Kody and Meri Brown Relationship Timeline: 'Sister Wives' stars went from 'hopeless romantics' to feeling 'deceived'
Much before 'Sister Wives' star Kody Brown embraced the polygamist lifestyle, he was head over heels in love with only one woman - his first wife Meri Brown. In fact, Meri was Kody's only legal wife for several years, although he married Janelle Brown and Christine Brown, they were his "spiritual wives", and not legal wives. Meri enjoyed the privilege of being not only Kody's first love but also being his legal life for over 20 years.
In the span of their first meeting to being married for thirty years, the couple has been through many highs and lows, but through it all, they both seem to have each other's backs. Read on to know all about Meri and Kody's relationship.
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Kody was instantly smitten by Meri
When Meri was only 18 years old, she first laid eyes on her future husband, Kody Brown. Meri was introduced to Kody by a friend. The two were instantly drawn to each other. Meri revealed in her autobiography 'Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage', that she had never been wooed by any other man before, and that things moved on very quickly between the duo.
As the couple began spending more time with each other, they began falling in love. At one point Kody even believed that Meri and he were "soulmates". "Meri was so cute and sweet when I met her that I had a hard time suppressing my hopelessly romantic nature,” he wrote in the autobiography. Within just two months of meeting her, Kody proposed to her for marriage. "A couple weeks later on Christmas Eve — yes, two months after we met — he gave me a ring and asked me to marry him," she revealed. They got married in 1990.
Meri and Kody Brown battle infertility
Meri had always dreamt of having a large family, so as soon as she got married to Kody, she wanted to start her own family. Unfortunately, due to her fertility issues, the couple had a hard time having a baby together. Although Meri and Kody eventually had a baby together, five years after their marriage, it wasn't his first child. Before having a child with Meri, Kody went on to have a baby with his second wife Janelle.
After having their first child together, Meri and Kody began trying for more babies, but unfortunately, the reality star suffered from a miscarriage. This left the couple devastated. "We had an appointment at the doctor to hear the heartbeat. And I was at about 10 weeks. And we were so excited. And we went in and they couldn't hear the heartbeat," she shared.
Kody divorces Meri to marry Robyn
Many might be surprised to learn that it was actually Meri who encouraged her husband to pursue his fourth wife - Robyn. The couple reportedly bonded over Robyn, and Meri even reportedly struck a close friendship with her. Within no time Robyn and Kody got very close. They even got married in 2010 and Robyn became his "spiritual wife". But his new wife wasn't happy just being a spiritual wife, and wanted her three children from a previous marriage to have a father. So, Kody had no choice but to divorce Meri, so that he could marry Robyn, and legally adopt her children.
Meri didn't take to the divorce well. Although she tried to focus on how the divorce was not about her but about the kids, she still had a tough time coming to terms with it. "It's not about me, it's about the kids. I'm realizing now that while that divorce process was really hard... I feel like I've dealt with it enough that I can see a bigger picture.," she revealed in an episode.
Kody accuses Meri of deceiving him into marrying her
Things between Meri and Kody haven't always been peachy. The couple experienced few roadblocks in their relationship. During a prticularly difficult time in their relationship, Kody lashed out at Meri, and expressed how he felt deceived into marrying her. "I feel like I was deceived into a relationship that was very different than what I expected. Meri and I had a fast courtship with a lot of expectations and a lot of not communicating. I didn’t know who I was marrying. As things unfolded, I started to become troubled and bitter by the situation I was in," he shared on an episode of 'Sister Wives'. In the same episode he also expressed feeling "jaded" by the whole plural marriage situation.
Meri shuts down rumors of the couple splitting
After watching how things were panning out between Meri and Kody, fans began speculating if the couple was heading towards splitsville. But Meri didn't let the trolls go any further with their assumptions, as she took to her Instagram to post a lengthy message explaining that she wasn't giving up on her marriage and relationship, and was working towards repairing her relationship. "Let's just clarify something here. I love this man. 💙I don't owe anyone an explanation but I'll do it anyway. I'm well aware that we, as a family, have chosen to put ourselves 'out there', which, in turn, brings about all kinds of speculation, commentary, and opinions. But it comes down to this. My relationship with him is MY relationship with him. Sure we've had ups and downs through the years (I mean, isn't that somewhat normal?) High highs and low lows. All of which, you get to see 'some' of, and speculate on. And that's ok. You do you, boo. But here's my truth. I love him. I love my family. I'm committed. I have 30 years in this. We struggle. We communicate. We repair relationships as the parties involved are willing and able," she wrote.
'Sister Wives' Season 15 is all set to premiere on Sunday, February 14, at 10/9c on TLC.
