Shraman Mitra
An interesting and unique reality TV show, TLC’s ‘Sister Wives,’ chronicles a polygamous family’s life and relationships. Kody Brown is the man of the family, who is married to his four wives, Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn. Together the family has eighteen children. To keep their matrimony legal, Kody is legally married only to Robyn, while the rest are “spiritual unions.” What is most interesting to see is how the family manages the tension, rivalry, and drama that arises from the clash of so many different personalities during their everyday life.
Kody and Meri: Sister Wives Journey
Meri Barber is the first woman Kody met and fell in love with. Kody believed that Meri was his soulmate and married her legally in April 1990. Meri was the one who introduced Kody to his second wife, Janelle Schriever. One thing led to another, and Kody and Janelle were “spiritually married” on January 20, 1993, thus setting the foundation for the polygamous Brown family.
On March 25, 1994, Kody entered his second “spiritual union,” this time with his third wife, Christine Aldred. At that time, Kody was still legally married to his first wife, Meri. To keep his relationship legal, he chose to remain married to Meri while marrying his other wives in a spiritual sense. Kody and Meri were also trying for years to have children, and in 1995 they were finally able to give birth to their daughter Mariah, Kody’s third child. Meri’s trials didn’t end there as her chance to have another baby ended in a tragedy. Meri suffered a miscarriage when she was about 10 weeks pregnant, and it took her quite some time to recover from that heartbreaking loss.
On September 26, 2010, ‘Sister Wives’ premiered for the first time on TV and introduced Robyn (Kody’s fourth wife), who was the first new wife to enter the family in more than 15 years. Robyn quickly became Kody’s favorite wife, and Meri was compelled to give up her status as Kody’s legal wife when he divorced her in 2014 to get legally married to Robyn. The divorce led to the first cracks in Kody and Meri’s relationship. Their bond never quite recovered after that, with Meri falling back on an online relationship which ended with her getting catastrophically catfished.
Kody also admitted that during that time, communication between them was scarce and that he was lost. Moreover, Meri and Kody’s daughter, Mariah, coming out as lesbian, and Meri’s wish to open bed and breakfast (which she opened in 2017) proved to be further bumps in the already rocky road. Moreover, in 2018, Kody put a nail into the coffin of their relationship by admitting that he did not desire to be intimate with Meri. Ultimately, in 2020, Meri and Kody realized that they were in a dark place and decided to get professional help to save their relationship.
Are Kody and Meri Still Together?
Mei and Kody still stay on in a spiritual marriage though things haven’t been a walk in the park for this couple even after therapy. While in therapy, Meri said that her relationship with her spiritual husband was dead and over, but in December 2020, Meri posted an Instagram post clarifying that she was not giving up on Kody just yet. Through her post, she stated, “I’m here. I’m committed. I’m not going anywhere. Don’t get your hopes up on that.” Meri had previously admitted that their relationship was rocky.
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At the same time, in an episode, Kody said, “I feel like I was deceived into a relationship that was very different than what I expected. Meri and I had a fast courtship with a lot of expectations and a lot of not communicating.” During the Covid-19 pandemic, each of Kody’s wives was living in different houses in Arizona, and Kody was the one who shuttled from one place to the other, dividing his attention between his wives. Meri revealed in a confessional that she is really careful about pushing Kody cause she doesn’t want him to feel she is being pushy.
Meri added that Kody did not visit her house as frequently as he visited his three other wives. Kody acknowledged this claim and explained that he visited her “once in a blue moon” as he had stopped pursuing her and that they had stopped dating. Fans speculated that the severe issues in their relationship might break Kody and Meri’s relationship. Moreover, in June 2020, Meri was spotted without her wedding ring and had also stopped participating in family events outside of the show, instead choosing to stay by herself.
In February 2021, Kody revealed that he would not give up on his marriage to Meri. He said, “In plural marriage, I don’t feel like I’ve got the right to say, ‘This is over, this is ending.’ I have dominion over my own body and where I’m at but I’m not in a place where, like, I can say, ‘Hey, I’m divorcing you.’ I can’t do that.” Kody further went on to say that he hopes time will heal their problems, claiming that their relationship was amicable as of this moment, but any of his wives were free to leave if they wanted to.
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When asked about her relationship in March 2021, Meri said that she is at peace in her present situation, but there is always improvement to be made between her and Kody. She claimed that she is happy in her life, adding that Kody has always been open and honest with her in their relationship. Well, Meri and Kody are doing their best to stick together through years of highs and lows, and we hope they can work out their differences and lead a happy life.
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