Although Kody and Meri Brown have gone their separate ways for good, Kody plans to stay on good terms with his ex-wife.
The Sister Wives stars announced they’d terminated their marriage in January 2023, as previously reported by Monsters and Critics.
After years of Meri feeling neglected by Kody, it was obvious that the two weren’t going to last, despite Meri hanging onto hope for longer than she should have.
These days, Kody and Robyn Brown are the only remaining spouses in their once-plural marriage, and Meri is a newly single woman looking to re-enter the dating pool once again.
Despite their very public divorce, Kody says that he intends to keep in touch with Meri on friendly terms.
In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the TLC star opened up about his and Meri’s decision to remain friends and keep their split amicable.
Kody Brown thinks he and his ex, Meri, can be friends again
“The evolution of everything that happened with Meri and I over the past 20 years has had an effect to where we’ve come to here,” Kody dished.
He continued, “Her and I separating permanently was basically just what I thought was a very gentle negotiation of where we’re at.”
“But I think the realization of that has brought us to a place where we can be friends again,” Kody added.
“Meri and I do, I believe, go forward very quickly — I hope — with love and grace, forgiveness and charity to where I want her to feel free to call me if she ever needs anything.”
Kody went on to say that he “thinks” Meri still shares a close relationship with her former sister wife, Robyn, noting that Meri still expresses interest in coming to visit his and Robyn’s children.
“[Meri and I will] always have a relationship of what I hope is at least [some] kind friendship,” Kody told the publication.
Sister Wives exes, Kody and Meri, were husband and wife for over 30 years
Meri and Kody shared more than three decades together before parting ways. Meri became Kody’s first wife when they wed in 1990.
Their marriage was legal, so when Janelle, Christine, and Robyn entered the marriage in 1993, 1994, and 2010, Meri remained Kody’s only legal bride.
However, that changed in 2014 when Meri offered to divorce Kody legally to allow him to legally marry Robyn so that Kody could adopt her three children, Dayton, Aurora, and Breanna, from her previous marriage to David Jessop.
Sister Wives watched the demise of Meri and Kody’s marriage play out in the finale episode during Season 18.
Meri wanted Robyn present for her and Kody’s breakup because she ‘speaks Kody’
Robyn was present for the heart-wrenching conversation at Meri’s request. As Meri told Sister Wives Tell All host Sukanya Krishnan, she wanted Robyn there because she “speaks Kody.”
Although Meri and Robyn made it seem as though Robyn was the best at deciphering Kody’s feelings, Christine called B.S.
“I’m like, ‘bull s**t,'” Christine told Sukanya during the Tell All. “I have known Kody for … I met him when I was 18. What, 32 years ago?”
Christine continued, “I’ve known Kody for a long time. And I can actually read Kody pretty well, and I can speak Kody well, too.”
Christine felt as though Robyn convinced Kody’s other three wives that she could “speak Kody” and the others couldn’t, thereby mediating their relationships with him.
Janelle concurred, telling Sukanya that she didn’t need anyone to “translate” for her.
“We’ve been married a long time. We did okay without [Robyn]. I think I speak Kody,” said Janelle.
“It does bug me,” Janelle added. “Kody can speak for himself. He’s a grown-a** man.”
Sister Wives: Christine and David’s Wedding (Part 1) premieres Sunday, January 7, at 10/9c on TLC.