Meri and Kody Brown are not legally married and Meri Brown is dating someone new. (Or is she???)
Based on this information alone, the question posed above would seem to be a silly one.
Of course the relationship is over, right? Heck, it’s seemingly been over for a long time, no?
Well, no. Not exactly. Not when we’re talking about a polymagous couple that blurs the line between marriage, exclusivity and all the social norms typically associated with a romance.
Where do things stand now between the Sister Wives stars? How did they get here? Where might they go from here?
Come along down below and let’s try to figure all this out…
How Did These Two Meet?
One of Kody’s sisters introduced the pair way back in 1989. Meri came from a polymagous family; her father had five wives of his own.
When Did They Get Married?
In 1990. She was his first-ever legal wife.
Do They Have Children?
Yes, but not as many as originally planed. It’s been reported that the hope was to have 8 kids, but Meri struggled with fertility problems. She has only been able to get pregnant twice during their marriage; once in 1994, which resulted in the birth of daughter Mariah Lian, and once again around 2007 … which ended in miscarriage.
Here They are with Mariah
Looks like a close, happpy, very normal immediate family, doesn’t it?
When Did the Marriage End?
Kody filed to legally divorce Meri in 2014 so that he could legally marry Robyn and legally adopt her kids. We keep using this term because Kody wanted to remain “spiritually” married to Meri and keep their same exact relationship.
Meri Seemed Fine with It at the Time
“It’s an end of something that we had had, in a way, for 24-and a half years,” Meri said in a statement back then. “But at the same time, I know it’s not, because I have eternity with him; I have an eternity with the family. I know it’s not the end.”
So Much for an Eternity, However
In October of 2015, Meri dropped the shocking bombshell that she’d been “catfished†after having an online relationship with someone she thought was a man – but was actually a woman.
Come Again?!?
This person identified himself as a man named “Sam” and got very close to Meri (along with other victims) on the Internet. But Meri later learned it was actually a woman named Jackie Overton.
Why Did This Person Do This?
To blackmail Meri and to destroy her unconventional family, Meri has said on record.
Meri Confesses:
“During an emotional and vulnerable time earlier this year, I began speaking with someone online who turned out to be not who they said they were,†Meri told People Magazine of the humiliating incident.
In Need of Assistance
Meri and Kody tried therapy after the catfishing scandal went viral, but Meri didn’t seem optimistic about it. It requires “two parties wanting to work toward it, I think,†Meri said in March 2018, adding, “I think it’s a lot of work.â€Â
A Second Chance?
On the Sister Wives Tell All special that aired in April 2019, Kody sounded a positive note about himself and Meri, acknowledging their issues but also saying he was looking forward to a clean slate.
Explain Please, Kody:
“What we’ve had to do is discover our new baseline,” Kody explained to the TLC host, elaborating as follows: “Every marriage has a baseline, and it gently changes through the years for most people.”
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
“Well, Meri and I had an abrupt change. Different culture, Different religious values, we might have just [gotten a divorce], but we’re fortunate enough to be blessed to be a part of a family that is its own culture. So we continue to move forward working on that, steadily moving in a direction where we’re just fully mended,” he also said on air.
“We Are Dating.”
This is what Kody concluded on the special, describing the status of the estranged couple’s relationship.
The Future Awaits!
“I am cutting off everything that was the past. It’s a new date, it’s a new girlfriend, it’s a new person, but we have a history and we also know each other,” Kody said on this special, while Meri echoed his sentiment, but in a less enthusiastic manner.
Since Then, However?
Meri slammed her fellow Sister Wives as selfish and shared a photo that made it appear as though she was moving away from Flagstaff, Arizona, where the family is now based.
And Then Came This Bombshell:
“So many of you have been asking and it just hasn’t been the right time yet to make this sort of announcement. So here it is….” she wrote on her Instagram Story on August 18, 2019.
Yes, Here It Is!
“I have someone new in my life,” Meri announced. “He’s so amazing, he’s good looking, he’s solid and SOOOO good to me!!”
He Sounds Incredible
“He’s a positive and practical addition to my life and an absolute perfect fit. I seriously couldn’t be happier!!! He’s ALWAYS there when I need him,” Brown continued. “He’s photogenic, and Oh so easy on the eyes!!”
What’s His Name?
“His name is Hudson and I just can’t get enough of him …” she added.
She Got Us!
Meri has played us all — apparently “Hunter” is a style over in Lularoe Land, and she was just promoting it in a very attention-grabbing way. Darn you, Meri! Also: well done!
Does This Fake-Out Really Change Out Point Here, Though?
No. Meri is very, very clearly unhappy. She shared this image on Instagram and has reportedly sold her home in Arizona.
We Mean, When was the Last Time Meri Shared a Photo with Kody?
On January 17 of this year. That is a very long time ago.
Where Do Meri and Kody Go From Here?
To a new season of Sister Wives? Sources say TLC is filming new episodes, despite the future being uncertain for Kody and nearly all his marriages at this point. Stay tuned, folks.