Sister Wives star Meri Brown legally divorced her husband Kody Brown so he could adopt his fourth wife Robyn’s kids — but fans of the show think there may have been another underlying reason.
After being Kody’s only legal wife for 24 years, Meri signed divorce papers to allow her husband to adopt Robyn’s kids from her previous marriage legally.
The act shocked some viewers, as it was emotional to watch Meri go through with the process, only to be left behind by Kody and Robyn seemingly.
Meri, who some think is starting a new life that doesn’t include Kody, was 19 years old when she wed 21-year-old Kody in 1990. The couple’s marriage would be the only legal marriage in their polygamous relationship until 2014.
Essentially, Meri swapped places with Robyn as Kody’s only legal wife so that her three kids, Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna, could be afforded the same benefits as the rest of the 18 Brown kids.
The divorce left Meri feeling emotionally devastated and alone, so she searched for love and attention elsewhere. She thought she found it in a man named Sam, who later turned out to be a woman who catfished Meri in the now-infamous turn of events.
Fans of the show discussed Meri divorcing Kody and thought there might have been more to Meri’s reasoning for divorcing Kody than helping Robyn’s kids.
Did Meri have ulterior motives for divorcing Kody?
A thread on Reddit asked other Sister Wives followers, “Do y’all think Meri decided to divorce Kody not out of the goodness of her heart so he could adopt the kids, BUT bc she was talking to someone online?”
Viewers of the show spoke up, and many of them thought Meri had more than one reason for divorcing Kody — and not all of them thought it was to help her sister wife, Robyn.
Did Meri and Kody’s divorce cause the catfish scandal?
One fan felt that the divorce caused Meri’s catfishing scandal and thought that the network didn’t portray Kody as adamant about the divorce, as it may have looked bad for the show’s image.
“I think the divorce is actually why she started talking to someone else. Kody probably wanted it, but airing that part would ruin TLC’s “POLYGAMY ISN’T BAD” campaign,” commented the Sister Wives fan.
Another Reddit user agreed: “I agree. I think she went for it because Kody pressured her and at one time she and Robyn were close.”
Another fan of the show commented that they didn’t believe the divorce was portrayed accurately and caused Meri’s catfishing scandal. They also felt as though Meri got over the divorce and has come to terms with it.
“No, the divorce and the way TLC portrayed it was probably not how it truthfully went down. The divorce caused the catfishing issue. I do believe she’s good with it currently . But Since Flagstaff , they only get together for filming and some holidays/ special events,” commented the fan.
Meri was genuinely upset when she divorced Kody
Another Reddit user noticed that Meri was genuinely upset when she signed the divorce papers on the show. It was one of many times on the show that Meri got emotional and cried.
“Meri genuinely seemed devastated to sign that divorce paper..and it seemed very much like Robyn and Kody glossed over that fact, and hardly noticed,” said the fan.
Of the divorce, Meri said, “If ever I’m having an emotional moment about maybe what I lost, you know, I just think, ‘It’s not about me. It’s about the kids.’ And that’s what makes me happy.”
Sister Wives is currently on hiatus.