8 Ways Meri’s Lost The Most From Kody’s Downfall (He’s Changed Her Life In Negative Ways)

• Meri Brown has had a tough time keeping her place in the family structure as Kody’s relationships have changed throughout the years.
•  Kody’s decision to legally divorce Meri after 20 years together in order to marry Robyn has significantly impacted Meri’s relationship with him.
•  Meri has tried to work on her marriage with Kody, but his disinterest and lack of effort have made her feel insecure and has hurt their relationship.

Sister Wives Meri Brown was Kody Brown’s first wife, but she’s been the one to lose the most when it comes to his downward spiral. Kody and Meri were legally married in 1990, both coming from religious backgrounds that promoted plural marriage. The couple seemed happy together early on in their marriage, adding Janelle Brown and Christine Brown into the mix later on. Meri welcomed her only child with Kody in 1995 and was happy in her role within the family as Christine and Janelle also expanded their families. As Kody’s relationships have changed through the years, Meri has had a tough time keeping her place in the family structure.

When Kody met and began courting Robyn Brown in 2010, things changed tremendously for the Brown family as he brought a new wife into their family for the first time in nearly 20 years. Meri’s relationship with Kody continually became more fractured. Though she was still trying to keep their relationship afloat, things were rough for years and Kody wasn’t holding up his end of the responsibility to their relationship. Watching Meri and Kody’s marriage on Sister Wives, it’s obvious that the issues between them have hurt her and made her life immensely more difficult.

8Kody Legally Divorced Meri After 20 Years Together For Robyn

When Kody first met Robyn, he knew he wanted to court her and ultimately make her a part of the Brown family. While it had been years since he’d shown interest in a new wife, he felt strongly for Robyn and she reciprocated his feelings. The pair discussed marriage, but Robyn had one stipulation about joining the Brown family surrounding her children.

In order for Kody to legally adopt Robyn’s children from her previous marriage, he needed to legally marry her. This came down to Meri, who was Kody’s only legal wife, and she was pushed into divorcing her husband of over 20 years so Robyn could get her way. Though Meri accepted the divorce as well as she could, it changed her relationship dynamic with Kody entirely when their legal marriage ended.

7Meri Has Tried To Work On Their Marriage But Kody’s Disinterested

After Robyn joined the family and Meri was ousted as Kody’s legal wife, things began to change between Kody and his first wife. Though their relationship was still a priority, Kody definitely put the majority of his efforts into ensuring that his relationship with Robyn was going smoothly. He put less effort into his time with his other wives, especially Meri. She, on the other hand, was always trying to work on their relationship, acknowledging things had changed but she wanted to be sure they were both happy in the relationship.

5Meri Constantly Feels Like She’s Holding The Family Together

As Kody’s original wife, Meri has definitely seemed to feel obligated to the larger Brown family in the past. She has done her best to hold the family together, even when things haven’t been going well. Throughout Sister Wives season 18, Meri has shared she’s felt like the only person still holding the family together and ensuring they’re still a unit after Christine’s departure. Even before Christine left, Meri felt an obligation to keep everyone together when they were all pushing to drift apart.

4Robyn And Kody Treat Meri Like An Outsider In Her Own Relationship

After marrying Robyn, Kody’s life changed as he had to figure out how to manage four wives and a huge brood of children. Kody and Robyn’s relationship was visibly different from what he shared with his other wives, as they were more openly affectionate and seemed somewhat more romantic than any of his other marriages. Though Robyn’s had her own slights towards Christine and Janelle, she’s always treated Meri like the outsider in the relationship when it comes to Kody. Acting as though she’s the main wife rather than one of the group, Robyn has often pushed Meri to feel isolated in her relationship.

3Meri Defends Kody To Others To Her Own Detriment

Even with the deck stacked against Kody, Meri is always supportive when it comes to her husband and their relationship. This may not be the best move for Meri in some moments, especially considering Kody’s active disinterest in her, but she is loyal to her marriage to a fault. Meri has defended Kody’s actions both publicly and privately in a way that puts her at a disadvantage but hasn’t seemed to care that it can make her look bad.

2Without Her Plural Marriage, Meri Loses A Sense Of Family

After Christine left Kody, Meri was adamant she would remain in their plural marriage despite Kody making some disparaging remarks about her physical appearance and their relationship. She tried to keep herself within the family, attending holidays and Robyn and Kody’s home and doing her best to stay out of the drama, but when Janelle finally chose to leave, Meri was left on an island. She ultimately chose to leave her marriage to Kody, but it eliminated the sense of family she’s had for the majority of her adult life, as she’s been left mostly alone.

1Meri’s Sense Of Self Has Been Lost Without Kody

Although Meri has done things independently through the years, like opening her own bed and breakfast, she’s been reliant on her family and her marriage for a sense of identity. For the majority of her adult life, Meri has been a part of the Brown family both publicly and privately. Now, with her split from Kody and her separation from the larger family, Sister Wives Meri has become somewhat lost in who she is.