‘Sister Wives’ star reveals she’s keeping Kody’s last name — even years after their split: ‘I only had...’
It seems like 'Sister Wives' star Meri Brown has no plans of changing her last name anytime soon, despite the end of her marriage with Kody Brown. While appearing on an episode of the 'I Do, Part 2' podcast, released on September 12, Meri candidly spoke about her decision to keep her last name even two years following her split with Kody. “I have had the conversation many times with my best friend and some other people, too. Right now, I’m not going to," Meri said on the episode, according to E! News. Meri also disclosed that Brown has been her last name for 35 years.
Furthermore, Meri said that if she reverted to her maiden name, Meri Barber, it would be difficult for others to pronounce. Later in the episode, she elaborated, “I only had my other name—my dad’s name—for 19 years. Also, there’s a lot of R’s in it, and it’s really hard to say. Brown is a hell of a lot easier.” For the unversed, Meri and Kody tied the knot in April 1990, and they legally divorced in 2014. They, however, stayed spiritually married so he could “legally restructure” his family.
Soon after, Kody remarried Robyn Brown so he could adopt her children from her first marriage. Previously, Kody was also spiritually married to Christine Brown and Janelle Brown, but they have since gone their separate ways. As of now, Janelle still goes by her married name, but Christine has taken her husband David Woolley’s last name since they got married in 2023. While spilling the beans on her personal life, Meri remarked, “Me and one of my sisters, we joke about it all the time, because she’s also divorced. We’re like, ‘Love you, dad. But we’re not going to go back to the maiden name.’”
When Meri was asked to comment on her current relationship status, she admitted that there’s no one serious in her life at the moment. “My current status is...I am not dating anybody exclusively. I do date when I find somebody that matches my energy,” she said. Meri also noted that she's “very selective” about who she goes on dates with. "It’s a privilege to be in my world, and not just anybody gets to be. Plus, I am a lot. I’m a business owner. I travel a lot. I’m building businesses and doing all these things. Can they handle that? Some men just can’t. They need you there all the time. They want to text you all the time, and I don’t need that,” she added.
In Friday's podcast episode, the TLC reality star also stated that she does believe that her true soulmate is surely out there. Meri explained, "I don’t necessarily believe there’s only one person, and where in the world am I going to find him? But I do believe there’s somebody that I can find, that our values align, our morals align, our energies align, our laughter aligns, and we want to spend the rest of our lives together."
