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Why ‘Sister Wives'' Kody Brown Is Done With Polygamy
Meri Brown is getting candid about her love life after the demise of her spiritual marriage to Kody Brown.
The Sister Wives star revealed she struggles with trust issues in the years following the breakup, admitting in a confessional on the TLC series that she has a hard time gauging romantic interest from others.
"I've dated a little bit and I have had experiences where I believe that some people are not interested simply because of my background," she shared on the May 4 episode. "Because I come from a plural family, maybe they're nervous that that's what I want."
Explaining how her past can be "a little bit intimidating to people," Meri said she's been in situations where she's unsure about a potential partner's true intentions.
"There's a lot of uncertainty, and I really need to be able to trust somebody and believe what he says," she continued. "I need to be able to trust that when a person tells me he loves me, he really does."
After all, Meri fell victim to a catfishing scheme more than 10 years ago, when she struck up an online flirtation with someone she thought was a man named "Sam" who ended up being a woman. The ordeal ultimately put a strain on her relationship Kody, who she said eventually told her: "Well, I'm just not interested. You can stick around if you want.'"
But Meri didn't stick around, confirming her split from her costar—with whom she shares 29-year-old Leon "Leo" Brown—in the 2022 Sister Wives: One on One special. Their breakup followed closely behind sister wives Christine Brown and Janelle Brown's decisions to call it quits with Kody.
Instagram/Meri Brown
"It just doesn't make sense to me that he would be so frustrated with Christine and be like, 'She just made this decision. We didn't consult, we didn't talk, she just made the decision.' And then he says, 'No, I don't consider myself married to Meri,'" she argued on the special. "Like, he just made the decision. I've never heard him say that to me."
According to Meri, she initially thought Kody was "trying" to repair their marriage after the catfish scandal, though he allegedly became cold and distant.
"He's like, 'I don't even know why you called me Meri," she recalled of their anniversary in 2022. "'We're not married. We're not acting as married.'"
Puddle Monkey Prods/Figure 8/Kobal/Shutterstock
As for Kody, who is still married to his fourth wife Robyn Brown, he said on the April 27 episode of Sister Wives that he feels "slapped by polygamy" after going through three breakups.
"I don't want to be flippant with my answer," Kody shared, "but I'm not interested in plural marriage anymore."
He added, "I don't want to pursue another woman because I don't want that headache—the questions, the struggles, the wonder about trust."
For more details on the love lives of the Sister Wives cast, keep reading...
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Kody Brown & Robyn Brown
"She looked like a soccer mom," Kody Brown once joked on Sister Wives of meeting then-single mom Robyn in 2009. "She had a van, three kids and was divorced. I thought, 'I didn't need a van, a divorced woman, and three kids in my life—that's just trouble.'"
Nearly a decade and a half on, though, they're still kicking it, with the pair adding son Solomon and daughter Ariella to the squad.
As for bringing on other teammates, it's not in the game plan. "I really, really struggle with it because it feels, like, 'Oh, well. Those didn't work. So, on to [someone] new,'" Robyn said on the December Sister Wives: One on One special of Meri Brown, Janelle Brown and Christine Brown leaving the fold. "That's hard for me. That's really, really hard for me. It feels disrespectful."
Instagram / Meri Brown
Meri Brown
In January 2024, a year after she and Kody announced their breakup, Meri revealed on Instagram that she had begun dating Amos Andrews the previous October. But in February 2024, Meri confirmed on Instagram that they had called it quits.
Christine Brown
She got the man and the family. Going official with her and David Woolley's romance on Valentine's Day 2023, Christine shared, "I finally found the love of my life, David. The first time he held me close, it felt like my soul took its first breath. He's wonderful and kind, incredible with my children and an adorable grandpa. I never dreamed I could find a love like this."
Two months later he added to the fantasy with a spring proposal. "David treats me like a queen and tells me I'm beautiful everyday," Christine told People. "I've never been in love like this before and the world seems like a brighter place with him in it."
Tying the knot in Utah Oct. 7, she wrote, "I'm so blessed! I've married my best friend."
Madison Brown
The first of the 18 Brown children to walk down the aisle, Janelle's eldest daughter wed Caleb Brush at a 2016 outdoor wedding in Montana captured by TLC's cameras. Nearly 10 years later, the two have multiplied their love with Emilia joining older siblings Axel, Evie and Josephine in March 2025.
“Our sweet girl took her time, keeping us all in suspense, but when she decided it was time—she didn’t waste a second," North Carolina-based Maddie wrote on Instagram. "Born on 3/14, she arrived absolutely perfect.”
Leon Brown
Four years after their engagement aired on the TLC reality show, Meri's only child settled in Denver with Audrey Kriss.
"My sweetest symphony," Leon raved of their partner in 2022. "Life with you truly is so sweet." Echoed Audrey, "Being your partner and watching your growth and coming into yourself over the years has been an honor and joy."
Logan Brown
Eldest Brown kid Logan got the gang back together when he married longtime girlfriend Michelle Petty in Arizona in 2022. "It was a beautiful day and this mama's heart was mush the whole time," Janelle shared on Instagram of her son's wedding. "You always have such a sense of peace when your children find amazing life partners."
Mykelti Brown
More than six years after her 2016 wedding to Antonio "Tony" Padron, Mykelti joked that they'd already tested the limits of their marriage vows by welcoming twins Archer and Ace into the fold in November 2022.
"We have 3 kids and 4 moves under our belt," Mykelti, who is also mom to Avalon, wrote on Instagram at the time. "A whole lot of good times and some hard times #surprisetwins But here we are still doing this whole marriage thing."
Instagram/Mitch Thompson
Aspyn Brown
Since their 2018 wedding, Christine's oldest daughter and husband Mitch Thompson have traveled everywhere from Paris to Alaska. But in December 2022, they put down roots, with Mitch sharing on Instagram, "We bought our first home! Just in time for Christmas."
Aspyn announced her pregnancy with the couple's first baby in April 2025.
Gwendlyn Brown
Before hitting their one-year anniversary, Christine's third oldest daughter and love Beatriz Queiroz went to the happiest place on earth and marked six months together with chocolate fondue. Then came the really sweet part, with Gwendlyn sharing a glimpse at the candlelit, rose-filled proposal on Instagram in November 2022, writing simply, "i'm engaged!!"
The couple wed in July 2023, captioning a photo from the ceremony: "Say hello to mrs (x2) queiroz."
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