NEWS'Sister Wives' Star Meri Brown Reveals Why She Stayed With Kody Brown for So Long: 'I Got a Little Bit Stubborn'
Meri Brown revealed why she stayed longer with Kody Brown despite a troubled marriage.
Oct. 27 2026, Published 6:12 a.m. ET
Meri Brown revealed the reason why she chose to stay with Kody Brown long after their relationship began to unravel.
In the latest episode of Sister Wives, the reality star told former sister wife Christine Brown Woolley that she didn't want Kody to escape responsibility for their failed marriage.
Meri stayed in the relationship despite years of uncertainty because Kody once suggested they would get a fresh start.
Meri Refused to Let Kody Control the Breakup
Meri wanted Kody to take responsibility for their troubled relationship.
During the conversation, Meri revealed that she eventually became stubborn about leaving. "I got to the point that I was pretty confident that it was never going to work out," she said.
"And he was waiting for me to say something about it so that he could be the innocent party. And so I got a little bit stubborn and just stuck around," Meri continued.
Meri wanted Kody to tell him directly that their relationship was over instead of leaving him to guess. "I wanted him to say it," she told Christine.
Meri also made it clear that she was not going to make things easy for Kody. "I will be the thorn in your side or the knife in your kidney, or whatever," she said.
Hopes of a 'New Beginning' Kept Her Waiting
The reality TV star initially believed things might get back to normal.
Meri also revealed that Kody often gave her hope about improving their marriage, prompting her to stay with him longer.
She even recalled how he suggested their 2018 move from Las Vegas to Flagstaff, Ariz., could mark a fresh chapter for them.
"I felt like I had a lot of hope that OK, maybe this is a new beginning because he talked about that," Meri explained.
Meri and Kody had legally divorced in 2014 so he could marry Robyn Brown and adopt her three older children. However, they remained spiritually married, and Meri hoped they could still fix their relationship.
- Sister Wives' Kody Brown Admits He Doesn't 'Consider' Himself Married To Meri, Encourages First Wife To Move On
- Sister Wives' Meri Brown Declares Kody Didn't 'Care Enough' To 'Fight' For Her Or Christine: 'I Don't Understand That'
- Meri Brown Seething Over Christine's Decision To Quit On Polygamous Family: 'I Feel Angry'
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Christine Says Meri Was 'Misled'
Woolley acknowledged the pain she and Meri went through.
While Meri revealed what stopped her from ending things with Kody, Christine had her own opinion. She pointed out that the former couple had trouble even during the early years of their marriage.
"I'd say for the first several years I saw Meri and Kody together, I feel like they were just terrible to each other," she said.
Meri and Christine also opened up about periods when they both felt unnoticed in the family. Christine added that looking back at the family's past has been painful because she felt that Meri had been "grossly misled."
What Pushed Meri to Move Forward
Meri finally decided to leave Kody after other sister wives also moved away from the marriage.
Meri finally decided to leave Kody after Christine and Janelle Brown left him. She waited years to work things out, but nothing changed between them. In the end, the three sister wives left Kody, while Robyn remains his legal wife.
In the latest episode, Meri also admitted that he regrets not supporting Christine when she decided to end her marriage with Kody.
