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Meri Brown revealed ex-husband Kody Brown gave her a 'list' to save their marriage: "I did love him..."

“He started getting really defensive,” Meri Brown said while opening up about ex-husband Kody Brown.

The dynamic between reality show 'Sister Wives' stars Kody Brown and his wives has always been complex, but none more so than his relationship with his first wife, Meri Brown. After over a decade of emotional distance and a lack of intimacy, the former couple officially ended their marriage in early 2023. Recently, in the December 15th episode of 'Sister Wives', Meri revealed that Kody gave her an ultimatum list of tasks to complete to save their relationship. Despite checking off each box, Meri realized there was no saving her marriage with the polygamist.

As reported by E! News, Meri said, "Kody basically had a list to do before we would start working on a relationship." She added, "Like he started getting really defensive like a few times and I said, 'Kody, I'm not gonna do this. Like we're where we are. It's done. There's no reason to get defensive.' I think that Kody was expecting me to be different than what I was. He probably expected me to be snarky and mean, or crying or whatever." Further in the episode, Meri also spoke about what she thinks about getting back together with Kody. She said, "I mean, I did love him. I do love him. I just, I just can't. I'm not you know, I just wasn't willing to do that anymore."

She added, "It definitely wasn't Stockholm Syndrome. I mean, it's kind of funny to laugh about it. Like I committed that we are gonna work it out, like good times, bad times, whatever. We're gonna make it work. The reason why I stayed so long was purely because of me and my commitment." Meri previously revealed that even during vacations, she and Kody didn’t share a bed. She said, "Kody told me at one of our conversations, 'Meri, I decided this two years ago.' I don’t think that was fair to me. You know, if he really was having these feelings that he really, really was done, it would have been cool if he would have just talked to me about it instead of the mixed messages that I kept getting."

Although the father of 18 admits he took his time in ending his first marriage, he did so out of respect for Robyn Brown, his fourth and only remaining wife, as reported by E! News. On the other hand, Meri is certain that Kody will remain in what she calls the sorta-kinda friend zone. In a recent interview, she shared that while they are cordial and kind toward each other, there’s no desire for constant communication—no phone calls or text conversations. They’re on friendly terms, but nothing more than that.

Meanwhile, Kody and Meri’s relationship spanned decades, but respect for his first wife was never truly a priority for him. After marrying Janelle Brown and Christine Brown shortly after Meri, his marriage to Robyn didn’t come until two decades later, creating tension as he increasingly prioritized her over his other wives. His and Robyn's relationship has been a challenge for the rest of the family to navigate. While Meri’s decision to move on has been empowering, Kody’s continued belittling and dismissive behavior has strained his relationships with 'Sister Wives', as reported by Screenrant.