Sister Wives star Janelle Brown is shedding light on the gradual split between her ex Kody Brown and his first wife, Meri Brown.
According to Janelle, the separation had been developing for years before the official announcement in 2023.
During her Nov. 4 appearance on the Reality Life with Kate Casey podcast, Janelle revealed that Meri, 53, had distanced herself from Kody long before their public split.
However, despite this, she maintained a close relationship with Kody’s fourth wife, Robyn Brown.
“She and Robyn were always pretty close,” Janelle explained. “I don’t know if she was separate. But, I mean, she and Kody had been estranged for many, many years.”
This shift became even more pronounced when their child, Leon Brown, left the family home after coming out as transgender in June 2022.
With Leon gone, Meri found herself with more time and began focusing on interests outside the family. Kody eventually confirmed their 32-year marriage had ended by January 2023.
Though Meri admitted she would consider reconciliation, she noted that Kody was the one who ultimately chose to end things. “I definitely would,” she told People in 2022, “but I don’t think that he’s interested.”
Kody’s split with Meri was one of several significant changes in his family.
Christine Brown, his third wife, left the plural marriage in 2021 and has since remarried David Woolley, and Kody announced his separation from Janelle the following year.
Reflecting on his changing family dynamics, Kody expressed the strain in a recent Sister Wives episode, saying, “We used to go places as a family, and now it’s like those who were my partners are now almost like enemies. It’s awkward. I don’t know what the solution is.”
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