Kody started spending less and less time with Meri.
Kody would have stayed in the marriage forever, but Meri could no longer tolerate the neglect.
Meri & Kody's Church Drama Explained
Released From The Covenant
Custom image by César García Though Kody and Meri were legally married at one point, they divorced in 2014 so that Kody could legally marry Robyn. Kody wanted to adopt Robyn's three children from her first marriage, and being married to their mother was the fastest way to make it happen. Despite not being legally married anymore, Kody and Meri were in a covenant with their church and other wives.
After their split, Meri went to see the church leaders to officially end the marriage, not wanting to be sealed to Kody for eternity.
When Meri told Kody that she had asked church leaders about breaking their covenant, he responded that he didn't even recognize the church's authority anymore. He told her she could do whatever she wanted, and it was clear that he just wanted to wash his hands of the whole relationship. Meri came from a polygamous family, and she was still a believer, so she wanted to handle her divorce in the proper way. During a recent Sister Wives season 19 episode, it was revealed the church released Meri from her covenant with Kody.
Kody Cried When Saying Goodbye To Meri
"We Had Something"
After 32 years of marriage, Kody and Meri finally bid farewell during Sister Wives season 19. In a scene posted to YouTube by TLC, Kody burst into tears when bidding his first wife farewell. "Meri, it’s the end of an era," he tearfully tells her. "We had something." She agrees, saying "We had something really good." Though his tears could imply regret for his failed marriage, if he really wanted Meri to stick around, all he had to do was ask her. The bottom line is that Kody's tears were probably more about relief than regret.
Wife | Age | Married | Divorced | Children |
Meri Brown | 53 | 1990 | 2022 | 1 |
Janelle Brown | 55 | 1993 | 2022 | 6 (1 deceased) |
Christine Brown | 52 | 1994 | 2021 | 6 |
Robyn Brown | 45 | 2010 | -- | 5 (3 from previous marriage) |
Sister Wives season 19 airs on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on TLC.
Source: TLC/YouTube
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.
Release Date September 16, 2010
Seasons 18
Filming Locations Nevada, Utah, Arizona
Production Company Puddle Monkey Productions, Figure 8 Films
Number of Episodes 167
English (US) ·