Meri Brown explains using term ‘estranged’ to describe marriage to Kody Brown, says she’s ‘using her voice’

Sister Wives star Meri Brown wants her fans and critics to know that despite calling her marriage to Kody Brown “estranged,” she is happy with where she is in life.

Meri and Kody Brown’s marriage woes are nothing new to Sister Wives viewers.

Season 16 blew the lid off Kody’s marital struggles with all of his wives, which were exacerbated by his strict pandemic rules for his wives and children.

During part one of the tell-all, Sister Wives: One on One, Meri admitted that she and Kody haven’t been intimate in at least a decade and Kody said intimacy with Meri at this point is “just damage.”

Sister Wives star Meri Brown explains using the term ‘estranged’ to describe her marriage to Kody Brown

Meri recently made a statement on Instagram about using the term “estranged” to describe her marriage and assured her followers that she’s happy with herself. The 51-year-old mom of one shared a smiley selfie to go along with her post.

“A few months ago, I used the word ‘estranged’ regarding my relationship, in a conversation with a friend. It was the first time I had vocalized it, and it felt…. honest,” Meri wrote to her 692k followers. “It was hard to use, and yet somewhat freeing.”

Meri claimed that she’s aware where her relationship with Kody stands, but said she’ll never bash him publicly and told her followers they weren’t going to get any of the behind-the-scenes tea from her.

“I know where my relationship is, I’m not oblivious to that. I have never been, nor will I ever be, the person who will sit and publicly trash someone or something,” Meri wrote. “So if you start reading this and think that’s what you’re going to get [that] here, you’ll be disappointed.”

Meri told her followers that she’s been bombarded with insults from critics and has been cast as “desperate, pathetic, embarrassing” and told she has “no worth and no value.”

“I try not to put labels on things but over the past few months as that ‘certain TV show’ has been airing, I’ve been labeled,” Meri said of Sister Wives viewers assuming things about her from watching the show.

Meri Brown is ‘using her voice’ to make light of a less-than-perfect marriage

Still, Meri admitted that her marriage to Kody is less than perfect and said she’s simply been using her voice more often.

“In actuality, what you’ve seen is me no longer being silent. What you’ve seen is me using my voice to have fun and bring humor to a not so perfect situation,” Meri said.

At the end of the day, Meri said that she’s staying busy and that helps her keep her mind focused on what’s important.

“I have plans and goals and aspirations that make me happy and fulfilled,” the reality TV star told her fans. “I work toward those dreams daily. I overcome, I succeed, I win. And, I’m happy with myself.”

Meri and Kody got married in 1990 when Meri was just 19 years old. Coming from a polygamous family, Meri wasn’t turned off by the idea of plural marriage and expected she and Kody would eventually welcome more wives into their family.

Janelle Brown joined the marriage in 1993, Christine married Kody in 1994, and Robyn Brown spiritually married Kody in 2010. In 2014, Meri legally divorced Kody in order for him to then marry Robyn so that he could legally adopt her three children from a previous marriage.

Although Meri was set on having sister wives from a young age, the toll it’s taken on her wellbeing has many Sister Wives fans wondering if it was worth it.

Part two of Sister Wives: One on One airs this Sunday, February 6 at 10/9c on TLC and Discovery+.