Summary
Sister Wivesstar Meri Brown practiced polygamy in her marriage to Kody, which lasted more than three decades; however, she didn’t enjoy the lifestyle as many would’ve expected. SinceSister Wivespremiered in 2010, fans have watched Meri go through ups and downs, especially in her polygamous marriage with ex-husband Kody Brown. Meri, who married Kody in 1990, was the most senior wife in the Brown family, consisting of three other wives:Janelle Brown, Christine Brown, and Robyn Brown. However, in 2023, Meri announced her separation from Kody, following in the footsteps of Janelle and Christine.
DuringSister Wivesseason 18, fans watched Meri talk about the gradual deterioration of her marriage to Kody and how she struggled to accept they would never be the couple they once were. Nonetheless, since announcing her separation from Kody, Meri has found happiness in her new life as a single woman and has reportedly found love again. However, Meri recently appeared on the “Miss Understood Podcast” hosted by Rachel Uchitel, where she revealed the struggles the Brown family faced for their polygamous lifestyle.
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The Brown Family Was Judged Because They Were Polygamists
BeforeSister Wivespremiered in 2010, very few people knew about the relationship dynamics between Kody and his wives. However, millions of people have been able to watch the family’s life since the show premiered; for 20 years before that, Kody and his wives had to keep their relationship and family life extremely private due to the negative social outlook on polygamy. During Meri’s recent appearance on the “Miss UnderstoodPodcast,” she explained that the family often had to hide how they were related due to how people look down on plural families.
Meri explained that the family often had to hide how they were related due to how people look down on plural families.
The Brown family moved around a lot, living in states like Utah, where there is a ban on polygamy. To safeguard their jobs or, better still, avoid being thrown in jail,Meri explained that Janelle and Christine often had to make up stories for their co-workers who didn’t know about their polygamous lifestylewhenever they got pregnant. Meanwhile, Meri, who was always around the kids, also often had to make up stories to explain her relationship with her stepchildren to outsiders, which she declared was very weird.
Meri Brown Said Homeschooling Was Taboo Too
Kody and his wives might have practiced polygamyfor almost three decades, but Meri was the only one who was raised in a polygamous family and knew what to expect in terms of societal acceptance. During her “Miss Understood Podcast” episode, Meri explained that she had a very closed-off childhood due to being born into a polygamous family.Meri and her siblings had to be homeschooled to avoid attracting unwanted attention, but unlike recent times, homeschooling kids was a taboo back in the 1970s when Meri was growing up.
During the 1970s, homeschooling was considered illegal due to compulsory education laws requiring children to attend public or state-accredited private schools. In addition to polygamy, which was frowned upon, Meri’s parents also had to risk homeschooling the kids, which was at the time unlawful. However, as parents, Meri and the other sister wives also had to homeschool their children before enrolling them in a private church school.
The Brown Family Was Considered Weird
Besides dealing with the negative societal outlook on polygamy, the Brown family’s marriage choices also raised a couple of eyebrows.Janelle was married to Adam Barber, one of Meri’s brothers, before she accepted the offer of marrying Kody after their divorce. During Meri’s appearance on the “Miss Understood Podcast,” she also addressed the matter. In her words,Meri explained that the marriage was unusual in the way it happened. In her words, Meri noted, “I think it really weirds a lot of people out, and the community’s not that small. So it’s kind of weird that that all happened that way.”
Growing up in a polygamous family, Meri admitted on the “Miss Understood Podcast” that there was a time when she felt the lifestyle was not for her. Although theSister Wivesstarcommitted fully to polygamy after meeting Kody, she still didn’t fully grasp what she was signing up for, admitting that she struggled with jealousy as she watched Kody bring in the other wives. Nonetheless, after the struggles that dominated the last five years of her marriage, Meri has looked livelier since leaving Kody.
1990
2022
1
1993
1994
2021
6
2010
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5 (3 adopted from previous marriage)
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.
