It seems like there’s been tension in the Brown household ever since Sister Wives star Meri Brown had her whole catfish conundrum. Following speculation that she and fellow sister wife Christine Brown may be avoiding each other while on the same cruise, things seemed to be taking a turn for the worst. Now, Kendra Pollard-Parra, a former close friend of Robyn Brown, is confirming those suspicions to In Touch. While chatting about the family, Kendra revealed that Kody Brown‘s first wife has been pretty much shut out by other members of the family — Christine in particular.

“Meri’s betrayal still has run pretty deep in the family and it’s not going away,” Kendra told In Touch. “[It] was a lot more intense than they tried to make out in the beginning.” According to Kendra, Christine is focusing on her relationship with Kody and has “worked really hard not to be jealous, angry or frustrated with any of the wives,” but it means functionally not having a relationship with Meri. “She has cut Meri off emotionally,” she said. “She doesn’t want to deal with the emotional side effects of Meri’s bad choices.”

Sister Wives Christine and Meri Feud
TLC

But it’s not just the catfish scandal that’s come between them. Apparently, the family’s first wife has always been this way. “[She] has never fully connected with the family to this day,” Kendra said. “She still is only invested in herself and her needs, and she’s really only there for TV purposes and her contract. Nothing’s really changed with that. So no, Christine and Meri do not have a loving, sweet relationship. They don’t really talk and Christine doesn’t trust her at all. She doesn’t trust any of her motives and doesn’t think any of her moves are good for the family.”

Back in February 2019, Christine confirmed on the show that she and her fellow sister wives actually aren’t that close, especially now that they don’t all live right next door to each other. Their move to Flagstaff, Arizona has the families living miles apart — and Christine and Meri confronted each other about their relationship during an uncomfortable moment on the show. “We don’t talk. We don’t have any sort of conversations. Nothing real,” Christine told Meri. “It’s not like I go talk to Robyn and Janelle all the time. I’m not that close to them either.”

Though Christine insisted that it’s simply tricky “trying to be best friends with a woman who has a relationship with your husband,” Kendra believes there’s more to it than that. “[Meri is] only with them to film,” she said. “Her whole focus is on her career with LuLa Roe, which she’s very successful at, and her daughter. As far as the family goes, they’ve never tried to reconnect with her. They’ve never done anything to benefit her — that’s why she’s made her choice to make her business be completely independent from them. … She’s literally all on her own.”

Reporting by Diana Cooper.

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