'Sister Wives' star Meri Brown reveals if she will keep Kody's last name: "I am connected to..."
Sister Wives star Meri Brown is slowly trying to heal from her relationship with ex-husband Kody Brown after formally ending their marriage in January 2023. She has made several changes to her life as she thrives post-split. One such move was her new auburn hair color. She has also hinted at a much bigger change. In a 2023 episode of Sister Wives, Meri had teased that she would perhaps drop Kody's last name as she moves on with her life.
In the episode, Meri says, “I have an announcement to make.” In response, one of her friends interjected, “You’re going to do something with your name?” Meri then shared with viewers that she has in fact been mulling whether or not to keep Kody’s last name now that they’re no longer married, as reported by The Ashley’s Reality Roundup. She confirmed her name change through an Instagram post, sharing a picture of a Christmas ornament, as reported by Screenrant. The ornament, designed like a postcard, was signed 'Meri Caroline Davenport' and was addressed to Santa Claus at the North Pole.
Yes! Meri! Reclaim your name! That's the first thing I did even before I was officially divorced. I used my maiden name with great pride. I earned it back. You beyond earned it! #sisterwives
— Kim Leinad (@tenged47) December 30, 2024
The text read, “Merry Christmas. Please bring me pink and white sparkly countertops with rounded edges. Oh, and a new BFF." If true, Meri is the second ex-wife of Kody to be done with the 'Brown' family name; the first being Christine Brown. After splitting from Kody in late 2021, Christine announced in September 2023 that she would adopt her new husband David Woolley's last name following their October 2023 wedding. Christine's Instagram handle however still reads '@christine_brownsw.' On social media, Meri also continues to go by her married name.
However, as per reports, Meri might also hold onto Kody’s last name until she gets married again. As reported by People magazine, Meri said, "We've talked about it a lot. It's like, okay, I am connected to Kody Brown by having his last name, but at the same time, that's all anybody knows me as. That's all I know myself as for the past 34 years." She added, "I definitely wouldn't ever change it back to my maiden name. That would be weird for me. I only had that for 19 years. This one I've had for 34, so it would be weird on that level." However, Meri also playfully hinted at adopting the name Davenport on Sunday, December 29 episode of the TLC show leaving fans guessing.
Meri formally divorced her husband Kody in 2014, allowing him to marry Robyn Brown, his fourth wife, legally, and to adopt Robyn's children from her previous relationship. Kody and Meri, who remained 'spiritually' married, had several issues in their relationship. Kody grew distant after Meri was catfished by a woman pretending to be a man online. In January 2023, they officially parted ways, with Meri citing abandonment as the reasoning behind her decision to dissolve the marriage.
