Meri Brown’s marriage to Kody Brown officially ended in January 2023 and, according to the Sister Wives star, the friendship she once had with Kody’s wife, Robyn Brown, has somewhat ended, as well.
Meri recently revealed to People that, despite being close to Robyn– and Robyn and Kody’s children– for years, she and the only remaining Mrs. Kody Brown “don’t really talk a lot” anymore.
As ‘Sister Wives’ viewers know, Meri was the last of Kody’s first three wives to split from the father of 18, leaving Robyn and Kody in a monogamous marriage– a scenario Meri suspects Robyn is still adapting to.
“I know that it was really hard for her when I left and I suspect that she’s probably just trying to figure out her life completely different than she thought that it was going to be,” Meri told the outlet.
While seemingly hinting at Kody’s longstanding preference for his fourth wife, Meri also admitted that Robyn is likely “trying to navigate” her marriage, now that she’s officially Kody’s only wife.
“I’m not sure that their day-to-day life has changed a whole lot because it’s been the same thing it has been for the past quite a few years,” Meri said. “But just knowing that she’s full-on monogamous, I’m sure that she has been trying to navigate that herself.”
Meri reiterated that she and Robyn “don’t have a lot of interaction” these days, though she acknowledged that the two “were” close in the past.
“I feel like right now, I’m just needing to focus on me and my future and who’s going to be a cheerleader for what I’m trying to do in my life,” she added.
Since splitting from Kody, Meri has relocated from Flagstaff, Arizona, to Parowan, Utah. (Kody’s other former spouses, Janelle and Christine Brown, also went on to move out of Arizona after ditching Kody.)
As viewers saw on Sunday’s episode of ‘Sister Wives,’ Meri’s ongoing frustrations with Robyn began long before Meri and Kody officially called it quits on what was left of their marriage.
“With Robyn, I feel like I’ve put in a lot, and especially over COVID, it’s like I was the one who was always calling. It wasn’t being reciprocated,” she said. “I really believe that a relationship has to be reciprocal and it wasn’t reciprocal.”
Meri went on to mention during the episode that Robyn was a no-show to her mom Bonnie Ahlstrom’s funeral in March 2021, despite both Kody and then-wife Janelle attending the service.
“The fact that Robyn didn’t come to my mom’s funeral and support me in that way at that time was very hurtful to me,” she said. “They were following the COVID rules and you know, I felt really bad about that and I kind of understood, but Kody ended up going, too.
“The whole thing was really confusing to me that she wouldn’t go, ‘cause Janelle went,” Meri recalled to viewers.
In response, Robyn claimed that she didn’t join Kody at Bonnie’s funeral because they “couldn’t both quarantine away from the kids that long.”
“I didn’t have that option during this time,” Robyn said. “I was missing all kinds of things. Avalon’s birth, my dad was super sick and in the hospital. I wish I could have [been there for Meri], I love Bonnie and I wanted to be supportive to Meri and I would have been there in a heartbeat if it hadn’t been the situation that we were dealing with COVID.”
While Meri’s relationship with Robyn has sunk deeper than the swamp hole Kody once dipped his nearly nude body in, Meri recently revealed that she remains “cordial” with Kody and that she and Janelle “have conversations on occasion.”
“They’re usually quick conversations, but it’s a little bit here and there, so it’s nice,” she said.
Meri also revealed that she and Christine are not close, as their “paths just are not aligned.” However, she believes there’s “always a chance” for that to change.
“It really just depends on if both parties are involved,” Meri said. “Right now, I don’t think that she’s at that place. I don’t think that she wants to. I’m totally happy with where I am in my life as well, and I wish her all the best … .”
New episodes of ‘Sister Wives’ air Sundays on TLC.
RELATED STORY: ‘Sister Wives’ Star Kody Brown Worries Men at Church Will Try to Woo Wife Robyn: “There’s A Lot of Men Interested in Robyn”
(Photos: TLC; Instagram)
8 Responses
The Meri Robyn friendship was always one of convenience, and at times, it also felt like Robyn was emotionally blackmailing Meri, she plays the victim well & I think, because she didn’t have that closeness with Christine or Jenelle she latched onto Meri & Meri being kind reciprocated that & they formed that ‘friendship’ it was always very fickle.
Robyn has shown her true colours though, she was never going to be a cheerleader for Meri now that she’s moving on with her life. She was happy when Meri was married to Kody & unhappy, in Robyn’s world that’s how she wanted things to stay. Seeing Meri happy & flourishing in her new life will be eating away at Robyn.
In my opinion Meri endured the most during that marriage, Kody was always emotionally abusive towards her, it was good to see her finally walk away & start to build a new life for herself.
I think the friendship between Meri and Robyn has always been one of convenience and the reason(s) have shifted over time. Most recently I think because Robyn wanted to keep up the polygamist image to keep the show going and the money flowing, while Meri needed somewhere to go for holidays and I think also enjoyed Robyn’s kids. Once Meri decided to leave, the benefits for both evaporated.
Meri needs to move on completely. Robyn is one of those people who friendship is based on what she totally gets out of it. The only reason she has Kody to herself, which is exactly what she wanted, is that Kody is stupid. It was disgusting what Robyn tried to put Meri through, with her fake tears, begging her not to leave. The only thing Meri got out of the so called marriage was emotional and mental abuse. And I for one thought Robyn got off on that. Christine? If she does not put her marriage off the tube I see her husband calling it quits. Christine has a big mouth and although she and Janelle sort of became a support system, Janelle left for North Carolina and a life of her own. Certainly the show is scripted but you would think that Meri and Janelle would be sick of being a part of something that makes them look like fools. Ladies, get real jobs. You no longer have minor kids to raise. Robyn got what she wanted and as much as she claims she wanted sister wives, nothing could be further from the truth. She wanted Kody the Klown and her mansion. Once the show is kaput, they will lose the house, property due to not paying taxes or mortgages.
I wonder how soon Christine will find that being in a monogamous relationship with the first guy to come along isn’t all that great.
I agree. She totally jumped into a quickie marriage. Once the show Sister wives is cancelled for good Christine will either get out of her marriage and try to clean David out financially, or David will get sick of her and dump her. For one thing Christine cannot keep her big mouth shut and David is a fool.
What a strange and baseless take on their relationship.
Christine jumped into a marriage . It would be nice to see it work out. But Christine needs to back off and shut her big mouth. By now we all know her so called spiritual marriage to Kody was a mess. How can any woman be happy sharing one man with 3 women and 18 kids? Okay Christine says she has found her prince. Fine. Move on. Keep your legal marriage private. That is what I am saying.
Robyn has fewer people to start problems with and Kody doesnt know how to communicate. It was easier to communicate with a common “enemy”.