Courtesy of Meri Brown/Instagram // Courtesy of TLC
‘Sister Wives’ Stars Meri and Kody Brown Are Going Strong, Despite Some Reality TV Drama
What a journey! Sister Wives stars Meri and Kody Brown have weathered a catfish scandal, reality TV drama and more throughout their 30 years together. After feuding in season 14 of the reality series, fans couldn’t help but speculate the duo was on the verge of a split — until Meri set the record straight about their relationship status. Keep reading to find out where Kody and Meri stand now.
Are Meri and Kody Still Together?
The Lizzie’s Heritage Inn owner, 50, didn’t mince words when addressing breakup rumors in December 2020. “Let’s just clarify something here,” Meri wrote alongside a photo with her longtime love, 52. “I don’t owe anyone an explanation, but I’ll do it anyway,” she added while breaking her silence on the matter. “It comes down to this. My relationship with him is MY relationship with him.”
“I love him,” Meri continued. “I love my family. I’m committed. I have 30 years in this. We struggle. We communicate. We repair relationships as the parties involved are willing and able. I’m an independent person who does her own thing. I travel a lot. (Well, pre-COVID that is.) I have multiple businesses. I have many friends. I have male friends, (gasp! shocker!) and I won’t apologize for that.”
Meri later confirmed their union isn’t actually “dead” or “over” after using those words to describe their spiritual marriage in the February 28 episode. “That was a little bit taken out of context,” she told Us Weekly on March 10 about what she meant during her therapy appointment with Kody. “It was not me saying, ‘This is over, I’m done.’ What it was, was me saying where we were and what had happened was done and over, and now we need to figure out a new normal for us [and] figure us out.”
What Has Kody Said About Their Status?
Kody fired back at a claim about their relationship after venting about the hardships of plural marriage in a tweet posted on February 28, 2021.
“The difference is that my husband can’t run to another wife’s house and hide for three years!” one fan wrote amid their season 15 family drama. “He has to stand up and face the issues. Marriage is about choosing to love your spouse even when it gets hard. Fix your issues with Meri and all your other issues will be fixed too!”
In his response on March 3, Kody cleared the air, writing, “Do you live in my homes? Do you think you know me? Grow up! You are making huge and unknowing assumptions.”
Prior to that, he explained why a breakup isn’t his end goal with Meri in an April 2020 episode of their hit reality show. “It’s about commitment,” the father of 18 shared during one scene. “Why break something up that is fixable?”
Meri and Kody divorced in 2014 so he could legally marry fourth wife Robyn Brown and adopt her three children from a past marriage — a move many fans felt led to their relationship woes over the years.
“Meri and I had a very fast courtship with a lot of expectations … I didn’t know who I was marrying, and, as things unfolded, I started to become very troubled, even bitter, by the situation I was in,” the TLC dad admitted in his counseling session at the time. “I got to a point where I was ready to wash my hands.”
Did the Catfish Scandal Cause More Issues?
The Sister Wives patriarch previously called Meri’s catfish scandal “a wake-up call,” but highlighted their “problem ran much deeper than that.”
In the aforementioned interview with Us Weekly, Meri revealed how they ultimately overcame the ordeal. “I went through a time where I was considering what I wanted to do, and I was considering all options and what that would look like. I can only speak to myself to make a decision in a dark time when you are in a place of pain or hurt or sorrow or whatever, it is not the time to make a decision. Even through that, I made the decision to stay,” she said. “This is my family. Six years ago, my decision was to stay and figure it out. This is where I made the commitment. And this is where I am.”
The California native noted there are always “improvements to be made,” but she is “at peace.”
Have They Shared Their Plans for the Future?
Meri shared a life update while celebrating her 50th birthday.
“Every single one of these experiences has shaped me to be who I am today. And I’m happy with me,” the mom of one wrote on January 16, 2021. “I’m looking into the future with the full intention of living it to the fullest. I’ll take on the challenges, I’ll beat the odds, I’ll succeed, I’ll fail, I’ll learn, I’ll keep going.”
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