Christine Brown thinks Meri Brown’s 2014 legal divorce from Kody Brown did not start with Meri. On the November 1 episode of Sister Wives, Christine told Meri the idea felt “kind of planted” by Kody and Robyn Brown.
The talk aired on TLC. It was Christine and Meri’s first one-on-one conversation since Christine left the plural family. Christine, 54, split from Kody, 57, in November 2021. Meri, 55, announced her own breakup from him in January 2023.
Sister Wives: Christine Says the Idea Was Planted
Christine told Meri she saw the divorce differently from the start. She pointed to “a couple of times” when Robyn and Kody both brought it up in normal conversation.
She also remembered a moment in Meri’s living room in Lehi, Utah, before the family moved. Robyn said it was “beautiful” that another plural wife had offered to get a legal divorce so her husband could legally marry a new wife with children.
“I remember thinking, ‘What are you suggesting here? You think Meri should legally divorce Kody?’” Christine said. “I remember just thinking that and then it happened.”
Then, she said, Meri presented it as her own idea. “Meri’s like, ‘This is my idea. I’m coming up with this legal divorce.’ And I’m like, ‘No, you’re not.’”
Sister Wives: Why Meri Said Yes
Meri was Kody’s first wife. They legally married in 1990. Kody spiritually wed Janelle Brown in 1993, Christine in 1994 and Robyn in 2010.
In 2014, Meri agreed to a legal divorce. She explained that the family talked about Kody adopting Robyn’s children. After the divorce, Kody and Robyn legally married, which made the adoption of Robyn’s three children easier.
“I thought it was for the good of the family,” Meri told Christine.
Christine said Meri acted with “absolute, pure intentions.” Even so, she said she felt it was a mistake. “Even back then I was like, ‘It’s a mistake. It’s a mistake.’”
Sister Wives: What Happened After
Meri said the change in Kody did not last. He “was nice to me for, I don’t know, maybe a month,” she claimed.
She also said he was never direct with her. “He did, because was never direct with me and I was willing to figure it out,” Meri said. She called the divorce a “freaking legal divorce” that she did hoping “things were going to be OK and they were not.”
Christine said the divorce marked a turning point. “They were struggling before that, for sure, but it was definitely the beginning of the real crumbling between the two of them.”
Sister Wives: Where the Idea May Have Come From
Christine also pointed to Kody’s family history. She said Kody’s father legally divorced his mother, then legally married another wife. “So Kody had seen that happen,” she said.
She added that the same idea had come up in Pinesdale, Montana, a community tied to their former church.
Janelle backed up Christine’s version. “I think there was way more going on whether they were willing to admit it or not. I think so. I think they were wanting to go that direction,” she said.
Sister Wives: Meri Is Not Sure
Meri did not say Christine was wrong. She also did not say she agreed.
“I don’t know if they had a plan,” Meri told the cameras. “If it wasn’t a plan, it worked very well in his favor.”
That is the careful part of this story. Christine and Janelle share a suspicion, and Meri still has doubts. Kody and Robyn are still married but no longer on the show. This episode did not include a reply from either of them.
Meri stayed in a spiritual union with Kody until January 2023. She was later granted a spiritual divorce. Janelle confirmed her own separation in December 2022.
Patricia covers the Kardashians, Real Housewives, The Traitors, and Below Deck. She specializes in breaking news and celebrity updates, from business ventures to on-screen drama. Patricia has covered reality TV and entertainment for three years.
