Sister Wives Star Meri Brown's Father Had Sister Wives Of His Own
Due to the unusual dynamic, TLC's series "Sister Wives" shocked viewers after its premiere in 2010. Kody Brown, a Utah salesman, was married to not one but four different women: Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn. The show follows Kody's polygamous relationship with all four women and the drama that comes with that.
Because Meri was Kody's first wife, their relationship caught the attention of many. According to Us Weekly, Meri is the only one who was legally married to Kody for quite some time. The couple married in 1990, and Kody recalled what drew him to the reality star. He said, "Meri was so cute and sweet when I met her that I had a hard time suppressing my hopelessly romantic nature." The couple had one child, Leon, throughout their 32 years of marriage.
Meri saw each wife added to the family, and while this wouldn't be ideal for many couples, the TV personality was okay with it. Meri even talked about having a unique relationship with her "sister wives" on "The Oprah Winfrey Show." She said, "It's definitely a very bonding experience. We're sisters in that sense, and we're very close." While there may be many reasons Meri is comfortable with a polygamous marriage, one of those reasons is sure to be because that is how she also grew up. The reality star's father was involved in polygamy, so Meri was already familiar with the idea, per Today.
Meri Brown was never forced by parents to be polygamous
It's uncommon for people to be in a polygamous family, but for Meri Brown, it was the norm. The TV personality revealed in the Brown memoir, "Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage," she grew up with her father venturing into polygamy when she was six or seven years old.
In the book, Meri talked about growing up in the LDS, or Mormon, faith. Eventually, the "Sister Wives" star saw her parents move to a marriage involving more than one person. After the family moved from California to Utah, her father decided to marry his second wife. From that point on the family grew, and Meri ended up having five mothers and 25 siblings, per Las Vegas Sun. While it may be untraditional, the TV star only has fond memories of her entire family. According to People, the "Sister Wives" star also recalled what it was like growing up in a polygamous family on the reality show. She said, "I had a lot of years with other moms and other siblings that weren't just from my mom. So it wasn't out of the ordinary for me."
For Meri, polygamy has always been normal, which is why she may have been so open to the idea when she married Kody. Meri told the Las Vegas Sun that although she has "sister wives" of her own, her parents never "pushed" her into this lifestyle.
Meri Brown isn't surprised her kid isn't into polygamy
It seems like the tradition of being polygamous may end with Meri Brown, because her child is not interested in having multiple partners. Meri and Kody had one kid, Leon, who's gone on to live a life differently than their parents. Leon's Instagram shows them in a loving relationship with Audrey Kriss, their one and only partner.
On "Sister Wives," Meri shared how happy she is for her child to be experiencing life differently than her own, per People. The reality star talked about how polygamy and her life in general were not like her child's. She said, "Even though it was like, the polygamist culture, the culture I grew up in was: you need to get married when you're young, and you need to have kids, and you need to be quiet about who you are, and you just need to just stay in this little box." Meri wanted to ensure that the children she had know they could live their life how they wanted to. Meri shared, "We've tried to create 'you can do whatever you want to do' for our kids."
Meri has opened up about how "it doesn't surprise" her that Leon and the kids from the other wives aren't wanting a polygamous marriage, per Entertainment Tonight. Instead, the idea that their children don't want a plural marriage is something she's proud of because it shows that they "don't force our family to do what we think we should do."