Meri Brown, star of Sister Wives, has gained lots of attention lately, mainly due to her failing marriage to her husband, Kody Brown, and now her fans want to see her in her own show.
Fans of Meri’s have pitched a new show they’ve called “The Meri Brown Show.” With just 73 followers on its Instagram page, the show would need a lot more support to get the idea off the ground.
The page claims that Meri “needs her own show!” and says, “Fan of the other wives or nothing nice to say? That’s cool, just not here,” and uses the hashtags #themeribrownshow and #firstwife.
Meri has a long history with Kody
Meri and Kody wed in 1990 when she was just 19. The couple enjoyed monogamous bliss until second wife, Janelle, entered the family three years later.
Just when Meri was starting to figure out how to adjust to sharing another wife with Kody, third wife Christine entered the picture a year later, while Janelle was pregnant with the family’s first child.
Meri and Kody have admitted that their marriage problems began decades ago, early into their union. But the distance between Kody and Meri has really turned up this season, prompting fans to call for Meri to have her own show.
Meri has claimed she isn’t ready to give up on her marriage
Fans of the show have seen Kody mistreat Meri, and despite his lack of reciprocation in trying to mend their marriage, Meri continues to hang on to hope.
On The Meri Brown Show Instagram page, one fan recommended another name for the show and suggested “Leaving Sister Wives.”
The page posted, “@mary143dee thinks her show should be called ‘Leaving Sister Wives’! What are your thoughts and ideas of what her show would be called?”
Meri’s defenders showed up in the comments to voice their opinions.
One said, “LOVE Meri???? treated so unfairly? I hope you are happier my dear.”
Another of Meri’s fans said, “That chick needs to take her Lularoe cash and walk away from this toxic band of fools. I truly hope she decides someday to let herself be happy in a healthy environment because everyone deserves that.”
Fans have pointed out several reasons for Meri to leave Kody
Fans have long-urged Meri to leave Kody, as they’ve watched their distance continue to grow.
For starters, Meri and Kody aren’t legally married. The marriage they’re in now is strictly spiritual.
In 2014, in order for Kody to legally adopt his fourth wife, Robyn’s kids, Meri offered to divorce him after 24 years of legal marriage.
In 2015, the Brown family made a formal statement about the process, saying, “We have chosen to legally restructure our family. We made this decision together as a family. We are grateful to our family, friends, and fans for all their love and support.”
Meri’s only child lives in Utah where her bed and breakfast is located
Meri’s only daughter, Mariah, recently moved to Utah with her fiance and is helping run Meri’s bed and breakfast, Lizzie’s Heritage Inn.
Meri recently lost her beloved mother, Bonnie, who was the innkeeper.
Living in Flagstaff, Meri is nearly eight hours away from Mariah and Lizzie’s, but her LuLaRoe business, which is thriving, allows her to work from anywhere.
Meri didn’t receive much support from Kody or her sister wives when she proposed purchasing the inn, but eventually came up with the down payment on her own and opened its doors for business in 2017.
Meri began an online relationship in 2015
Meri has continually been mistreated by Kody, and viewers have awkwardly watched their relationship disintegrate. The couple admitted that Meri’s scandalous catfishing incident in 2015 was responsible for dissolving their marriage.
Meri seemed to be seeking out affection and companionship that she was lacking from Kody when she began her online affair with the cat fisher.
Meri lives alone in a huge, $1 million home in Flagstaff, away from the rest of the family. Kody has admitted he doesn’t visit Meri and the two have been separated for at least four or five years.
If Meri were to move on, there is a chance she would risk not seeing the other 17 children in the family. However, her sister wife Janelle voiced that she felt the Brown family would be accommodating about visitation if a wife ever did divorce Kody.
Religion could play a big role in Meri’s decision to move on
There’s the issue of Meri’s religion that could be stopping her from leaving.
Meri belongs to the Apostolic United Brethren (AUB), a fundamentalist sect of Mormonism. Members of the faith believe that they are “sealed” to their spouses and children for eternity.
Kody has admitted he can’t say, “Hey, I’m divorcing you,” but said any of his wives can leave if they choose.
He reiterated, “They need to understand that they can leave. Nobody’s going to be a prisoner here.”
Meri has plenty of logical reasons to leave, but other reasons may be holding her back
Although Meri has plenty of logical reasons to leave Kody to start a new life and possibly pick up her own show, her reasons for staying could be strictly based on emotions and religion.
Despite her troubles with Kody, Meri has admitted she loves spending time with the kids, especially the younger children. She has been committed to the family for over 30 years and has been a mother figure to their 18 children.
Leaving the family and starting a new life seems like the reasonable option, given her circumstances, but sometimes big life decisions aren’t as easy as they seem.
Sister Wives airs on Sundays at 10/9c on TLC.