Sister Wives: Kody & Meri’s Relationship Was Never Meant To Last (Are They Better Off Without Each Other?)

Sister Wives star Kody Brown and his relationship with Meri Brown was doomed from the start, even though his first wife held on to the hope that they’d get back together. Meri grew up in a polygamist family and had 27 siblings, while Kody’s father began exploring polygamy when Kody was a teenager. Kody was 21 years old, and Meri was 18 when they were introduced to each other at a church event in October 1998. Kody and Meri got married a few months later, in April 1999. Although Kody and Meri planned on adding more wives to their family, they remained monogamous until 1993.

Meri didn’t give up on her love for the Brown family patriarch even after Kody divorced Meri to marry his fourth wife, Robyn Brown, legally. Kody began concentrating on Robyn and ignored Meri. Since she was neglected, Meri began emotionally cheating on Kody. Up until then, Meri stuck by Kody’s side from the 1990s. They were the IT couple, and the way he treated Meri had motivated Janelle Brown and Christine Brown to join their plural marriage.

Kody Fell Out Of Love With Meri Early On

Meri admitted it had been a “decade” since she had been physically intimate with Kody during Sister Wives: One-on-One in January 2023. Meri was left feeling like she wasn’t in a marriage at all. “Am I a sister wife when I don’t have a husband?,” she had asked the cameras in a solo interview. Meri wished for Kody to hold her hand, but to Kody, they were a “bad match.” Kody admitted that if they were not in a plural marriage or felt religiously bound to stay together, things would have been a lot different a “long time ago.” However, the strained relationship deteriorated after Meri’s infamous catfishing scandal.

Kody Faked His Love For Meri

Kody claimed he no longer felt “safe” in his marriage with Meri. While he still considered Meri to be a part of his family, he admitted he was never going to be in a romantic relationship with Meri and face “emotional torture.” In a recent episode of Sister Wives, while Kody sat down with Robyn and Meri to discuss plans for the Coyote Pass property, he had a raw and candid moment as he admitted to faking being in love with Meri. He attributed this to a duty-bound approach to their marriage. He mentioned how he can perform the role of a husband despite the absence of genuine romantic feelings.

Are Kody & Meri Better Off As Friends?

After Kody found out about Meri talking to Sam (her catfish), he never intended to think of her as anything more than a friend again, even if she remained a part of the family. However, Meri has spoken out about Kody never actually following through with his words and promises. Meri wished that Kody would “actually call me sometime.” Meri held out hope for a more meaningful relationship with Kody on Sister Wives, but even his friendship left her feeling unsatisfied. Her finally realizing how Kody sees her as nothing more than a “friend” might give Meri the courage to get some closure and start a new life.